Psalm 73:26
New International Version
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

New Living Translation
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

English Standard Version
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Berean Standard Bible
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

King James Bible
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

New King James Version
My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

New American Standard Bible
My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

NASB 1995
My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

NASB 1977
My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Legacy Standard Bible
My flesh and my heart fail, But God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.

Amplified Bible
My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Christian Standard Bible
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.

American Standard Version
My flesh and my heart faileth; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.

Contemporary English Version
My body and mind may fail, but you are my strength and my choice forever.

English Revised Version
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
My body and mind may waste away, but God remains the foundation of my life and my inheritance forever.

Good News Translation
My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need.

International Standard Version
My body and mind may fail, but God is my strength and my portion forever.

Majority Standard Bible
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

NET Bible
My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.

New Heart English Bible
My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Webster's Bible Translation
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

World English Bible
My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
My flesh and my heart have been consumed, "" God [is] the rock of my heart and my portion for all time.

Young's Literal Translation
Consumed hath been my flesh and my heart, The rock of my heart and my portion is God to the age.

Smith's Literal Translation
My flesh failed and my heart: the rock of my heart and my portion is God forever.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away: thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever.

Catholic Public Domain Version
My body has failed, and my heart: O God of my heart, and God my portion, into eternity.

New American Bible
Though my flesh and my heart fail, God is the rock of my heart, my portion forever.

New Revised Standard Version
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For behold, your distant ones shall be destroyed and you shall destroy all who go astray from you for eternity.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
My flesh and my heart faileth; But God is the rock of my heart and my portion for ever.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
My heart and my flesh have failed: but God is the strength of my heart, and God is my portion for ever.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Endow the King with Your Justice
25Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You. 26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27Those far from You will surely perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.…

Cross References
2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. / Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. / But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. / For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. / So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. / Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. / For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Hebrews 13:5-6
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” / So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, / neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

Lamentations 3:22-24
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. / They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! / “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Isaiah 26:3-4
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You. / Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.

Psalm 18:1-2
For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength. / The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

1 Corinthians 1:8-9
He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. / God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.


Treasury of Scripture

My flesh and my heart fails: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

flesh

Psalm 63:1
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Psalm 84:2
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Psalm 119:81,82
CAPH. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word…

but

Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalm 27:14
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalm 138:3
In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

strength.

Psalm 16:5,6
The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot…

Psalm 119:57
CHETH. Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.

Psalm 142:5
I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

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Age Consumed Eternal Fail Faileth Fails Flesh Forever Heart Heritage Portion Rock Strength Wasting
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Age Consumed Eternal Fail Faileth Fails Flesh Forever Heart Heritage Portion Rock Strength Wasting
Psalm 73
1. The prophet, prevailing in a temptation
2. Shows the occasion thereof, the prosperity of the wicked
13. The wound given thereby, diffidence
15. The victory over it, knowledge of God's purpose.














My flesh and my heart may fail
The phrase "My flesh and my heart may fail" acknowledges the frailty and mortality of human existence. In Hebrew, the word for "flesh" is "בָּשָׂר" (basar), which often refers to the physical body, emphasizing our temporal and perishable nature. "Heart" in Hebrew is "לֵב" (lev), which not only refers to the physical organ but also symbolizes the center of emotions, thoughts, and will. The psalmist, Asaph, recognizes that both his physical body and his inner self are susceptible to weakness and failure. This acknowledgment is a humble admission of human limitations and the inevitable decline that comes with life. Historically, this reflects the ancient understanding of human vulnerability and the need for divine support.

but God is the strength of my heart
The conjunction "but" introduces a contrast, highlighting a shift from human frailty to divine strength. The Hebrew word for "strength" is "צוּר" (tsur), which can also mean "rock" or "fortress," symbolizing stability, protection, and enduring power. This metaphor suggests that while human strength is fleeting, God's strength is unchanging and reliable. The phrase "of my heart" reiterates the focus on the inner self, indicating that God provides emotional and spiritual fortitude. In the scriptural context, this reflects a deep trust in God's unwavering support, a theme prevalent throughout the Psalms, where God is often depicted as a refuge and source of strength.

and my portion forever
The term "portion" in Hebrew is "חֵלֶק" (chelek), which can mean a share or inheritance. In ancient Israel, land and inheritance were crucial for survival and identity, and the Levites, who served in the temple, had God as their inheritance instead of land (Numbers 18:20). By declaring God as his "portion," the psalmist expresses a profound contentment and satisfaction in God alone, surpassing any earthly possession or inheritance. The word "forever" underscores the eternal nature of this divine relationship, contrasting with the temporary nature of human life. This eternal perspective is a cornerstone of conservative Christian theology, emphasizing the believer's hope and security in God's everlasting presence and provision.

Verse 26. - My flesh and my heart faileth. The meaning is, "Though my flesh and my heart fail utterly, though my whole corporeal and animal nature fade away and come to nothing, yet something in the nature of a heart - the true 'I,' consciousness, will remain, and will be upheld by God." God is the Strength of my heart, and my Portion forever. "A strong assertion of personal immortality" (Cook). "This is the mysticism of faith; we are on the verge of St. Paul's conception of the πνεῦμα, the organ of life in God" (Cheyne).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
My flesh
שְׁאֵרִ֗י (šə·’ê·rî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7607: Flesh, as living, for, food, food of any kind, kindred by blood

and my heart
וּלְבָ֫בִ֥י (ū·lə·ḇā·ḇî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

may fail,
כָּלָ֥ה (kā·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3615: To be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent

but God
אֱלֹהִ֥ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

is the strength
צוּר־ (ṣūr-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6697: A cliff, a rock, boulder, a refuge, an edge

of my heart
לְבָבִ֥י (lə·ḇā·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

and my portion
וְחֶלְקִ֗י (wə·ḥel·qî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2506: Portion, tract, territory

forever.
לְעוֹלָֽם׃ (lə·‘ō·w·lām)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always


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OT Poetry: Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart fails (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 73:25
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