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 days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. 19They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance. But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish--like smoke they vanish away. 21The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. 22For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those 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

• wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
• will perishאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
• And the enemiesאָיַב'âyab · be hostileH340
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• gloryיָקָרyâqâr · preciousH3368
• of the pasturesכַּרkar · pastureH3733
• They vanishכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: expendH3615
• like smokeעָשָׁן‛âshân · smokeH6227

Cross-references for Psalms 37:20

• Psalms 68:2As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God.
• Psalms 92:9For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord, For, behold, Your enemies will perish; All who do iniquity will be scattered.
• Judges 5:31Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.” And the land was undisturbed for forty years.
• Luke 13:3I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
• 2 Peter 2:12But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,
• Deuteronomy 33:14And with the choice yield of the sun, And with the choice produce of the months.
• Psalms 102:3For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
• Genesis 19:28and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace.
• Leviticus 3:3From the sacrifice of the peace offerings he shall present an offering by fire to the Lord, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,
• Deuteronomy 29:20The Lord shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the Lord 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