Psalm 36:1-6

How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love

1 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; ^{[a] 1}there is no fear of God before his eyes.

2 ²For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

3 The words of his mouth are ³trouble and deceit; ⁴he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

4 He ⁵plots ⁶trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in ⁷a way that is not good; ⁸he does not reject evil.

5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

6 ⁹Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; ¹⁰your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you ¹¹save, O Lord.

Psalm 36:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, [a Psalm] of David, the servant of the Lord. This title, which the psalmist takes to himself, regards him not only as a creature, every man being the servant of the Lord as such, of right, though not in fact; but as a king, he being a minister of God for good to good men, and for evil to evil men; and also may respect him as a renewed man; and it is here used in opposition to and distinction from the wicked, who are the servants of sin and Satan, of whom he speaks in this psalm. The Syriac and Arabic versions in their titles suggest that this psalm was written when David was persecuted by Saul, and which is the sense of some interpreters; but R. Obadiah thinks Ahithophel is designed by the wicked man in it; and so it was penned on account of Absalom's rebellion.

Cross References

• 1. 36:1 Cited Rom. 3:18
• 2. 36:2 Deut. 29:19; [Ps. 10:3; 49:18]
• 3. 36:3 [Ps. 12:2]
• 4. 36:3 [Jer. 4:22]
• 5. 36:4 Mic. 2:1; [Prov. 4:16]
• 6. 36:4 Ps. 10:7
• 7. 36:4 Isa. 65:2
• 8. 36:4 [Ps. 97:10]
• 9. 36:6 [Ps. 71:19]
• 10. 36:6 Ps. 92:5; Rom. 11:33
• 11. 36:6 Ps. 104:14, 15; 145:9, 15, 16; Neh. 9:6

Footnotes

• [a] 36:1 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Jerome (compare Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts 'in my heart'