Psalm 37:16-26

16 ¹Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.

17 For ²the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord ³upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord ⁴knows the days of the blameless, and their ⁵heritage will remain forever;

19 they are not put to shame in evil times; in ⁶the days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like ⁷the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like ⁸smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous ⁹is generous and gives;

22 for those blessed by the Lord^[a] shall ¹⁰inherit the land, but those cursed by him ¹¹shall be cut off.

23 The ¹²steps of a man are ¹³established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;

24 ¹⁴though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord ¹⁵upholds his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children ¹⁶begging for bread.

26 He is ever ¹⁷lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Psalm 37:16-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 37

\\<<[A Psalm] of David>>\\. This psalm, it is very probable, was written at the same time, and upon the same occasion, with the former; and describes the different states of good and bad men; and is full of exhortations, instructions, and advice to the people of God; intermixed with various encouraging promises. A late learned writer {h} thinks it was written for Mephibosheth's consolation under Ziba's calumny. {h} Delaney's Life of King David, vol. 2. p. 219.

Cross References

• 1. 37:16 Prov. 15:16; 16:8; [1 Tim. 6:6]
• 2. 37:17 Ps. 10:15; Job 38:15; Ezek. 30:21, 22
• 3. 37:17 ver. 24
• 4. 37:18 See Ps. 1:6
• 5. 37:18 ver. 9
• 6. 37:19 Ps. 33:19; Job 5:20
• 7. 37:20 [Matt. 6:30; James 1:11]
• 8. 37:20 Ps. 68:2; 102:3; Hos. 13:3
• 9. 37:21 ver. 26
• 10. 37:22 See ver. 9
• 11. 37:22 ver. 2
• 12. 37:23 Ps. 25:12; 1 Sam. 2:9
• 13. 37:23 Ps. 40:2; 119:5
• 14. 37:24 Prov. 24:16; Mic. 7:8; 2 Cor. 4:9
• 15. 37:24 ver. 17
• 16. 37:25 [Ps. 109:10; Job 15:23]
• 17. 37:26 Ps. 112:5, 9; Deut. 15:8, 10; Matt. 5:42; Luke 6:35

Footnotes

• [a] 37:22 Hebrew 'by him'