Psalm 36:1-9

1 Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.

2 In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are.

3 Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good.

4 They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil.

5 Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD .

7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights.

9 For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

Psalm 36:1-9 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.

Footnotes

• [a] As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version, which read in his heart. Masoretic Text reads in my heart.