The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 37
In brief
Psalm 37 is a wisdom poem written by David at an advanced age. It answers an old question: why do the wicked seem to succeed? Its answer comes down to a few commands: do not fret, trust in the Lord, delight in him, commit your way to him, wait for him in silence. The psalm promises that the righteous will not be forsaken and that the wicked will pass away. It speaks to those tempted by envy, anger or impatience.
The title attributes this psalm to David, and in verse 25 a man speaks who has been young and has grown old. No specific circumstance is given. It is a wisdom psalm, closer to the book of Proverbs than to a prayer: it speaks not to God but to the reader, like a sage advising a pupil. In Hebrew it forms an acrostic: each stanza, often two verses long, begins with a letter of the alphabet, in order. It answers a question that Psalm 73 also asks: why do the wicked succeed? Its answer calls for trust and patience rather than envy. Its promises, such as possessing the land, are read in their context: a wisdom that looks at life over the long run, and that Jesus takes up in the Beatitudes. Today many meditate on it in seasons of injustice, jealousy or waiting.
The chapter in 4 parts
1Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
3Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
4Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in him, and he will do this:
6he will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun.
7Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.
10For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.
11But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming.
14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path.
15Their sword shall enter into their own heart. Their bows shall be broken.
16Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
18Yahweh knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever.
19They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish— vanish like smoke.
21The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back, but the righteous give generously.
22For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
23A man’s steps are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way.
24Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
25I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread.
26All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His offspring is blessed.
27Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever.
28For Yahweh loves justice, and doesn’t forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.
30The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom. His tongue speaks justice.
31The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide.
32The wicked watch the righteous, and seek to kill him.
33Yahweh will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
36But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37Mark the perfect man, and see the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.
38As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together. The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40Yahweh helps them and rescues them. He rescues them from the wicked and saves them, because they have taken refuge in him.
Understanding Psalm 37 verse by verse
v. 1-2Do not fret: the success of the wicked does not last
The psalm opens with two commands: “Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.” It does not speak to God, as most psalms do, but to the reader, in the manner of a wise man advising someone younger. The problem is very real: those who cheat, crush and lie often seem to do better than everyone else. This produces two reactions, fretting, which eats away at you from the inside, and envy, which makes you long for what the other person has. Verse 2 gives the reason not to be drawn in: their success is like the grass under the Middle Eastern sun, green one day, cut down and withered soon after. The psalm does not deny injustice; it invites you to look at it with a wider horizon than the present moment.
v. 3-6Trust, delight in the Lord, commit your way to him
Instead of fretting, the psalm offers another way to live. Trust in the Lord and do good: trust does not excuse you from acting with integrity. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture: stay where God has placed you. The Hebrew can also be read as to feed on faithfulness, which would mean taking your nourishment from faithfulness rather than from comparison. Delight yourself in the Lord: find your joy in God himself. The promise that follows is not a blank check; when God becomes your joy, your desires change, and what he gives answers a heart he has himself transformed. Commit your way to the Lord: the Hebrew word suggests a burden rolled onto someone else. You hand him what you cannot control, and he will act. Verse 6 adds that your righteousness will shine out like light: if you are wrongly accused, you do not have to defend yourself endlessly, because God will bring your justice to light in his own time.
v. 7-11Rest in silence, let go of anger: only a little while longer
“Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him.” The Hebrew verb behind rest can also mean to be still, even silent, before him. This is not resignation; it is a confident waiting that stops stirring itself up and brooding. The psalm comes back to fretting and adds: “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.” Anger at injustice is understandable, but when it is fed, it leads only to evildoing, as verse 8 says. Verse 10 changes the scale: “For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more.” What seems endless today is short in God's sight. Verse 11 announces that the humble, those who have no power of their own and depend on God, shall inherit the land and delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Jesus takes up this promise in the Beatitudes and widens it: blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. Patience, then, is not wasted time; it is the road of those who count on God.
v. 12-15The schemes of the wicked turn back on him
The psalm describes the violence of the wicked: he plots against the just, gnashes at him with his teeth, draws the sword and bends the bow to cast down the poor and needy. It is the most fragile who are targeted, those who have no means of defending themselves. Against this, one sentence is startling: “The Lord will laugh at him.” That laughter is not cruel mockery; it is the serenity of the One who is not threatened and who sees the day of judgment coming for the wicked. Verse 15 shows a reversal: their sword enters their own heart, and their bows are broken. Evil often ends up wounding the one who commits it. This passage does not promise that you will never suffer injustice; it reminds you that the powerful are not out of God's reach, and that the last word belongs to him.
v. 16-20Better the little of the righteous than the abundance of the wicked
“Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked”: this verse overturns the way we measure success. A little lived with integrity is worth more than a fortune built on injustice, because it rests on solid ground: the Lord upholds the righteous. Verse 18 adds that God knows the days of the perfect, the people of integrity. Nothing in your life escapes him, neither the good days nor the bad. Verse 19 does not say that the righteous will never know trouble or famine, but that they will not be disappointed in the time of evil and will be satisfied in the days of famine: God stays present in the heart of hard times. The wicked, for their part, pass away like the beauty of the fields and vanish like smoke. This passage feeds the contentment the apostle Paul speaks of, who had learned to be content in plenty and in need.
v. 21-26The righteous give; the Lord makes their steps firm and lifts them up
The passage contrasts two attitudes toward money: “The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back, but the righteous give generously.” Generosity is a mark of the righteous, and it returns in verse 26. Then come two much-loved verses: the Lord establishes a man's steps, and though he stumble, he shall not fall, for the Lord holds him up with his hand. The promise is not that you will never stumble, but a hand that holds you up. Verse 25 is a testimony: “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.” This is the observation of an older man on what he has lived, a word of wisdom, not a rule without exceptions: the Bible also speaks of faithful believers who knew hunger, like the apostle Paul. The next verse offers a clue: the righteous deal graciously and lend. Often it is through the generosity of his people that God takes care of those who are in need.
v. 27-31Doing good with God's law in the heart
“Depart from evil, and do good”: the wisdom of the psalm is concrete. It is not enough to avoid evil; you have to do good. The reason given is God's faithfulness: he loves justice and does not forsake his saints, who are preserved forever. Verse 29 returns to the promise of the land, which the Christian sees fully accomplished in the new creation announced at the end of the Bible. Verses 30 and 31 paint the portrait of the righteous: his mouth talks of wisdom, his tongue speaks justice, and above all, “The law of his God is in his heart.” His uprightness does not come from outside pressure; it is born in a heart where the Word lives. The prophet Jeremiah would announce a new covenant in which God writes his law on hearts. That is why the steps of the righteous do not slide: he walks with an inner compass.
v. 32-36The wicked watch the righteous, but their power passes
The wicked man watches the righteous and seeks to kill him: the psalm does not hide that uprightness can draw hostility. But the Lord does not leave him in the wicked man's hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Even if a human judgment gets it wrong, God's verdict remains the last one. Verse 34 sums up the attitude asked of you: “Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way.” Hoping and keeping to the path go together; the waiting is not passive. Then the sage shares another memory: he has seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil; but he passed away, and he could not be found. Careers and empires that seemed indestructible have disappeared in just this way. If you feel crushed by someone powerful, this passage opens a perspective: that person's rule is not eternal; God alone is.
v. 37-40The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord, their refuge
The psalm ends with an invitation to look: “Mark the perfect man, and see the upright.” Instead of fixing your eyes on the success of the wicked, as at the beginning, the reader is called to look at the righteous: there is a future for the man of peace, while transgressors are destroyed. The last verses give the key to the whole psalm: “the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh.” The righteous is not saved by his own strength or by his perfection. God helps him, rescues him and saves him because he has taken refuge in him. In the light of the Gospel, the righteous person is first of all the one who trusts in God and lives by his grace in Jesus Christ. The psalm does not promise a life without distress; it promises a protector in the time of trouble.
How to pray Psalm 37
When to pray this psalm
- When a dishonest coworker gets the promotion you were hoping for.
- When anger over an injustice goes round and round in your head and keeps you from sleeping.
- When you compare yourself with others and envy settles in your heart.
- When you are wrongly accused and cannot seem to defend yourself.
- In a season of financial need, to hand your future over to God.
- After a fall, when you need God to take your hand and lift you up.
A prayer inspired by Psalm 37
Lord, you see what is happening around me. Those who cheat seem to succeed, and I feel fretting and envy rising in me. Forgive me for looking at their success more than at your faithfulness. Today I choose to trust in you and to do good, even when it brings nothing in return. Be my delight: let my joy be in you before it is in what I am waiting for, and transform the desires of my heart. I commit my way to you, everything I cannot control: my work, my family, my future. Act, in your own way and in your own time. Teach me to rest in silence before you and to cease from anger, because it pushes me toward doing wrong. When I fall, take my hand. Make my steps firm and put your law in my heart. I do not count on my own righteousness: my salvation comes from you, through Jesus Christ. Be my refuge in the time of trouble, and give me the peace of those who hope in you. Amen.
Key verses
Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Delighting in the Lord changes the desires of the heart rather than granting them on demand. The verse does not promise a catalog of wishes, but a relationship that directs what we desire.
Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in him, and he will do this:
To commit your way to the Lord is to hand him the direction of your life, then let him act. The Hebrew word suggests rolling your burden onto him.
Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
Keeping silent before God is a posture of waiting, which refuses agitation and comparison with those who succeed.
Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
The righteous may fall, but he is not cast down, because the Lord holds his hand. The promise is not about the absence of falls, but that God lifts up.
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Frequently asked questions about Psalm 37
What does Psalm 37 mean?
Psalm 37 invites the believer not to fret or envy the wicked, because their success is temporary. It asks him to trust in the Lord, to do good, to wait and to stay calm. The psalm promises that God upholds the righteous, lifts them up when they fall and that the wicked will not last.
What does delighting in the Lord mean?
The phrase in verse 4 speaks of finding your joy in God himself, more than in what he gives. When God becomes the source of joy, the desires of the heart are transformed. The verse is not a guarantee of getting everything you wish for, but an invitation to a relationship that directs what you desire.
Who wrote Psalm 37, and when?
The title attributes it to David. Verse 25 speaks of a man who has been young and has grown old, which suggests he wrote it toward the end of his life, with experience of God's faithfulness. It is a wisdom psalm, built like a poem whose verses follow the Hebrew alphabet.
How can I pray or meditate on Psalm 37?
Choose one verse a day, for example verse 5. Write down what you want to hand over to him, then pray in silence for a few minutes, without asking for anything. When envy or anger returns, say verse 8 again: refrain from anger. This psalm is most useful in seasons of waiting and comparison.
Articles quoting Psalm 37
- 20 Bible Verses About Contentment
- 20 Bible Verses for Job Hunting in Japan: Anxiety, Interviews and Rejection
- Colossians 3: Your New Life Is Hidden with Christ in God
- Forgiveness, a Path That Starts With a First Step
- Grant Me the Grace to Love You: The Prayer That Transforms
- Acts 9: Lord, What Do You Want Me to Do?
World English Bible translation — public domain.