Psalms1
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers:
2 But his delight is in the law of Jehovah; And on his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also doth not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The wicked are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous; But the way of the wicked shall perish.
Study
Psalms 1Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Psalms 1. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The holiness and happiness of a godly man. (1–3). The sinfulness and misery of a wicked man, The ground and reason of both. (4–6).
vv1-3
To meditate in God's word, is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with close application of mind and fixedness of thought. We must have constant regard to the word of God, as the rule of our actions, and the spring of our comforts; and have it in our thoughts night and day. For this purpose no time is amiss.
vv4-6
The ungodly are the reverse of the righteous, both in character and condition. The ungodly are not so, verse 4; they are led by the counsel of the wicked, in the way of sinners, to the seat of the scornful; they have no delight in the law of God; they bring forth no fruit but what is evil. The righteous are like useful, fruitful trees: the ungodly are like the chaff which the wind drives away: the dust which the owner of the floor desires to have driven away, as not being of any use. They are of no worth in God's account, how highly soever they may value themselves. They are easily driven to and fro by every wind of temptation. The chaff may be, for a while, among the wheat, but He is coming, whose fan is in his hand, and who will thoroughly purge his floor. Those that, by their own sin and folly, make themselves as chaff, will be found so before the whirlwind and fire of Divine wrath. The doom of the ungodly is fixed, but whenever the sinner becomes sensible of this guilt and misery, he may be admitted into the company of the righteous by Christ the living way, and become in Christ a new creature. He has new desires, new pleasures, hopes, fears, sorrows, companions, and employments. His thoughts, words, and actions are changed. He enters on a new state, and bears a new character. Behold, all things are become new by Divine grace, which changes his soul into the image of the Redeemer. How different the character and end of the ungodly!
Key Words
אֶשֶׁר: happiness; only in masculine plural construction as interjection, how happy!
אִישׁ: a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
הָלַךְ: to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
עֵצָה: advice; by implication, plan; also prudence
רָשָׁע: morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person
עָמַד: to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive)
דֶּרֶךְ: a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
חַטָּא: a criminal, or one accounted guilty
יָשַׁב: properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry
מוֹשָׁב: a seat; figuratively, a site; abstractly, a session; by extension an abode (the place or the time); by implication, population
Cross References
Psalms 1Direct parallel of the righteous as a flourishing tree planted by waters, with unfading leaves.
Supported by JFB
Command to meditate on the law day and night for success and prosperity.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Jacob warns against entering the counsel or assembly of the wicked, echoing the walk/stand/sit progression.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Ahaziah's wicked walk because his mother was his counselor to do wickedly.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The psalmist explicitly shuns sitting with vain persons or assembly with hypocrites.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The law of God is in his heart, ensuring his steps do not slide.
Supported by Matthew Poole
John the Baptist uses the same chaff metaphor for the ungodly being driven away.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Jeremiah avoids sitting in the assembly of mockers, choosing God's hand instead.
Supported by JFB
The foundation of the true blessedness of the righteous is based on forgiveness.
Supported by JFB
God's intimate knowing of His people, providing and caring for them in the wilderness.
Supported by JFB