Psalms37
English Standard Version
1Of . not yourself because of ; be not of !
2For they will like the and like the .
3 in the Lord, and ; in the and .
4 yourself in the Lord, and he will you the of your .
5 your to the Lord; in him, and he will .
6He will forth your as the , and your as the .
7Be before the Lord and patiently for him; not yourself over the one who in his , over the who out !
8 from , and ! yourself; it tends only to .
9For the shall be , but those who for the Lord shall the .
10In a , the will be no ; carefully at his , he will not be there.
11But the shall the and themselves in .
12The against the and his at him,
13but the at the wicked, for he that his is .
14The the and their to down the and , to those whose is ;
15their shall their own , and their shall be .
16 is the that the has the of .
17For the of the shall be , but the Lord the .
18The Lord the of the , and their will remain ;
19they are not in ; in the of they have .
20But the will ; the of the Lord are like the of the ; they —like they away.
21The but does not back, but the is and ;
22for those by the Lord shall the , but those by him shall be .
23The of a are by the Lord, when he in his ;
24 he , he shall not be headlong, for the Lord his .
25I have been , and am , yet I have not the or his for .
26He is , and his become a .
27 away from and ; so shall you .
28For the Lord ; he will not his . They are , but the of the shall be off.
29The shall the and upon it .
30The of the , and his .
31The of his is in his ; his do not .
32The for the and to .
33The Lord will not him to his or when he is brought to .
34 for the Lord and his , and he will you to the ; you will on when the are .
35I have a , man, himself like a tree.
36But he away, and , he was no ; though I him, he could not be .
37 the and the , for there is a for the of .
38But shall be ; the of the shall be off.
39The of the is from the Lord; he is their in the of .
40The Lord them and them; he them from the and them, because they in him.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Psalms 37.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: David persuades to patience and confidence in God, by the state of the godly and of the wicked..
vv1-6
When we look abroad we see the world full of evil-doers, that flourish and live in ease. So it was seen of old, therefore let us not marvel at the matter. We are tempted to fret at this, to think them the only happy people, and so we are prone to do like them: but this we are warned against. Outward prosperity is fading. When we look forward, with an eye of faith, we shall see no reason to envy the wicked. Their weeping and wailing will be everlasting. The life of religion is a believing trust in the Lord, and diligent care to serve him according to his will. It is not trusting God, but tempting him, if we do not make conscience of our duty to him. A man's life consists not in abundance, but, Thou shalt have food convenient for thee. This is more than we deserve, and it is enough for one that is going to heaven. To delight in God is as much a privilege as a duty. He has not promised to gratify the appetites of the body, and the humours of the fancy, but the desires of the renewed, sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and serve God. Commit thy way unto the Lord; roll thy way upon the Lord, so the margin reads it. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, the burden of thy care. We must roll it off ourselves, not afflict and perplex ourselves with thoughts about future events, but refer them to God. By prayer spread thy case and all thy cares before the Lord, and trust in him. We must do our duty, and then leave the event with God. The promise is very sweet: He shall bring that to pass, whatever it is, which thou has committed to him.
vv7-20
Let us be satisfied that God will make all to work for good to us. Let us not discompose ourselves at what we see in this world. A fretful, discontented spirit is open to many temptations. For, in all respects, the little which is allotted to the righteous, is more comfortable and more profitable than the ill-gotten and abused riches of ungodly men. It comes from a hand of special love. God provides plentifully and well, not only for his working servants, but for his waiting servants. They have that which is better than wealth, peace of mind, peace with God, and then peace in God; that peace which the world cannot give, and which the world cannot have. God knows the believer's days. Not one day's work shall go unrewarded. Their time on earth is reckoned by days, which will soon be numbered; but heavenly happiness shall be for ever. This will be a real support to believers in evil times. Those that rest on the Rock of ages, have no reason to envy the wicked the support of their broken reeds.
vv21-33
The Lord our God requires that we do justly, and render to all their due. It is a great sin for those that are able, to deny the payment of just debts; it is a great misery not to be able to pay them. He that is truly merciful, will be ever merciful. We must leave our sins; learn to do well, and cleave to it. This is true religion. The blessing of God is the spring, sweetness, and security of all earthly enjoyments. And if we are sure of this, we are sure not to want any thing good for us in this world. By his grace and Holy Spirit, he directs the thoughts, affections, and designs of good men. By his providence he overrules events, so as to make their way plain. He does not always show them his way for a distance, but leads them step by step, as children are led. God will keep them from being ruined by their falls, either into sin or into trouble, though such as fall into sin will be sorely hurt. Few, if any, have known the consistent believer, or his children, reduced to abject, friendless want. God forsakes not his saints in affliction; and in heaven only the righteous shall dwell for ever; that will be their everlasting habitation. A good man may fall into the hands of a messenger of Satan, and be sorely buffeted, but God will not leave him in his enemy's hands.
Key Words
דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse
חָרָה: to glow or grow warm; figuratively (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy
רָעַע: properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good fornothing, i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally)
קָנָא: to be (causatively, make) zealous, i.e. (in a bad sense) jealous or envious
מְהֵרָה: properly, a hurry; hence (adverbially) promptly
נָמַל: to become clipped or (specifically) circumcised
חָצִיר: grass; also a leek (collectively)
נָבֵל: to wilt; generally, to fall away, fail, faint; figuratively, to be foolish or (morally) wicked; causatively, to despise, disgrace
יֶרֶק: properly, pallor, i.e. hence, the yellowish green of young and sickly vegetation; concretely, verdure, i.e. grass or vegetation
דֶּשֶׁא: a sprout; by analogy, grass
Cross References
Psalms 37Jesus directly quotes the Greek equivalent of verse 11: 'the meek shall inherit the earth.'
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Parallel exhortation to commit/roll one's works and ways onto the Lord, trusting Him.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Verbal link in Hebrew for 'rolling' or committing oneself to the Lord.
Supported by JFB
Echoes the core covenant promise that those who wait on God inherit the earth.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel imagery of the Lord laughing in derision at the plots of the wicked.
Supported by JFB
Intra-psalm parallel confirming the total disappearance of the wicked ('he was not').
Supported by JFB
Reinforces the command not to fret over those who prosper in wicked devices.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Thematic match: the wicked fall into the very destruction they designed for others.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts the wicked who borrow and pay not with the merciful, lending righteous.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Fulfillment of the promise that God will not condemn the righteous, but acquits them.
Supported by JFB
Jeremiah's classic struggle with the exact question of the prosperity of the wicked.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Asaph confesses to the very envy of the foolish/wicked warned against here.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
New Testament assurance of the promise that God will never leave nor forsake His own.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Connects the Lord's love of judgment to His execution of equity and righteousness.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel of having God's law hidden in the heart to preserve one's steps.
Supported by Matthew Henry