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Psalm 9:18

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

16The LORD has made himself known. He has executed judgment. The wicked is snared by the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah.
17The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God.
18For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19Arise, LORD! Don’t let man prevail. Let the nations be judged in your sight.
20Put them in fear, LORD. Let the nations know that they are only men. Selah.
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Notice

The words “not always” leave room for a long wait, while refusing to let being forgotten become the final word about the needy.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

Where do you see the poor being forgotten in the places you know?

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What would you want to write between the experience of being forgotten and the promise “not always”?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

11 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Proverbs 23:18Indeed surely there is a future hope, and your hope will not be cut off.Both passages insist that hope has a future, with Psalm 9 naming the poor as those whose hope will endure.
Psalm 12:5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in safety from those who …Both name the needy; Psalm 9 promises they will not remain forgotten, and Psalm 12 records God's pledge to act.
James 2:5Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who …Both speak of hope for the poor, with James naming God's promised Kingdom and the riches of faith.
Psalm 102:17He has responded to the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer.The needy will not remain forgotten in Psalm 9, and the destitute find their prayer heard rather than despised in Psalm 102.
Proverbs 24:14so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul. If you have found it, then there will be a reward: Your hope will not be cut off.Both affirm hope that will endure; Proverbs connects that hope with finding wisdom, while Psalm 9 speaks of the poor.
Luke 1:53He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty.Both describe a reversal for people in need: the forgotten have lasting hope, and the hungry receive good things.
Luke 6:20He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for God’s Kingdom is yours.Both address the poor with a promise: enduring hope in the psalm, and God's Kingdom in Jesus' words to his disciples.
Psalm 102:20to hear the groans of the prisoner, to free those who are condemned to death,Both concern people in distress: the needy whose hope endures and prisoners whose groans are heard.
Psalm 72:4He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.Both name the poor and needy as people with hope of help; Psalm 72 describes rescue that includes breaking the oppressor.
Job 5:16So the poor has hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.Both speak of hope for the poor amid injustice, which Job's passage pictures as a mouth forced shut.
Isaiah 29:19The humble also will increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.Both speak of a future for the poor beyond present hardship; Isaiah describes their joy in the Holy One of Israel.
Where this verse fits

Job loss or money fear. waiting. injustice and anger.

What the Bible says about money →What the Bible says about patience →What the Bible says about anger →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Send a check-in message to someone facing money worries

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Encouragement

The promise leaves the length of the wait unnamed. Yet under God's rule, the needy will not remain forgotten, and the hope of the poor will not perish forever.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 9:18. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 9 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).