Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 37 (MT) / Psalm 36 (LXX) is a Davidic alphabetic acrostic wisdom-psalm addressing the perennial problem of the prosperity-of-the-wicked. Verse 11 — 'the meek shall inherit the land' — is cited by Jesus at Matthew 5:5 as the third Beatitude, one of the most-recognized verbatim OT-citations in the Sermon on the Mount. The psalm counsels patient trust, not envy; its refrain-clusters (the wicked will be cut off; the righteous will dwell in the land forever) structure the 40-verse argument.
Notable Variants
37:11 'the meek shall inherit the land' → Matthew 5:5 Beatitude (verbatim LXX); 37:4 'delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart' as wisdom-maxim; 37:25 'I have never seen the righteous forsaken' as providential-theology summary.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 37 = LXX Ps 36. 40 verses.
Of David. Do not burn with anger over evildoers. Do not envy those who do wrong.
'Do not fret because of evildoers' (aleph line) tracks MT. The 'do not fret' (al-titchar / mē paraziloute) verb frames the psalm: envy-of-the-wicked is the temptation the psalm counsels against. Proverbs 24:19 repeats the formula.
For like grass they will quickly wither, and like green plants they will fade away.
'For they will soon fade like the grass' tracks MT. Grass-fading as wicked-transience — a theme Isaiah 40:6–8 develops into the 'all flesh is grass' prophetic-oracle that 1 Peter 1:24 cites.
Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
'Trust in the LORD and do good' (beth line) tracks MT. The land-dwelling promise ('dwell in the land') — one of the psalm's signature-themes recurring seven times.
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
'Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart' tracks MT. Wisdom-maxim on delight-produced-fulfillment. The delight-as-prerequisite logic (not delight-as-reward) is the pastoral key.
Roll your way onto the LORD. Trust in Him, and He will act.
'Commit your way to the LORD' (gimel line) tracks MT. The commit-your-way formula anticipates 1 Peter 5:7 ('casting all your anxieties on him').
He will bring forth your righteousness like the light, and your justice like the noonday sun.
'He will bring forth your righteousness as the light' tracks MT. The righteousness-shown-to-all theology anticipates Matthew 5:16 ('let your light shine before others').
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him. Do not burn with anger over the one whose way prospers, over the person who carries out schemes.
'Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him' (daleth line) tracks MT. The 'be still' (dom / hypotagēthi) and 'wait patiently' (hithcholel / hiketeuson) — twin imperatives of contemplative-trust.
Release anger and abandon rage. Do not fret — it leads only to harm.
'Refrain from anger and forsake wrath' (he line) tracks MT. Ephesians 4:26–31 ('be angry and sin not … put away wrath') echoes. The anti-envy teaching here (v. 8c, 'it leads only to evil') complements 37:1's anti-envy opening.
For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD will inherit the land.
'For the evildoers shall be cut off' tracks MT. The 'shall be cut off' refrain — appearing at vv. 9, 22, 28, 34, 38 — structures the psalm's retributive-theology.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more. You will look carefully at his place — and he will be gone.
'In just a little while, the wicked will be no more' (waw line) tracks MT. The 'just a little while' (od me'at) — the imminent-eschatological horizon — is a theme Hebrews 10:37 ('yet a little while') picks up.
But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant peace.
Masoretic (WLC)
וַעֲנָוִים יִירְשׁוּ־אָרֶץ וְהִתְעַנְּגוּ עַל־רֹב שָׁלוֹם
But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant peace
Septuagint (LXX)
οἱ δὲ πραεῖς κληρονομήσουσιν γῆν καὶ κατατρυφήσουσιν ἐπὶ πλήθει εἰρήνης
But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace
MATTHEW 5:5 — THIRD BEATITUDE. Matthew 5:5 — 'Blessed are the MEEK (makarioi hoi praeis), for they shall INHERIT THE EARTH (hoti autoi klēronomēsousin tēn gēn)' — cites this verse verbatim from the LXX. The Beatitude's wording matches Ps 37:11 LXX exactly.
THE LAND/EARTH BROADENING. The Hebrew eretz carries both 'land' (the covenant-land) and 'earth' (the whole creation) senses; the LXX's gēn preserves the ambiguity, and Matthew's citation pushes toward the cosmic-eschatological reading. The meek no longer inherit merely Canaan; they inherit the renewed earth. Romans 4:13's 'heir of the world' (klēronomon … kosmou) for Abraham and Revelation 21:1's 'new heaven and new earth' extend the eschatological scope.
The meekness-inheritance pattern (paradoxical reversal: the non-grasping receive all) is foundational to the Beatitudes' cumulative-logic of the Kingdom.
The wicked person plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him.
'The wicked plot against the righteous' (zayin line) tracks MT.
The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming.
'The Lord laughs at him' tracks MT. Divine-laughter-at-the-wicked — Psalm 2:4 deploys the same theology. The laughter-is-knowledge-of-judgment imagery.
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slaughter those whose way is upright.
'The wicked draw the sword' (cheth line) tracks MT.
Their sword will pierce their own heart, and their bows will be broken.
'Their sword shall enter their own heart' tracks MT. Self-destructive-violence is a theology Proverbs 26:27 ('whoever digs a pit will fall into it') and Matthew 26:52 ('those who take the sword will perish by the sword') develop.
Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.
'Better is a little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked' (tet line) tracks MT. Proverbs 15:16, 16:8 echo the better-little-with-righteousness wisdom.
For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
'For the arms of the wicked shall be broken' tracks MT.
The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will last forever.
'The LORD knows the days of the blameless' (yod line) tracks MT.
They will not be put to shame in evil times, and in days of famine they will be satisfied.
'They are not put to shame in evil times' tracks MT.
But the wicked will perish. The enemies of the LORD will vanish like the beauty of the meadows — they will vanish into smoke.
'But the wicked will perish' (kaph line) tracks MT. The smoke-vanishing imagery — wicked-as-smoke-dissolved-into-air.
The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous is generous and gives.
'The wicked borrows and does not pay back' (lamed line) tracks MT. The righteous-is-generous antithesis is the Pauline liberality-pattern (2 Cor 8–9).
For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be cut off.
'Those blessed by him shall inherit the land' tracks MT. The 'inherit the land' refrain returns — echoing v. 11 and anticipating v. 29.
The steps of a person are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way.
'The steps of a man are established by the LORD' (mem line) tracks MT. Divine-establishment-of-the-man's-steps anticipates Proverbs 16:9 ('the heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps').
Though he stumble, he will not fall headlong, for the LORD holds his hand.
'Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong' tracks MT. The falls-but-not-cast-down theology — a theme 2 Cor 4:9 ('struck down but not destroyed') captures.
I was young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread.
'I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken' (nun line) tracks MT. The wisdom-witness testimony — life-experience confirming providence. Hebrews 13:5 ('I will never leave you nor forsake you') extends the no-abandonment theme.
All day long he is gracious and lends, and his children become a blessing.
'All day long he is generous and lends' tracks MT.
Turn from evil and do good, and you will dwell in the land forever.
'Turn away from evil and do good' (samek line) tracks MT. Paul's Romans 12:9 ('abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good') echoes.
For the LORD loves justice and does not abandon His faithful ones. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.
'For the LORD loves justice' tracks MT. The righteous-preserved theology — 'will be preserved forever' is eternal-life-language in proto-form.
The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
'The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever' tracks MT. The inherit-the-land refrain's final major occurrence — pairing with v. 11 and v. 22.
The mouth of the righteous murmurs wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
'The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom' (pe line) tracks MT. Colossians 3:16 ('let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing') echoes.
The instruction of his God is in his heart. His steps do not slip.
'The law of his God is in his heart' tracks MT. Jeremiah 31:33's 'I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts' develops this internalized-Torah theology — the new-covenant text Hebrews 8:10 cites.
The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to kill him.
'The wicked watches for the righteous' (tsade line) tracks MT.
The LORD will not abandon him to his hand, nor let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
'The LORD will not abandon him to his power' tracks MT.
Wait for the LORD and keep His way. He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
'Wait for the LORD and keep his way' (qoph line) tracks MT. The wait-for-the-LORD formula — a recurring theme at Ps 27:14, 33:20, 130:5, Isa 40:31.
I have seen the wicked, ruthless and powerful, spreading himself like a flourishing native tree.
'I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel' (resh line) tracks MT.
But he passed away — and suddenly he was gone. I looked for him, but he could not be found.
'But he passed away' tracks MT. The 'was not' vanishing — the wicked's disappearance contrast with the righteous' forever-inheritance.
Watch the blameless person and observe the upright, for there is a future for the person of peace.
'Mark the blameless and behold the upright' (shin line) tracks MT. The future of the peaceful-man — 'a future,' 'posterity' — anticipates Proverbs 23:18 ('surely there is a future').
But transgressors will be destroyed together. The future of the wicked is cut off.
'But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed' tracks MT. The final 'cut off' refrain.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD. He is their refuge in time of trouble.
'The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD' (taw line) tracks MT. The salvation-is-from-God axiom.
The LORD helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.
'The LORD helps them and delivers them' tracks MT. Closing with divine-refuge-language frames the psalm as a long reply to v. 1's 'do not fret.'