An acrostic wisdom psalm of David, each strophe beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm is a sustained meditation on the problem of the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering — a problem addressed not with philosophical argument but with repeated commands to trust, wait, and refrain from envy. David's answer to the success of the wicked is not that it is an illusion but that it is temporary. The land (erets) is the central promise: the wicked will be cut off from it, and the righteous will inherit it. The psalm moves through twenty-two strophes like a parent patiently counseling a child who cannot understand why the bully gets what he wants.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
The word erets ('land, earth') appears seven times in this psalm — the number of completeness — and each occurrence reinforces the same promise: the meek, the righteous, the faithful will inherit the land, while the wicked will be excised from it. Jesus' beatitude 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' (Matthew 5:5) is a direct quotation of verse 11. The acrostic form is itself significant: the alphabet is the totality of language, and by working through every letter, David is saying that this truth covers everything — from aleph to tav, there is nothing to add. The psalm's emotional texture is distinctive in the Psalter. It does not rage against injustice or weep over suffering. Instead, it counsels patience with the calm authority of someone who has watched enough cycles to know how they end. The repeated al titchar ('do not fret, do not burn with anger') is addressed to the believer's nervous system, not just his theology.
Translation Friction
The psalm's theology of retribution — the wicked will be destroyed, the righteous will prosper — is precisely the theology that Job challenges and Ecclesiastes questions. Read in isolation, Psalm 37 can sound like naive optimism: just wait, and everything will work out. But the psalm's perspective is not naive — it is the long view. David explicitly acknowledges the prosperity of the wicked (vv. 7, 16, 35) and does not deny it. His argument is about duration, not appearance: 'I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and he was no more' (vv. 35-36). The Hebrew word for 'land' (erets) may refer to the specific land of Israel (covenant inheritance) or to the earth broadly. In its original context, the promise is likely about land-tenure in Israel; in Jesus' usage, it is universalized.
Connections
The beatitude 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' (Matthew 5:5) directly quotes verse 11. The psalm's theology of the righteous inheriting the land connects to the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:7, 13:15, 15:18) and the Deuteronomic blessings (Deuteronomy 28). Proverbs 24:19 ('Do not fret because of evildoers') echoes the psalm's opening. The acrostic structure links this psalm to Psalms 9-10, 25, 34, 111, 112, 119, and 145. The observation that the righteous are never forsaken and their children never beg bread (v. 25) became a test case in later theological reflection on suffering and poverty.
Of David.
Do not burn with anger over evildoers.
Do not envy those who do wrong.
KJV A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The aleph-strophe. The verb al titchar ('do not fret, do not be heated, do not burn') from charah ('to burn, to be kindled') addresses the visceral, heat-generating frustration that rises when the wicked prosper. The parallel verb al teqanne ('do not envy') from qana ('to be jealous, to be zealous') addresses the desire to have what the wicked have. Together they name the two emotional responses the psalm will spend forty verses treating: rage and envy.
For like grass they will quickly wither,
and like green plants they will fade away.
KJV For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The reason not to envy: the wicked are ke-chatsir ('like grass') — the most fragile, temporary form of life in the Near East. After the spring rains, grass covers the hillsides in green. When the summer heat arrives, it vanishes in days. The verb yimmalu ('they will wither, they will be cut') and yibbolun ('they will wilt, they will fade') describe the inevitable trajectory of grass: rapid growth, rapid death.
emunah here may describe the faithfulness the psalmist practices (human faithfulness) or the faithfulness he feeds on (divine faithfulness). The ambiguity is productive: to cultivate faithfulness is both to practice it toward God and to draw nourishment from God's faithfulness toward you.
Translator Notes
The bet-strophe. Four imperatives: betach ('trust'), aseh tov ('do good'), shekhan erets ('dwell in the land'), re'eh emunah ('cultivate/feed on faithfulness'). The last phrase is debated — re'eh can mean 'feed, shepherd, cultivate' and emunah can mean 'faithfulness, reliability, security.' The instruction is practical: do not flee the land because the wicked seem to own it. Stay, trust, do good, and feed on faithfulness like a flock feeds on pasture.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.
KJV Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The promise of verse 4 has been both a comfort and a stumbling block. Read transactionally, it says: if you delight in God, He will give you what you want. Read formatively, it says: delighting in God transforms what you want, so that what God gives is always what your transformed heart desires. The psalm's overall theology of trust and patience supports the formative reading.
Roll your way onto the LORD.
Trust in Him, and He will act.
KJV Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The gimel-strophe. The verb gol ('roll') from galal is physical — you roll a burden off your own back onto God's. The darkekha ('your way, your path, your course of life') is everything: plans, anxieties, outcomes. The promise ve-hu ya'aseh ('and He — He will do it, He will act') is deliberately open-ended. It does not specify what God will do. It simply guarantees that God will act. The emphasis falls on the pronoun hu ('He') — you are not alone in this.
He will bring forth your righteousness like the light,
and your justice like the noonday sun.
KJV And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The vindication image: tsidqekha ('your righteousness') will be displayed ka-or ('like the light') — visible, undeniable, radiant. The mishpatekha ('your justice, your just cause') will be like ha-tsohorayim ('the noonday, the double-brightness') — the moment of maximum visibility when no shadow remains. The righteous person's cause, now hidden under the wicked's prosperity, will eventually be displayed in full daylight.
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.
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.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The dalet-strophe. The verb dom ('be still, be silent, be motionless') demands cessation of anxious activity. The verb hitcholel ('wait, writhe in patience') from chul ('to writhe, to wait in travail') suggests that patience is not passive but effortful — it costs something to wait. The al titchar ('do not fret') from verse 1 returns, now specified: do not fret over the person whose schemes actually succeed (matsliach darkko, 'his way prospers'). David acknowledges that evil plans sometimes work.
Release anger and abandon rage.
Do not fret — it leads only to harm.
KJV Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The he-strophe. Three imperatives address the anger cycle: heref me-af ('let go of anger'), azov chemah ('abandon fury/rage'), al titchar ('do not fret'). The final phrase akh lehare'a ('it only leads to doing evil') reveals the danger: righteous indignation, if nursed into obsession, becomes its own form of evil. Fretting about injustice can make you unjust.
For evildoers will be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD will inherit the land.
KJV For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The vav-strophe. The verb yikkaretun ('they will be cut off') is covenant-curse language — excision from the community, from the land, from life. The verb yirshu erets ('they will inherit/possess the land') is covenant-blessing language — permanent tenure in the promised inheritance. The erets ('land/earth') is the psalm's key word: who gets to stay in the land? Not the aggressive, not the schemers, but the qovei YHWH ('those who wait/hope for the LORD').
A little while, and the wicked will be no more.
You will look carefully at his place — and he will be gone.
KJV For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The zayin-strophe. The phrase od me'at ('yet a little while') is the psalm's temporal key: the wicked person's prosperity has an expiration date. The verb hitbonanta ('you will look carefully, you will examine closely') means a deliberate inspection of the place (maqom) where the wicked once stood. You will search for him and find nothing. The disappearance is total: ve-einennu ('and he is not, and he is gone').
But the meek will inherit the land
and delight in abundant peace.
KJV But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The anavim are the central characters of the Psalter's social vision: the poor, the afflicted, the humble — people who lack power and know they lack it. Their inheritance of the land (erets) reverses the normal power structure: the powerful seize land, but the meek receive it from God. Jesus' quotation universalizes the promise from 'the land' (of Israel) to 'the earth' (the entire world).
The wicked person plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.
KJV The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The chet-strophe. The verb zomem ('plots, devises, schemes') describes calculated, premeditated hostility. The verb choreq shinnav ('gnashes his teeth') is an expression of animal rage — baring teeth like a predator. The combination of cold calculation and hot rage describes the specific psychology of the wicked toward the righteous: it is both strategic and visceral.
The Lord laughs at him,
for He sees that his day is coming.
KJV The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
God's response to the wicked person's scheming is laughter (yischaq, from tsachaq, 'to laugh'). This is the same divine laughter as Psalm 2:4 — not amusement but supreme confidence. God laughs because He sees (ra'ah) what the wicked cannot: yomo ('his day') — the appointed day of reckoning. The wicked plots in time; God sees the end of time.
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slaughter those whose way is upright.
KJV The 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.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The tet-strophe. The weapons — cherev ('sword') and qeshet ('bow') — represent close combat and ranged warfare. The targets — ani ve-evyon ('poor and needy') and yishrei derekh ('upright in way/conduct') — are people who cannot fight back. The verb litvoach ('to slaughter') is butchery language, used for slaughtering animals. The wicked treat the righteous poor as livestock.
Their sword will pierce their own heart,
and their bows will be broken.
KJV Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The poetic justice is exact: the sword drawn against the poor enters the wicked person's own heart (be-libbam). The bows bent against the needy are snapped (tishavarnah, 'they will be broken'). The weapons turn on their users. This is the psalm's consistent vision: the violence of the wicked is self-defeating.
Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
KJV A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The yod-strophe. The tov...min ('better...than') formula is classic wisdom speech (cf. Proverbs 15:16, 16:8). The comparison is not between equal quantities but between qualities: a small amount possessed by a righteous person has more real value (stability, blessing, permanence) than the hamon ('abundance, tumult, wealth') of many wicked people combined.
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
KJV For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The kaf-strophe. The zero'ot ('arms') represent power and agency — what the wicked can do. These will be broken (tishavarnah). The contrast: ve-somekh tsaddiqim YHWH ('but the LORD supports/upholds the righteous'). The verb somekh ('supports, sustains, upholds') pictures a hand placed under something to keep it from falling. The wicked lose their power; the righteous are held up by God's hand.
The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their inheritance will last forever.
KJV The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The lamed-strophe. The verb yodea ('knows') means intimate, comprehensive knowledge — God knows every day (yemei) of the blameless person's life. Their nachalatam ('their inheritance') will be le-olam ('forever'). The contrast with the wicked, whose prosperity is temporary as grass, is total: the righteous person's inheritance has no expiration date.
They will not be put to shame in evil times,
and in days of famine they will be satisfied.
KJV They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The promise addresses the two great fears: public shame (lo yevoshu) and physical want (yisba'u, 'they will be full/satisfied'). The be-et ra'ah ('in the time of evil/disaster') and bi-ymei re'avon ('in the days of famine') are the worst-case scenarios. Even then, the blameless will not be humiliated and will not go hungry.
But the wicked will perish.
The enemies of the LORD will vanish like the beauty of the meadows —
they will vanish into smoke.
KJV But 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.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The mem-strophe. The phrase ki-yqar karim ('like the glory/beauty of meadows' or 'like the fat of lambs') is textually uncertain. If 'meadows,' the image is of green pastureland that dries up and becomes fuel for fire. If 'fat of lambs,' the image is of sacrificial fat consumed on the altar. Both readings end the same way: be-ashan kalu ('in smoke they are consumed'). The wicked dissolve into nothing.
The wicked borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous is generous and gives.
KJV The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The nun-strophe. The economic contrast is sharp: the wicked person takes and does not return; the righteous person gives freely. The verb chonen ('is gracious, shows favor, gives generously') from chanan describes giving motivated not by obligation but by kindness. The righteous person's relationship to resources mirrors God's own generosity.
For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
but those cursed by Him will be cut off.
KJV For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The samekh-strophe. The erets ('land') promise returns, now framed in terms of divine blessing and cursing. The mevorakav ('those blessed by Him') and mequllaluv ('those cursed by Him') echo the Deuteronomic blessing-curse framework (Deuteronomy 28). Inheritance of the land is the visible sign of divine favor; being cut off from it is the visible sign of divine judgment.
The steps of a person are established by the LORD,
and He delights in his way.
KJV The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The ayin-strophe. The phrase me-YHWH mits'adei gever konnanu ('from the LORD the steps of a man are established') means God directs the specific movements of the person who trusts Him — not just the destination but each step along the way. The phrase ve-darkko yechpats ('and in his way He delights') is remarkable: God takes pleasure in the righteous person's path. The faithful walker is not merely tolerated but enjoyed.
Though he stumble, he will not fall headlong,
for the LORD holds his hand.
KJV Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The promise is not that the righteous will never stumble (ki yippol, 'when/though he falls') but that he will not be utterly destroyed (lo yutal, 'he will not be thrown down completely'). The reason: YHWH somekh yado ('the LORD supports/holds his hand'). The image is of a parent holding a child's hand as the child learns to walk — stumbles happen, but the hand prevents catastrophic falls.
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.
KJV I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The pe-strophe. David speaks from the full arc of a lifetime: na'ar hayiti ('I was young') gam zaqanti ('I have also grown old'). His testimony is empirical: in all those years of observation, lo ra'iti tsaddiq ne'ezav ('I have not seen the righteous forsaken'). This verse has been a source of comfort and also of theological difficulty — what about righteous people who are, in fact, abandoned and impoverished? The psalm's perspective is proverbial, not universal: it describes the general pattern of God's faithfulness, not an exception-free law.
All day long he is gracious and lends,
and his children become a blessing.
KJV He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The righteous person's generosity is habitual: kol hayyom ('all day long') he chonen u-malveh ('is gracious and lends'). The result extends to the next generation: ve-zar'o li-verakhah ('and his offspring become a blessing'). Generosity is not only moral but generative — it produces blessing that flows to the next generation.
Psalms 37:27
ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֗וֹב וּשְׁכֹ֥ן לְעוֹלָֽם׃
Turn from evil and do good,
and you will dwell in the land forever.
KJV Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The tsade-strophe repeats the instruction of Psalm 34:15 (sur me-ra va-aseh tov, 'turn from evil and do good') and adds the land-promise: u-shkhon le-olam ('and dwell forever'). The moral instruction and the inheritance promise are inseparable: doing good is the path to permanent habitation.
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.
KJV For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The qoph-strophe. God's love of mishpat ('justice') grounds the entire psalm: because God loves justice, He preserves the righteous and cuts off the wicked. The chasidav ('His faithful ones') are those bound to God by chesed. The permanence markers le-olam nishmaru ('forever they are guarded') contrast with the cutting-off of the wicked's offspring.
The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
KJV The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The resh-strophe restates the psalm's central promise with maximum simplicity: tsaddiqim yirshu erets ('the righteous will inherit the land'). The verb yishkenu ('they will dwell') and the duration la-ad ('forever, in perpetuity') settle the matter: the land belongs to the righteous, and their tenure has no end.
The mouth of the righteous murmurs wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
KJV The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The shin-strophe. The verb yehgeh ('murmurs, meditates, speaks in low tones') is the same verb used in Psalm 1:2 for meditating on Torah. The righteous person's speech flows from deep meditation: wisdom (chokhmah) and justice (mishpat) emerge naturally from a mind saturated in God's instruction.
The instruction of his God is in his heart.
His steps do not slip.
KJV The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The tav-strophe. The torat Elohav ('the instruction/Torah of his God') is be-libbo ('in his heart') — internalized, not merely memorized. The result: lo tim'ad ashrurav ('his steps do not slip'). The connection is causal: when God's instruction lives inside the heart, the feet find stable ground. This echoes Psalm 1:2-3 and Psalm 119:11 ('I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you').
The wicked watches the righteous
and seeks to kill him.
KJV The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb tsofeh ('watches, spies, observes') describes surveillance with hostile intent. The verb mevaqesh lahamito ('seeks to put him to death') reveals the motive: the wicked person's observation is predatory. He watches the righteous the way a hunter watches prey.
The LORD will not abandon him to his hand,
nor let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
KJV The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
God intervenes at two levels: He will not leave the righteous be-yado ('in his hand' — in the power of the wicked), and He will not let him be found guilty be-hishshafto ('when he is judged'). God is both rescue-warrior and defense-attorney.
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.
KJV Wait 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.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The psalm's closing section summarizes its theology in two imperatives: qavveh ('wait, hope') and shemor darkko ('keep/guard His way'). The reward: vi-romimekha lareshet erets ('He will exalt you to inherit the land'). The final phrase be-hikkarit resha'im tir'eh ('when the wicked are cut off, you will see it') promises that the righteous will witness the fulfillment with their own eyes. They will not merely hear about it secondhand.
I have seen the wicked, ruthless and powerful,
spreading himself like a flourishing native tree.
KJV I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
David's personal testimony: ra'iti rasha arits ('I have seen a wicked person who was terrifying/ruthless'). The simile ke-ezrach ra'anan ('like a native/indigenous green tree') pictures a tree rooted in its own soil — deeply established, lush, apparently permanent. The word ezrach means 'native, indigenous' — this tree belongs, it has always been here, it looks immovable.
But he passed away — and suddenly he was gone.
I looked for him, but he could not be found.
KJV Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The reversal is abrupt: vayyaavor ('and he passed away') — the great tree simply disappeared. The hinneh einennu ('behold, he is not!') echoes verse 10. David searched for him (va-avaqshehu) and found nothing (lo nimtsa). The mighty, spreading tree has vanished as completely as grass in summer. No trace, no stump, no memory.
Watch the blameless person and observe the upright,
for there is a future for the person of peace.
KJV Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The instruction is observational: shemor tam ('watch the blameless one') and re'eh yashar ('observe the upright one'). The reason: ki acharit le-ish shalom ('for there is a future/end for the person of peace'). The word acharit ('end, latter days, future, posterity') means the blameless person has a future that endures. The person of shalom ('peace, wholeness') has something the wicked do not: an afterwards.
But transgressors will be destroyed together.
The future of the wicked is cut off.
KJV But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The contrast with verse 37 is total: the righteous have an acharit ('future'); the wicked have their acharit cut off (nikhratah). The verb nishmadu ('they are destroyed') from shamad ('to annihilate, to exterminate') and the word yachdav ('together, altogether') mean the destruction is collective and comprehensive.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD.
He is their refuge in time of trouble.
KJV But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The psalm nears its conclusion with a declaration of source: teshu'at tsaddiqim me-YHWH ('the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD'). Salvation does not come from human effort, military power, or clever strategy — it comes from God. He is their ma'uzzam ('their stronghold, their refuge') specifically be-et tsarah ('in the time of distress'). God's protection is activated by crisis.
The LORD helps them and delivers them.
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in Him.
KJV And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The final verse accumulates four verbs of salvation: ya'azrem ('He helps them'), yefalltem ('He delivers them'), yefalltem me-resha'im ('He delivers them from the wicked'), ve-yoshi'em ('and He saves them'). The reason is the psalm's foundational verb: ki chasu vo ('because they have taken refuge in Him'). The verb chasah ('to take refuge') is the Psalter's signature act of faith. The psalm that began by counseling against anger and envy ends by grounding everything in the single act of taking shelter in God.