New English Translation
Psalms 73:20
20They are like a dream after one wakes up. O Lord, when you awake you will despise them.
Psalms 73:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
- New International Version (NIV)They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
- New King James Version (NKJV)As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.
Context of Psalms 73:20
18Surely you put them in slippery places; you bring them down to ruin. 19How desolate they become in a mere moment! Terrifying judgments make their demise complete! They are like a dream after one wakes up. O Lord, when you awake you will despise them. 21Yes, my spirit was bitter, and my insides felt sharp pain. 22I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before you.
Read all of Psalms 73Psalms 73:20 word by word
כַּחֲל֥וֹם מֵהָקִ֑יץ אֲ֝דֹנָי בָּעִ֤יר׀ צַלְמָ֬ם תִּבְזֶֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 73:20
- Psalms 90:5You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;
- Job 20:8Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found, and like a vision of the night he is put to flight.
- Isaiah 29:7It will be like a dream, a night vision. There will be a horde from all the nations that fight against Ariel, those who attack her and her stronghold and besiege her.
- Psalms 7:6Stand up angrily, Lord! Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them!
- Psalms 78:65But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; he was like a warrior in a drunken rage.
- Psalms 39:6Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”
Commentaries on Psalms 73:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20As a dream when one awaketh - So their goods fled away. Their possession was a dream - their privation, real. Thou shalt despise their image - While destitute of true religion, whatever appearance they had of greatness, nobility, honor, and happiness; yet in the sight of God they had no more than the ghost or shade of excellence which God is said here to despise. Who would be rich at such risk and dishonor?Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20As a dream when one awaketh - Their prosperity is like the visions of a dream; the reality is seen when one awakes. A man in a dream may imagine that he is a king; that he dwells in a palace; that he is surrounded by flatterers and courtiers; that he walks in pleasant groves, listens to the sounds of sweet music, sits down at a table loaded with the luxuries of all climes, and lies upon a bed of down. He may awake only to find that he is encompassed with…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-20Verses 15-20 The psalmist having shown the progress of his temptation, shows how faith and grace prevailed. He kept up respect for God's people, and with that he restrained himself from speaking what he had thought amiss. It is a sign that we repent of the evil thoughts of the heart, if we suppress them. Nothing gives more offence to God's children, than to say it is vain to serve God; for there is nothing more contrary to their universal experience. He…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-20During this period, God's sanctuary was the temple in Jerusalem. In God's presence, the psalmist receives special insight (compare Psalm 18:6). God deals with the wicked over the long term. He waits patiently and gives them time to repent (Ezekiel 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9). Those who do not repent will get what they deserve.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2018-20. their end--future (Psa 37:37, 38), which is dismal and terribly sudden (Pr 1:27; 29:1), aggravated and hastened by terror. As one despises an unsubstantial dream, so God, waking up to judgment (Psa 7:6; 44:23), despises their vain shadow of happiness (Psa 39:6; Is 29:7). They are thrown into ruins as a building falling to pieces (Psa 74:3).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 73:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 73
- 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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