Psalm 37:8

8 Cease from anger, and forsake chemah (wrath); fret not thyself in any wise to do rah.

Psalm 37:8 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 37:8

Cease from anger
Either at these wicked men who are so prosperous, or at God, who for the present suffers it; see ( Jonah 4:9 ) ( Proverbs 19:3 ) ;

and forsake wrath;
which is anger wrought up to a greater degree; and the rather to be shunned and avoided, as being very disagreeable to the character of a good man;

fret not thyself in any wise to do evil;
evil may be done by fretting at the prosperity of wicked men, or by imitating them, doing as they do, in hope of being prosperous as they are; from which the psalmist dissuades by reasons following.

Psalm 37:8 In-Context

6 And He shall bring forth thy tzedakah (righteousness) as the ohr (light), and thy mishpat (justice) as the tzohorayim (noonday).

7 Rest in Hashem, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his derech, because of the ish who bringeth wicked schemes to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake chemah (wrath); fret not thyself in any wise to do rah.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon Hashem, they shall inherit the Eretz (land).

10 For yet a little while, and the rasha shall not be; yes, thou shalt watch his place, and he will not be.