W U1 1-11. Admonitions and reasons.
V1 12-26. Contrasts. Lawless and Righteous.
U2 27-29. Admonition and reason.
V2 30-33. Contrasts. Righteous and Lawless.
U3 34. Admonition and reason. Lawless and Righteous.
U1 o 1. Trust. Fret not.
p 2. Reason. "For".
o 3-8. Trust. Delight. Commit.
p 9-11. Reason. 'For".
(Psalm 37 is an Acrostic Psalm, having 4 lines [a quatrain] assigned to each successive letter of the alphabet, except the 4th [ד, v.7], the 11th [כ, v.20], the 19th [ק, v.34], which each 3 lines [a triplet] assigned to them. These 3 triplet verses occur in perfect order. The 7th verse is the 7th letter from the beginning; the 34th verse is the 7th letter from the end; while the middle verse [v.20] marks the end of the 1st half with the 1st of the 2 middle letters [כ)
(The Psalm is Messiah's admonition as to present blessing arising from the fact that Yahaveh is His Shepherd.)
Psalm 37)
1 (א) Heat not yourself with vexation because of evildoers, (Cp. Ps. 36:11,12.)
Neither be you envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 (ב) Confide in the LORD, and do good;
So shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD:
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 (ג) Repose your way to the LORD; (Cp. 55:22)
Trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.
6 And He shall bring forth Your righteousness as the light,
And your vindication as the noonday.
7 (ד) Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him:
Fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, (Crookedness.)
Because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.
8 (ה) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:
Fret not yourself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: (I.e. die. Used of Messiah [Dan. 9:26], whose resurrection was sure. Ps. 22, &c.)
But those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the land.
10 (ו) For yet a little while, and the lawless shall not be:
Yes, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the patient oppressed ones shall inherit the earth; (Quoted in Matt. 5:5.)
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
V1 q 12-15. The lawless.
r 16-19. The righteous.
q 20-22. The lawless.
r 23-26. The righteous.
12 (ז) The lawless plots against the just,
And gnashes upon him with his teeth.
13 The LORD shall laugh at him:
For He sees that his day will come. (Put for the judgment then to be executed.)
14 (ח) The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
To cast down a poor and needy one,
And to slay such as be upright the way (i.e. in life).
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16 (ט) A little that a righteous man has is better
Than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken:
But the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
18 (י) The LORD knows (put for regarding with affection or favor) the days of the upright:
And their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time:
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 (כ) 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.
21 (ל) The wicked borrows, and pays not again:
But the righteous is gracious, and give.
22 For such as be blessed by Him (i.e. His blessed ones) shall inherit the earth;
And they that be cursed by Him shall be cut off.
23 (מ) The steps of a good man are prepared (or made firm) by the LORD:
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
25 (נ) I have been young, and now am old;
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is all day long gracious, and lends;
And his seed is blessed.
27 (ס) Depart from evil, and do good;
And you shall dwell for evermore.
28 For the LORD loves judgment,
And forsakes not His favored ones;
(ע) They are preserved for ever:
But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. (The letter Ayin [ע] is hidden behind the prep. Lamed [ל], in the 1st word "for ever". Dr. John Lightfoot says It is cut off like the "seed" of the "wicked" in same clause, both these words ending with Ayin [ע]. The seed of Joram being cut off [i.e. Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah. Matt. 1:8]. Cp. with 1 Chron. 3:11,12)
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell therein for ever.
30 (פ) The mouth of a righteous one speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
32 (צ) The lawless watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 (ק) Wait on the LORD, and keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land:
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
V3 s 35,36. The lawless.
t 37. The righteous.
s 38. The lawless.
t 39,40. The righteous.
35 (ר) I have seen a lawless man ruthless,
And spreading himself like a green tree in the native soil. (Cp. Hos. 14:6)
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not:
Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 (ש) Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:
For the future of that man is peace (or well-being).
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together:
The end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 (ת) But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD:
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD shall help them, and have made them escape:
He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them,
Because they fled for refuge to Him.