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Psalm 37

Psalm 37 confronts envy of the wicked by declaring their end and YHWH’s lasting care for the righteous.

Wicked people prosper and threaten the poor, while the righteous face trouble. David, named in the heading, addresses those tempted to envy or anger at this injustice. Speaking as an old man, he draws on what he has seen across his life. His counsel links trust in YHWH with doing good and waiting for God's justice. The psalm contrasts the wicked person's brief success with the lasting inheritance God promises the righteous.

injustice and angerenvy and comparisonwaiting
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1By David. Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
3Trust in the LORD, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
4Also delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the LORD. Trust also in him, and he will do this:
6he will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun.
7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.
11But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming.
14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path.
15Their sword shall enter into their own heart. Their bows shall be broken.
16Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18The LORD knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever.
19They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of the LORD shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish— vanish like smoke.
21The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back, but the righteous give generously.
22For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
23A man’s steps are established by the LORD. He delights in his way.
24Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for the LORD holds him up with his hand.
25I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread.
26All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His offspring is blessed.
27Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever.
28For the LORD loves justice, and doesn’t forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.
30The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom. His tongue speaks justice.
31The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide.
32The wicked watch the righteous, and seek to kill him.
33The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34Wait for the LORD, and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
36But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37Mark the perfect man, and see the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.
38As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together. The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40The LORD helps them and rescues them. He rescues them from the wicked and saves them, because they have taken refuge in him.
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Key verses
Psalm 37:5Committing one's way to YHWH leads into the promise that he will bring righteousness and justice into the light.
Psalm 37:3Trust and doing good belong together here, setting the course for life amid the apparent success of evildoers.
Psalm 37:7Waiting for YHWH addresses the strain of watching wicked plans succeed while God's justice remains unseen.
Where this chapter reaches

Matthew echoes the promise that the humble will inherit the land in Jesus' teaching about the meek inheriting the earth. Proverbs shares the warning against envying evildoers, while Job also addresses the troubling sight of wicked people prospering and the question of their end.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which contrast between the righteous and the wicked most challenges how you measure a good life?

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What might doing good while waiting for YHWH look like in an injustice you have witnessed?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 37

Does Psalm 37:4 mean God will give you anything you want?

The promise is joined to delighting in YHWH. Its surrounding commands concern trust, doing good, and committing one's way to him. The psalm places desire within a life shaped by God and his justice. It gives no promise that every wish for wealth or success will be fulfilled.

What does inheriting the land mean in Psalm 37?

The repeated promise concerns a secure dwelling and lasting inheritance under God's care. It uses the language of Israel's covenant life in the land, contrasting the righteous who remain with evildoers who are cut off. The references to living there forever extend the promise beyond the present success of either group.

Does Psalm 37:25 mean righteous people never go hungry?

David presents this as an observation from his long life, within a wisdom psalm about God's faithfulness. The same psalm acknowledges trouble, threats, and stumbling among the righteous. Verse 25 should therefore be read within that whole picture; it supplies no basis for judging a hungry person's faith or righteousness.

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What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about patience →

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).