New King James Version
Psalms 37:8
8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.
Psalms 37:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
- New International Version (NIV)Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.
Context of Psalms 37:8
6He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. 9For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 10For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
Read all of Psalms 37Psalms 37:8 word by word
הֶ֣רֶף מֵ֭אַף וַעֲזֹ֣ב חֵמָ֑ה אַל־תִּ֝תְחַ֗ר אַךְ־לְהָרֵֽעַ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 37:8
- Job 5:2For wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one.
- Job 18:4You who tear yourself in anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed from its place?
- Proverbs 14:29He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly.
- Proverbs 16:32He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
- Ephesians 4:26“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
- James 1:19So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
- James 3:14But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
- Psalms 31:22For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.
- Psalms 73:15If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
- Psalms 116:11I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”
- 1 Samuel 25:21Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good.
- Jeremiah 20:14Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!
- Jonah 4:1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.
- Luke 9:54And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
Commentaries on Psalms 37:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Cease from anger - That is, in reference to the fact that there are wicked people, and that they are permitted to carry out their plans. Do not allow your mind to be excited with envious, fretful, wrathful, or murmuring feelings against God because he bears patiently with them, and because they are allowed a temporary prosperity and triumph. Be calm, whatever may be the wickedness of the world. The supreme direction belongs to God, and he will dispose of…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. 8Irritability and anger can quickly damage a person’s character. When someone becomes easily upset or angry, it affects the way that person thinks and acts. Over time, this can weaken good habits and harm relationships. Learning patience and self-control helps protect and strengthen character.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-87-8. Rest in--literally, "Be silent to the Lord." and wait--Be submissive--avoid petulance and murmurings, anger and rash doing.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 37:8
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries