Psalms 37:20

Psalms 37:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
• New International Version (NIV)But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

Context of Psalms 37:20

18Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever. 19They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away. 21The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth. 22For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land; And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.

Psalms 37:20 word by word

כִּ֤י רְשָׁעִ֨ים׀ יֹאבֵ֗דוּ וְאֹיְבֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה כִּיקַ֣ר כָּרִ֑ים כָּל֖וּ בֶעָשָׁ֣ן כָּֽלוּ׃Read the interlinear

• wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
• perishאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
• enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• lambsכָּרkar · saddleH3733
• smokeעָשָׁן‛âshân · smokeH6227
• awayכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: finishH3615

Cross-references for Psalms 37:20

• Psalms 68:2As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: As wax melteth before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
• Psalms 92:9For, lo, thine enemies, O Jehovah, For, lo, thine enemies shall perish; All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
• Judges 5:31So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah: But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
• Luke 13:3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish.
• 2 Peter 2:12But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed,
• Deuteronomy 33:14And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, And for the precious things of the growth of the moons,
• Psalms 102:3For my days consume away like smoke, And my bones are burned as a firebrand.
• Genesis 19:28and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.
• Leviticus 3:3And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto Jehovah; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
• Deuteronomy 29:20Jehovah will not pardon him, but then the anger of Jehovah and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven.
• Hebrews 12:29for our God is a consuming fire.

Commentaries on Psalms 37:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20The enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs - This verse has given the critics some trouble. Several of the Versions read thus: "But the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they are exalted to honor, shall vanish; like smoke they vanish." If we follow the Hebreto, it intimates that they shall consume as the fat of lambs. That is, as the fat is wholly consumed in sacrifices by the fire on the altar, so shall they consume away in the fire of God's…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20But the wicked shall perish - The general sentiment here is the same as in Psalm 1:1-6, that the righteous shall be prospered and saved, and that the wicked shall perish. See the notes at Psalm 1:4-5. The word “perish” here would be applicable to any form of destruction - death here, or death hereafter - for it is equivalent to the idea that they shall be “destroyed.” Whether the psalmist means here to refer to the fact that they will be cut off from the…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. 20Smoke represents the temporary nature of life (Psalm 68:2; 102:3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. While the wicked, however mighty, are destroyed, and that utterly, as smoke which vanishes and leaves no trace.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 37:20

• Fat
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Cease
• Commit
• Consume
• Cut
• Forsake
• Mark
• Poetry
• Trust
• Wisdom
• Wise

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