Psalm 36 Study Notes

’Awen, a root occurring only in Hebrew and appearing largely in poetic and prophetic texts, signifies evildoers (Is 31:2), wickedness (1Sm 15:23), sin (Ps 56:7), and iniquity (Is 1:13). Specifically, it connotes crime (Ps 55:10), malice (Jr 4:15), injustice (Hab 1:3), or evil intent (Is 29:20). ’Awen denotes evil’s consequences of disaster (Nm 23:21), distress (Jb 5:6), and sorrow (Ps 90:10). It specifies evil’s emptiness as falsehood (Zch 10:2), delusion (Is 41:29), nothing (Am 5:5), and idol (Is 66:3). ’Awen appears alongside ‘amal (“trouble”) eleven times (Jb 4:8). Adjectivally, ’awen is malicious, wicked, sinful, and crooked (Is 10:1). The phrase po‘aley (“doers of”) ’awen (22x) is normally translated evildoers (Ps 36:12). ’Awen names a valley Aven (Am 1:5) and once seems to be a shortened form of Beth-aven (Hs 10:8; cp. v. 5). ’Aven is part of the place name Beth-aven (7x). Beth-aven might derogatorily substitute for Bethel (Hs 4:15; cp. Am 5:5).

36:8 Abundance is literally “oil” and represents blessing (Is 55:2). The imagery of oil and refreshing stream bring together the same images as those in Ps 23 (see notes at 23:2-3,5).

36:9 Wellspring of life is used elsewhere to describe the Lord as the source of life (Jr 2:13; 17:13). Light can refer to truth (43:3) or salvation (27:1). The combination of life and light is particularly significant in John’s Gospel and is applied to Jesus Christ (Jn 1:4; 8:12).

36:10 Spread your faithful love may relate to the image of a mother bird’s “wings” in v. 7.

36:11-12 Victory in the ancient world was often represented by the victor’s foot on the neck of the vanquished (110:1).