What Does Psalm 27:10 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." Psalm 27:10, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me." Psalm 27:10, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Psalm 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
Psalm 27:9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
Psalm 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
Psalm 27:11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
Psalm 27:12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
A conversation built on it
Being left by people doesn't mean you're someone who gets left. The psalmist knew that even parents can walk away — but God picks up what others put down. He doesn't explain it away. He stays. He already promised.
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 27:10 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.” The King James rendering most people know is: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.”
What is the context of Psalm 27:10?
The verses immediately around it read: (Psalm 27:8) When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. (Psalm 27:9) Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. (Psalm 27:10) When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. (Psalm 27:11) Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. (Psalm 27:12) Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
How is Psalm 27:10 used in a conversation about this?
Being left by people doesn't mean you're someone who gets left. The psalmist knew that even parents can walk away — but God picks up what others put down. He doesn't explain it away. He stays. He already promised.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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