Psalms 37:9

9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess the land.

Psalms 37:9 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 37:9

For evildoers shall be cut off
Though they flourish for a while, they shall be cut down like the grass or flower of the field, or they shall be cut off as branches from a flourishing tree; they shall be cut off from the earth, and rooted out of it by death or some desolating judgment; see ( Proverbs 2:22 ) ; and therefore not to be envied and fretted at;

but those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth;
such who attend his word, worship, and ordinances; obey his commands, trust in his grace and mercy; or, as the Targum, "trust in the word of the Lord"; who wait upon him for the manifestations of himself, for the performance of his promises, for answer of prayer, for supplies of grace, and live in the expectation of the heavenly glory; these shall have for their inheritance, not the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, which the obedient Jews enjoyed; but either this world and the necessaries of it, which such persons have the promise of, a right unto through Christ, are heirs of, and do enjoy what they do with a blessing; or else the new earth after this, in which only righteous ones, those that wait upon the Lord, and trust in him, will dwell; unless the heavenly country, the good land afar off, is meant, often called an inheritance.

Psalms 37:9 In-Context

7 Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man that bringeth mischievous devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself: it [would be] only to do evil.
9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess the land.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked is not; and thou considerest his place, but he is not.
11 But the meek shall possess the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Or 'the earth;' and so in vers. 11,22,29,34: see Ps. 25.13 and Note, Matt. 5.5.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.