Psalms 37:20

_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._ But the wicked shall ... fat of lambs - not, as Gesenius translates, 'as the beauty of the meadows' (karim) - i.e., the grass; cf. Psalms 37:2. The Hebrew х_ YAAQAAR_ (H3368)] for "fat" is literally, the preciousness. But there is an evident allusion here, as elsewhere in Scripture, to the burnt sacrifices; such are the wicked, consumed by the fire of God's wrath against sin, and passing away as "smoke." Compare Isaiah 34:6. As the fatness of the lambs only makes them the fitter for sacrifice, so the more sumptuous the wicked are, the more speedily and miserably shall they perish (cf....

20_For the wicked shall perish. _The causal particle כי, ki, which is here translated _for, _might also be rendered as if used adversatively by _but _or _although, _unless, perhaps, some would prefer to expound the sentence as of much higher import. But the preferable interpretation is, that there is here a contrast between the subjects spoken of, namely, that the righteous are satisfied in the time of famine, whereas the ungodly shall perish in the midst of their affluence; for, while they trust in their abundance, God brings them to nought by the use of means that are secret and hidden. In calling them the _enemies of Jehovah, _he teaches us, that they are justly overwhelmed by his vengeance, which they bring upon themselves by their own wickedness. When he says, that they _shall be consumed as the excellency of lambs, _this is understood by some to refer to the fat of them. But as

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 working servants, but for his waiting servants. They have that which is better than wealth, peace of mind, peace with God, and then peace in God; that peace which the world cannot give, and which the world cannot have. God knows the believer's days. Not one day's work shall go unrewarded. Their time on earth is reckoned by days, which will soon be numbered; but heavenly happiness shall be for ever. This will be a real support to believers in evil t...

Verse Psalms 37:20. _THE 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 honour, shall vanish; like smoke they vanish." If we follow the _Hebrew_, 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 wrath....

BUT THE WICKED SHALL PERISH - The general sentiment here is the same as in Psalms 1:1, that the righteous shall be prospered and saved, and that the wicked shall perish. See the notes at Psalms 1:4. 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 earth, or will be punished hereafter in the world of woe, cannot be determined from the word itself. It is most probable, as appears from other parts of the psalm, that he refers particularly to the fact that they will be cut down in their sins; that their lives will be shortened by their crimes; that they will by their conduct expose th

EXPOSITION THIS is another of the alphabetical psalms (see above, Psalms 9:1; Psalms 25:1; and 34.), and, though more free from irregularities than the previous ones, is not altogether without them. While, generally, each letter heads a stanza consisting of two verses, there are three occasions on which the stanza assigned to a letter is formed of only one verse (see Psalms 37:7, Psalms 37:20, and Psalms 37:34). Further, there are two occasions when the stanza begins with a wrong letter, לtaking the place of ,ע and וof .ת The

BUT THE WICKED SHALL PERISH,.... In a time of famine, in an evil day, and particularly at the day of judgment: for this is to be understood, not merely of being in bodily distress and want; nor of perishing by death, common to the righteous and the wicked; nor of being in a lost perishing condition, as all men by nature are, but of eternal perdition in hell; AND THE ENEMIES OF THE LORD [SHALL BE] AS THE FAT OF LAMBS, THEY SHALL CONSUME; that is, either they shall consume away as the fat of lambs burnt upon the altar, which evaporates, or as lambs fattened on purpose to be killed, and so prepared for the day of slaughter; in like manner the wicked, who have waxed fat and kicked, will be destroyed; they being the enemies of God, yea, enmity to him, to Father, Son, and Spirit, to the Gospel and ordinances of Christ, and to his people, and will be treated as such. Some render the word, "lik...

It may be, beloved friends, that there is a word of comfort for some of you in this «Psalm of David.» If any of you have been perplexed and worried, and there has been a stern conflict within your spirit, here are some cheering words which will bring a message from God to you.It may be worth your while to remember that the 37 th Psalm and the 73 rd are upon the same subject. They are the same figures reversed, but they both deal with the great mystery which has vexed the hearts of godly men in all generations. Psalms 37:1. _Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb._ What a contrast there is between the grass before the mower comes with his scythe, and that same grass when it is cut down; and there is the same kind of difference between the

Psalms 37 The Blessed Lot of the Righteous Contrasted with the Wicked _ 1. Waiting for Jehovah and His promise (Psalms 37:1)_ 2. The doom of the wicked and the portion of the righteous (Psalms 37:12) 3. The ways of the righteous and the wicked (Psalms 37:21) 4. God's gracious ways with the righteous (Psalms 37:30) This Psalm is also alphabetical in structure and somewhat proverbial in character. It is full of sweet comfort and encouragement to faith. All the saints of God have fed on its beautiful statements,

XXXVII. An acrostic poem. Its object is to teach patience and hope. The pious Jews, the Hasidim of Psalms 4:3 * who observe the Law strictly, are at present poor and oppressed. They are to wait for the end, when God will separate the good from the bad and will recompense men according to their deserts. PSALMS 37:1 agrees almost verbally with Proverbs 29:14. For the envy intended, see Psalms 73:3. Psalms 37:4_ a_. Render as _mg._ Godly men find their delight in Yahweh because they do His will, and He in return answers their praye