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 watches over the innocent day by day and they possess a permanent inheritance. 19They will not be ashamed when hard times come; when famine comes they will have enough to eat. But evil men will die; the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated – they will go up in smoke. 21Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion and are generous. 22Surely those favored by the Lord will possess the land, but those rejected by him will be wiped out.

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 68:2As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away. As wax melts before fire, so the wicked are destroyed before God.
• Psalms 92:9Indeed, look at your enemies, O Lord! Indeed, look at how your enemies perish! All the evildoers are scattered!
• Judges 5:31May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord! But may those who love you shine like the rising sun at its brightest!” And the land had rest for forty years.
• Luke 13:3No, I tell you! But unless you repent, you will all perish as well!
• 2 Peter 2:12But these men, like irrational animals – creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed – do not understand whom they are insulting, and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed,
• Deuteronomy 33:14with the harvest produced by the daylight and by the moonlight;
• Psalms 102:3For my days go up in smoke, and my bones are charred like a fireplace.
• Genesis 19:28He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace.
• Leviticus 3:3Then the one presenting the offering must present a gift to the Lord from the peace offering sacrifice: He must remove the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that surrounds the entrails,
• Deuteronomy 29:20The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger will rage against that man; all the curses written in this scroll will fall upon him and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory.
• Hebrews 12:29For our God is indeed a devouring 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