Psalm 23:6 – “… goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Isn’t this the most well-known and beloved Shepherd Psalm written by the man of God, David? No matter how many times a child of God reads it, this Psalm never ceases to satisfy the soul. However, when we look closely at the Malayalam translation of the above verse, we notice that one important word seems to be missing, which is clearly present in other translations.
Only by comparing it with other translations can we understand that the Malayalam version has left out a key word. It’s only when that missing word is included that the verse becomes more meaningful and strongly affirming.
So, what is this missing word in Malayalam?
Let’s examine the English and Hindi translations of this verse:
- English: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
- Hindi: "निश्चय भलाई और करूणा जीवन भर मेरे साथ साथ बनी रहेंगी; और मैं यहोवा के धाम में सर्वदा वास करूंगा॥"
In both these translations, the first word — "Surely" in English and "निश्चय" in Hindi — is missing from the Malayalam translation. The simple meaning of these words in Malayalam is "നിശ്ചയം" or "ഉറപ്പ്" ("surely" or "certainly").
Had this word been included, the Malayalam version would have read:
‘നിശ്ചയമായും നന്മയും കരുണയും എൻ്റെ ആയുഷ്കാലമൊക്കെയും എന്നെ പിന്തുടരും; ഞാൻ യഹോവയുടെ ആലയത്തിൽ ദീർഘകാലം വസിക്കും’
When the Lord, our good Shepherd, promises His goodness and mercy, the Malayalam translation says that these will follow us all the days of our lives. But in the Hindi translation, it's written that they will accompany us ("साथ साथ बनी रहेंगी") throughout our lives.
God’s goodness and mercy not only follow us they are with us every single day of our lives. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
In Scripture, words like “surely” or “certainly” are often used to give stronger affirmation and credibility to a promise or statement. The Holy Spirit uses such words in the Bible for that very reason.
As I meditated on this topic, the Lord brought certain verses to my heart. Let’s look at some such divine assurance that uses the word “surely” in a beautiful way:
1) Habakkuk 2:3
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
Imagine how much less powerful this verse would feel if the word “surely” was removed! Many people who’ve received visions from the Lord regarding a better future, regarding Children, regarding marriage…….. might be reading this message. These heavenly visions are coming closer to their fulfillment they will come to pass, and SURELY they will not delay.
This divine covenant and promise to you has been underlined by the Holy Spirit with the word “surely” to affirm that it will come to pass. Praise the Lord!
Those who believe can say Amen and receive this message.
With prayer,
Pastor Shaiju
(Mobile: 9424400654)
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