Psalm 36:4-12

4 He ¹plots ²trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in ³a way that is not good; ⁴he does not reject evil.

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

6 ⁵Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; ⁶your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you ⁷save, O Lord.

7 ⁸How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge ⁹in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on ¹⁰the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from ¹¹the river of ¹²your delights.

9 For with you is ¹³the fountain of life; ¹⁴in your light do we see light.

10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who ¹⁵know you, and your righteousness to ¹⁶the upright of heart!

11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There ¹⁷the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, ¹⁸unable to rise.

Psalm 36:4-12 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. 36:4 Mic. 2:1; [Prov. 4:16]
• 2. 36:4 Ps. 10:7
• 3. 36:4 Isa. 65:2
• 4. 36:4 [Ps. 97:10]
• 5. 36:6 [Ps. 71:19]
• 6. 36:6 Ps. 92:5; Rom. 11:33
• 7. 36:6 Ps. 104:14, 15; 145:9, 15, 16; Neh. 9:6
• 8. 36:7 [Ps. 31:19]
• 9. 36:7 See Ruth 2:12
• 10. 36:8 Ps. 23:5; 27:4; 65:4; Isa. 25:6; See Jer. 31:12-14
• 11. 36:8 Ps. 46:4; Rev. 22:1
• 12. 36:8 Ps. 16:11
• 13. 36:9 Jer. 2:13; John 4:10, 14; 5:26
• 14. 36:9 John 1:9; Acts 26:18; 1 Pet. 2:9
• 15. 36:10 Jer. 22:16; Gal. 4:9; [Ps. 79:6]
• 16. 36:10 See Ps. 7:10
• 17. 36:12 Ps. 94:4
• 18. 36:12 See Ps. 1:5