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Psalm 36

Psalm 36 contrasts the self-deception of the wicked with God’s vast loving kindness, then seeks his protection against their power.

David describes a wicked person who flatters himself, speaks deceit, and plans evil even in bed. The heading names David as YHWH’s servant and addresses the Chief Musician; no specific occasion is given. The psalm then turns toward God, praising his vast faithfulness and the shelter and abundance of his care. David asks for continued loving kindness and protection from the wicked, then closes with a picture of their downfall.

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1For the Chief Musician. By David, the servant of the LORD. A revelation is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2For he flatters himself in his own eyes, too much to detect and hate his sin.
3The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4He plots iniquity on his bed. He sets himself in a way that is not good. He doesn’t abhor evil.
5Your loving kindness, LORD, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgments are like a great deep. LORD, you preserve man and animal.
7How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
8They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house. You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures.
9For with you is the spring of life. In your light we will see light.
10Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11Don’t let the foot of pride come against me. Don’t let the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12There the workers of iniquity are fallen. They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected. Tap a number for its page.
Key verses
Psalm 36:7The vast love praised in the heavens becomes shelter beneath God’s wings for people threatened by evil.
Psalm 36:8God’s house and river portray abundant provision and delight for those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 36:9This verse grounds the preceding abundance in God himself, the source of life and the light by which people see.
Where this chapter reaches

Jeremiah shares the image of God as the source of living water, while John links life and light with Jesus. Revelation shares the river of life imagery, and 1 John speaks of God as light, echoing the psalm’s language of life and illumination.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about the shift from self-flattery to God’s light in this psalm?

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How might David’s prayer for protection shape what you want to ask God about evil?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 36

Who wrote Psalm 36?

The heading attributes Psalm 36 to David and calls him the servant of YHWH. It also addresses the Chief Musician, placing the psalm in a musical setting. The text gives no date or named event, so its connection to a particular episode in David’s life remains uncertain.

What does Psalm 36:9 mean by “In your light we will see light”?

The line follows the declaration that God is the spring of life. Together, these images identify God as the source of life and the light that makes sight possible. Within the psalm, this dependence on God contrasts with the wicked person’s self-flattery, which prevents him from recognizing his sin.

Why does Psalm 36 end with the wicked falling?

The ending answers the threat described at the start and the prayer for protection in verse 11. It portrays evildoers brought down, unable to rise. The psalm names no battle or incident, so the scene can be read as a confident portrayal of their defeat without identifying a specific historical event.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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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).