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

18The Lord knows the daily ⌞struggles⌟ of innocent people. Their inheritance will last forever. 19They will not be put to shame in trying times. Even in times of famine they will be satisfied. But wicked people will disappear. The Lord’s enemies will vanish like the best part of a meadow. They will vanish like smoke. 21A wicked person borrows, but he does not repay. A righteous person is generous and giving. 22Those who are blessed by him will inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

Psalms 37:20 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• But the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
• shall perishאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
• and the enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• as the fatיָקָרyâqâr · preciousH3368
• of lambsכַּרkar · pastureH3733
• they shall consumeכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: expendH3615
• into smokeעָשָׁן‛âshân · smokeH6227

Cross-references for Psalms 37:20

• Psalms 68:2Blow them away like smoke. Let wicked people melt in God’s presence like wax next to a fire.
• Psalms 92:9Now look at your enemies, O Lord. Now look at your enemies. They disappear, and all troublemakers are scattered.
• Judges 5:31May all your enemies die like that, O Lord. But may those who love the Lord be like the sun when it rises in all its brightness. So the land had peace for 40 years.
• Luke 13:3No! I can guarantee that they weren’t. But if you don’t turn to God and change the way you think and act, then you, too, will all die.
• 2 Peter 2:12These false teachers insult what they don’t understand. They are like animals, which are creatures of instinct that are born to be caught and killed. So they will be destroyed like animals
• Deuteronomy 33:14May the Lord bless their land with crops, the best gift the sun can give, the best produce of each month,
• Psalms 102:3My days disappear like smoke. My bones burn like hot coals.
• Genesis 19:28When he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land in the plain, he saw smoke rising from the land like the thick smoke of a furnace.
• Leviticus 3:3From your offering remove the fat that covers the internal organs
• Deuteronomy 29:20The Lord will never be willing to forgive that person, because the Lord’s burning anger will smolder against him. All the curses described in this book will happen to him. The Lord will erase ⌞every memory of⌟ that person’s name from the earth.
• Hebrews 12:29After all, our God is a destructive 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