Psalms 37

Do not fret because of evildoers

o not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;a ²for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.b ³Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.c

⁴Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.d ⁵Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:e ⁶He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.f

⁷Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.g ⁸Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.h ⁹For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.i

¹⁰A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.j ¹¹But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.k ¹²The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; ¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.l

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. ¹⁵But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.m ¹⁶Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;n ¹⁷for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.o

¹⁸The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever.p ¹⁹In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.q ²⁰But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

²¹The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;r ²²those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.s ²³The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;t ²⁴though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.u

²⁵I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.v ²⁶They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. ²⁷Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.w

²⁸For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.x ²⁹The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.y ³⁰The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just.z

³¹The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.aa ³²The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; ³³but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

³⁴Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.ab ³⁵I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,ac ³⁶but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.ad

³⁷Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.ae ³⁸But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked. ³⁹The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.af

⁴⁰The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.ag

Commentary

Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm that addresses the perennial tension between the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous. David, writing in his old age, counsels against fretting over evildoers, urging trust in the Lord and delight in Him as the path to security. The

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Bible Dictionary· Psalms 37(5)

Bow Hand Smoke Sword The Way

References· Psalms 37

a: v.1 — Psalms 37:7, Proverbs 23:17, Proverbs 24:19, Proverbs 3:31, Proverbs 24:1, Psalms 73:3, Galatians 5:21, James 4:5-6, 1 Samuel 1:6-8, Proverbs 19:3
b: v.2 — Psalms 92:7, Psalms 90:5-6, James 1:10-11, Psalms 37:35-36, Job 14:2, Job 20:5-9, 1 Peter 1:24, Psalms 73:17-20, Psalms 129:5-7
c: v.3 — Jeremiah 17:7-8, Matthew 6:31-33, Psalms 62:8, 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, Psalms 34:9-10, Luke 22:35, Psalms 4:5, Hebrews 6:10-12, Deuteronomy 30:20, Isaiah 1:16-19
d: v.4 — John 15:7, Psalms 145:19, John 15:16, Isaiah 58:14, 1 John 5:14-15, Psalms 21:1-2, Job 22:26, 1 Peter 1:8, Psalms 104:34, Job 27:10
e: v.5 — Proverbs 16:3, 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 6:25, Psalms 55:22, James 4:15, Job 22:28, Luke 12:29-30, Psalms 22:8, Lamentations 3:37
f: v.6 — Isaiah 54:17, Job 11:17, Isaiah 58:8, Micah 7:8-9, Matthew 13:43, Isaiah 58:10, Psalms 31:20, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Malachi 3:18
g: v.7 — James 5:7-11, Psalms 27:14, Psalms 62:5, Hebrews 10:36-37, Lamentations 3:25-26, Proverbs 20:22, Habakkuk 2:3, Jeremiah 12:1, Psalms 40:1, Isaiah 30:15
h: v.8 — Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 16:32, James 1:19-20, Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:26, Job 5:2, James 3:14-18, Colossians 3:8, Job 18:4, Jonah 4:1
i: v.9 — Isaiah 60:21, Psalms 25:13, Proverbs 2:21, Psalms 37:29, Isaiah 57:13, Psalms 55:23, Psalms 37:11-12, Isaiah 58:14, Job 27:13-23, Revelation 5:10
j: v.10 — Job 24:24, Psalms 103:16, Psalms 107:42-43, Psalms 37:35-36, 1 Peter 4:7, Psalms 58:10-11, Hebrews 10:36-37, Job 7:10, Psalms 52:5, Luke 16:27-28
k: v.11 — Matthew 5:5, Isaiah 26:3, Galatians 5:22-23, James 3:13, Psalms 119:165, Philippians 4:7, Isaiah 48:18, 1 Timothy 6:11, James 1:21, Psalms 72:7
l: v.13 — Psalms 2:4, Proverbs 1:26, 1 Samuel 26:10, Daniel 5:26, Ezekiel 21:25, Ezekiel 21:29, Jeremiah 50:27, Job 18:20
m: v.15 — Psalms 7:14-15, Psalms 35:8, 1 Samuel 31:4, Hosea 1:5, Jeremiah 51:56, Psalms 46:9, Hosea 2:18, 2 Samuel 17:23, Isaiah 37:38, Esther 7:9-10
n: v.16 — Proverbs 16:8, Proverbs 15:16-17, 1 Timothy 6:6, Proverbs 13:25, Proverbs 3:33, Ecclesiastes 4:6, Proverbs 30:9, Matthew 6:11, Ecclesiastes 2:26
o: v.17 — Isaiah 41:10, Psalms 63:8, Psalms 145:14, Isaiah 42:1, Psalms 37:24, Psalms 119:116-117, Psalms 51:12, Jude 1:24, Psalms 10:15, Job 38:15
p: v.18 — Psalms 1:6, Romans 6:23, Psalms 103:17, 2 Timothy 2:19, Psalms 49:5, Revelation 11:3-5, 1 Peter 1:4-5, Psalms 31:7, Psalms 73:24, Deuteronomy 33:25
q: v.19 — Proverbs 10:3, Psalms 33:19, Job 5:20-22, Isaiah 33:16, Amos 5:13, Ephesians 5:16, Ecclesiastes 9:12, Micah 2:3
r: v.21 — Hebrews 13:16, Psalms 112:5, Proverbs 22:7, Psalms 112:9, Luke 6:30, Deuteronomy 28:12, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Acts 20:35, Deuteronomy 15:9-11
s: v.22 — Proverbs 3:33, 1 Corinthians 16:22, Psalms 37:9, Galatians 3:13, Psalms 115:15, Job 5:3, Psalms 32:1, Psalms 37:18, Matthew 25:41, Psalms 119:21
t: v.23 — Proverbs 16:9, Psalms 119:133, Proverbs 4:26, 1 Samuel 2:9, Psalms 40:2, Psalms 121:8, Psalms 85:13, Jeremiah 10:23, Psalms 121:3, Psalms 147:10-11
u: v.24 — Proverbs 24:16, Psalms 145:14, Psalms 94:18, Micah 7:7-8, John 10:27-30, Luke 22:31-32, Psalms 40:2, Psalms 147:6, Psalms 34:19-20, Psalms 37:17
v: v.25 — Hebrews 13:5, Psalms 37:28, Psalms 25:13, 1 Samuel 12:22, Psalms 112:2, 2 Corinthians 4:9, Psalms 94:14, Psalms 71:18, Joshua 1:5, Luke 1:53-55
w: v.27 — Psalms 34:14, Proverbs 16:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 John 2:16-17, Hebrews 13:16, 2 Timothy 2:19, Titus 2:11-14, Hebrews 13:21, Isaiah 1:16-17, Job 28:28
x: v.28 — Proverbs 2:22, Psalms 11:7, Psalms 21:10, Isaiah 59:21, Jude 1:1, 1 Peter 1:5, Isaiah 14:20-21, Isaiah 61:8, Job 27:14, 1 John 2:19
y: v.29 — Proverbs 2:21, Psalms 37:9, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:7, Psalms 37:18, Psalms 37:11, Deuteronomy 30:20, Revelation 21:3-4, Psalms 37:27
z: v.30 — Colossians 4:6, Proverbs 25:11-13, Proverbs 15:7, Ephesians 4:29, Matthew 12:35, Proverbs 10:31, Proverbs 10:21, Psalms 71:15, Deuteronomy 6:7-9, Psalms 71:24
aa: v.31 — Psalms 40:8, Deuteronomy 6:6, Isaiah 51:7, Psalms 119:11, Jeremiah 31:33, Psalms 37:23, Psalms 121:3, Hebrews 8:10, Proverbs 4:4, Psalms 44:18
ab: v.34 — Psalms 27:14, Psalms 37:9, Proverbs 20:22, Matthew 24:13, Psalms 37:7, Psalms 52:5-6, Proverbs 4:25-27, Psalms 91:8, Psalms 37:3, Job 23:10-12
ac: v.35 — Job 5:3, Psalms 73:3-11, Job 21:7-17, Job 8:13-19, Ezekiel 31:18, Isaiah 14:14-19, Ezekiel 31:6-10, Esther 5:11, Daniel 4:20-33
ad: v.36 — Psalms 37:10, Acts 12:22-23, Exodus 15:19, Isaiah 10:16-19, Isaiah 10:33-34, Exodus 15:9-10, Job 20:5-29
ae: v.37 — Isaiah 32:17, Isaiah 57:1-2, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Acts 7:59-60, Job 1:1, Job 42:12-17, Luke 2:25-29, Proverbs 14:32, 2 Peter 1:14
af: v.39 — Psalms 9:9, Psalms 91:15, Isaiah 12:2, Psalms 3:8, 2 Timothy 4:17, Psalms 46:1, Ephesians 2:8, Jonah 2:9, Isaiah 33:2, Colossians 1:11
ag: v.40 — Isaiah 31:5, Daniel 3:17, 1 Chronicles 5:20, Daniel 6:23, Isaiah 46:4, Daniel 3:28, 1 John 5:18, Psalms 22:4-5, 1 John 2:13-14, Psalms 27:2

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