Amplified Bible
Psalms 37:8
8Cease from anger and abandon wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evil.
Psalms 37:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
- New International Version (NIV)Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.
Context of Psalms 37:8
6He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light, And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun]. 7Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him; Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and abandon wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evil. 9For those who do evil will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. 10For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone [forever]; Though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be [found].
Read all of Psalms 37Psalms 37:8 word by word
הֶ֣רֶף מֵ֭אַף וַעֲזֹ֣ב חֵמָ֑ה אַל־תִּ֝תְחַ֗ר אַךְ־לְהָרֵֽעַ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 37:8
- Job 5:2For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple (naive).
- Job 18:4You who tear yourself apart in anger, Is the earth to be abandoned for your sake, Or the rock to be moved out of its place?
- Proverbs 14:29He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control], But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].
- Proverbs 16:32He who is slow to anger is better and more honorable than the mighty [soldier], And he who rules and controls his own spirit, than he who captures a city.
- Ephesians 4:26Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down.
- James 1:19Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];
- James 3:14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant, and [as a result] be in defiance of the truth.
- Psalms 31:22As for me, I said in my alarm, “I am cut off from Your eyes.” Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications (specific requests) When I cried to You [for help].
- Psalms 73:15If I had said, “I will say this,” [and expressed my feelings], I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.
- Psalms 116:11I said in my alarm, “All men are liars.”
- 1 Samuel 25:21Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected and guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missing of all that belonged to him; and he has repaid me evil for good.
- Jeremiah 20:14Cursed be the day on which I was born; Do not bless the day on which my mother gave birth to me!
- Jonah 4:1But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry.
- Luke 9:54When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?”
Commentaries on Psalms 37:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Cease from anger - That is, in reference to the fact that there are wicked people, and that they are permitted to carry out their plans. Do not allow your mind to be excited with envious, fretful, wrathful, or murmuring feelings against God because he bears patiently with them, and because they are allowed a temporary prosperity and triumph. Be calm, whatever may be the wickedness of the world. The supreme direction belongs to God, and he will dispose of…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-20Verses 7-20 Let us be satisfied that God will make all to work for good to us. Let us not discompose ourselves at what we see in this world. A fretful, discontented spirit is open to many temptations. For, in all respects, the little which is allotted to the righteous, is more comfortable and more profitable than the ill-gotten and abused riches of ungodly men. It comes from a hand of special love. God provides plentifully and well, not only for his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Irritability and anger can quickly damage a person’s character. When someone becomes easily upset or angry, it affects the way that person thinks and acts. Over time, this can weaken good habits and harm relationships. Learning patience and self-control helps protect and strengthen character.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-87-8. Rest in--literally, "Be silent to the Lord." and wait--Be submissive--avoid petulance and murmurings, anger and rash doing.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 37:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 37
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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