1 By David. Do not fret because of evil doers, Be not envious against doers of iniquity,
2 For as grass speedily they are cut off, And as the greenness of the tender grass do fade.
3 Trust in Jehovah, and do good, Dwell `in' the land, and enjoy faithfulness,
4 And delight thyself on Jehovah, And He giveth to thee the petitions of thy heart.
5 Roll on Jehovah thy way, And trust upon Him, and He worketh,
6 And hath brought out as light thy righteousness, And thy judgment as noon-day.
7 Be silent for Jehovah, and stay thyself for Him, Do not fret because of him Who is making prosperous his way, Because of a man doing wicked devices.
8 Desist from anger, and forsake fury, Fret not thyself only to do evil.
9 For evil doers are cut off, As to those waiting on Jehovah, they possess the land.
10 And yet a little, and the wicked is not, And thou hast considered his place, and it is not.
11 And the humble do possess the land, And they have delighted themselves In the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked is devising against the righteous, And gnashing against him his teeth.
13 The Lord doth laugh at him, For He hath seen that his day cometh.
14 A sword have the wicked opened, And they have trodden their bow, To cause to fall the poor and needy, To slaughter the upright of the way.
15 Their sword doth enter into their own heart, And their bows are shivered.
16 Better `is' the little of the righteous, Than the store of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked are shivered, And Jehovah is sustaining the righteous.
18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect, And their inheritance is -- to the age.
19 They are not ashamed in a time of evil, And in days of famine they are satisfied.
20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of Jehovah, As the preciousness of lambs, Have been consumed, In smoke they have been consumed.
21 The wicked is borrowing and repayeth not, And the righteous is gracious and giving.
22 For His blessed ones do possess the land, And His reviled ones are cut off.
23 From Jehovah `are' the steps of a man, They have been prepared, And his way he desireth.
24 When he falleth, he is not cast down, For Jehovah is sustaining his hand.
25 Young I have been, I have also become old, And I have not seen the righteous forsaken, And his seed seeking bread.
26 All the day he is gracious and lending, And his seed `is' for a blessing.
27 Turn aside from evil, and do good, and dwell to the age.
28 For Jehovah is loving judgment, And He doth not forsake His saintly ones, To the age they have been kept, And the seed of the wicked is cut off.
29 The righteous possess the land, And they dwell for ever on it.
30 The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh judgment.
31 The law of his God `is' his heart, His steps do not slide.
32 The wicked is watching for the righteous, And is seeking to put him to death.
33 Jehovah doth not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him in his being judged.
34 Look unto Jehovah, and keep His way, And He doth exalt thee to possess the land, In the wicked being cut off -- thou seest!
35 I have seen the wicked terrible, And spreading as a green native plant,
36 And he passeth away, and lo, he is not, And I seek him, and he is not found!
37 Observe the perfect, and see the upright, For the latter end of each `is' peace.
38 And transgressors were destroyed together, The latter end of the wicked was cut off.
39 And the salvation of the righteous `is' from Jehovah, Their strong place in a time of adversity.
40 And Jehovah doth help them and deliver them, He delivereth them from the wicked, And saveth them, Because they trusted in Him!
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 37
Commentary on Psalms 37 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 37
This psalm is a sermon, and an excellent useful sermon it is, calculated not (as most of the psalms) for our devotion, but for our conversation; there is nothing in it of prayer or praise, but it is all instruction; it is "Maschil-a teaching psalm;' it is an exposition of some of the hardest chapters in the book of Providence, the advancement of the wicked and the disgrace of the righteous, a solution of the difficulties that arise thereupon, and an exhortation to conduct ourselves as becomes us under such dark dispensations. The work of the prophets (and David was one) was to explain the law. Now the law of Moses had promised temporal blessings to the obedient, and denounced temporal miseries against the disobedient, which principally referred to the body of the people, the nation as a nation; for, when they came to be applied to particular persons, many instances occurred of sinners in prosperity and saints in adversity; to reconcile those instances with the word that God had spoken is the scope of the prophet in this psalm, in which,
In singing this psalm we must teach and admonish one another rightly to understand the providence of God and to accommodate ourselves to it, at all times carefully to do our duty and then patiently to leave the event with God and to believe that, how black soever things may look for the present, it shall be "well with those that fear God, that fear before him.'
A psalm of David.
Psa 37:1-6
The instructions here given are very plain; much need not be said for the exposition of them, but there is a great deal to be done for the reducing of them to practice, and there they will look best.
Psa 37:7-20
In these verses we have,
Psa 37:21-33
These verses are much to the same purport with the foregoing verses of this psalm, for it is a subject worthy to be dwelt upon. Observe here,
Psa 37:34-40
The psalmist's conclusion of this sermon (for that is the nature of this poem) is of the same purport with the whole, and inculcates the same things.