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Psalm 37:35

I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.

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.
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← Psalm 37:34Psalm 37:36 →
Notice

A green tree in its native soil makes wicked power look settled and secure, a sight that can trouble faith in God's rule.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

Where have you seen wrongdoing flourish with the apparent security of a tree in native soil?

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How does the disappearance in the next verse affect your reading of the green tree?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

11 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Job 5:3I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation.Both speakers describe seeing the foolish or wicked take root, using plant life to picture their apparent strength.
Jeremiah 12:1You are righteous, LORD, when I contend with you; yet I would like to plead a case with you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are they all at ease …Jeremiah questions why the wicked prosper, while the psalm records seeing their flourishing strength.
Job 21:7“Why do the wicked live, become old, yes, and grow mighty in power?Job asks why the wicked grow mighty in power, the very condition the psalm's speaker has witnessed.
Psalm 73:3–11For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.Both speakers have seen the wicked prosper; Psalm 73 also names envy as a response to that sight.
Job 12:6The tents of robbers prosper. Those who provoke God are secure, who carry their god in their hands.Job describes robbers prospering in security, matching the apparent stability of the wicked tree in its native soil.
Ezekiel 31:18“‘To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the …Both passages use trees to portray greatness; Ezekiel also declares Pharaoh's descent among those slain by the sword.
Isaiah 14:14–19I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!”Both concern great power, though Isaiah records a claim to divine likeness absent from the psalm.
Esther 5:11Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children, all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him …Haman recounts his riches and royal promotion, a concrete instance of the high standing pictured more broadly in the psalm.
Ezekiel 31:6–10All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs. Under its branches, all the animals of the field gave birth to their young. All great nations lived …Both passages portray expansive strength through a tree, with Ezekiel describing branches that shelter creatures and nations.
Genesis 36:15These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,The limited shared thread is human rank: Genesis names chiefs, while the psalm describes a wicked person's great power.
1 Kings 16:15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the …Both mention someone holding power; Kings specifies Zimri's seven-day reign, while the psalm pictures power through a flourishing tree.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. envy and comparison. doubt.

What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about doubt →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Read Psalm 37:35–36 and mark where the power ends

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Encouragement

You need not deny how secure wicked people can appear. Scripture records that sight without disguise, then describes their disappearance. Their great power remains subject to YHWH’s judgment.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 37:35. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

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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).