New International Version
Psalms 73:20
20They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
Context of Psalms 73:20
18Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. 21When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast 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 90:5Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning:
- Job 20:8Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found, banished like a vision of the night.
- Isaiah 29:7Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night—
- Psalms 7:6Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.
- Psalms 78:65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
- Psalms 39:6“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.
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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
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