Psalm 37
Psalm 37 is a psalm of David about how to live when the wicked seem to be winning. Its answer is "Fret not thyself because of evildoers": trust in the LORD, delight in him, commit your way to him and wait patiently, because the wicked will soon wither like grass while "the meek shall inherit the earth."
Psalm 37 (KJV)
Fret not: trust, delight, commit, rest v. 1-11
1Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
The end of the wicked v. 12-22
12The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
18The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
21The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
The steps of a good man v. 23-31
23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
25I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Wait on the LORD v. 32-40
32The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
38But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
What Psalm 37 means
The problem is old and familiar: dishonest people prosper and the faithful struggle. David's first word is not an explanation but an instruction, repeated three times in the first eight verses: fret not. Envy and worry will not change anything, and verse 8 warns that they lead toward doing evil.
In place of fretting, verses 3-7 give a series of verbs to practice. Trust in the LORD, and do good. Delight thyself also in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD, and he shall bring it to pass. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Verse 11, "the meek shall inherit the earth," is the line Jesus took up in the Beatitudes.
Verses 12-22 look at the wicked from God's point of view. They plot and draw the sword, but "The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming." Their own sword enters their own heart. A little with righteousness is better than great riches with wickedness.
Verses 23-31 describe the righteous. Their steps are ordered by the LORD, and though they fall, they are not utterly cast down. Here David speaks as an old man: "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
Verses 32-40 bring it to a close. David once saw the wicked in great power, spreading like a green bay tree, and then he was gone. So the advice is to wait on the LORD and mark the upright, "for the end of that man is peace."
Background and context
The KJV title is A Psalm of David, and verse 25 shows him writing late in life. It reads more like the book of Proverbs than a prayer: it speaks to the reader, not to God.
In Hebrew it is an acrostic, with each new section (mostly every two verses) beginning with the next letter of the alphabet, which made it easier to memorise.
Key verses
Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psalm 37:4 · KJV
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psalm 37:5 · KJV
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Psalm 37:7 · KJV
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psalm 37:23 · KJV
Cross references
- Matthew 5:5 Jesus: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth," from verse 11.Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
- Proverbs 24:19-20 Fret not thyself because of evil men, nearly the same words as verse 1.Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
- Psalm 73:3 Asaph admits he was envious when he saw the prosperity of the wicked.For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
- Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee.Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
- Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, like verse 5.Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
- Psalm 1:3 The righteous as a tree that does not wither, the reverse of verse 2.And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
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Common questions
What is the main message of Psalm 37?
Do not fret or envy when the wicked prosper. Trust the LORD, keep doing good, and wait for him, because the wicked will not last and the meek shall inherit the earth.
Who wrote Psalm 37?
Its KJV title is A Psalm of David, and verse 25 shows him writing as an old man.
What does 'Delight thyself also in the LORD' mean?
To find your joy in God himself. Many readers note that a person who delights in the LORD finds their desires shaped by him, which is why the promise in verse 4 follows.
Is 'the meek shall inherit the earth' from Psalm 37?
Yes. Psalm 37:11 says "But the meek shall inherit the earth," and Jesus repeats it in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:5.
Morning, Not Monday
Build good habits, break bad ones, and start again without shame
Psalm 37's steady trust, delight, commit and wait is a daily practice, and Morning, Not Monday is about building habits like that from Scripture one day at a time.
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