Psalm 36
36
1 A Psalm of David himself. Do not choose to imitate the malicious; neither should you envy those who work iniquity.
2 For they will quickly wither away like dry grass, and in like manner to kitchen herbs, they will soon droop.
3 Hope in the Lord and do good, and dwell in the land, and so you shall be pastured with its riches.
4 Delight in the Lord, and he will grant to you the petitions of your heart.
5 Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in him, and he will accomplish it.
6 And he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like the midday.
7 Be subject to the Lord and pray to him. Do not choose to compete with him who prospers in his way, with the man who does injustice.
8 Cease from wrath and leave behind rage. Do not choose to imitate the malicious.
9 For those who are malicious will be exterminated. But those who remain with the Lord, these will inherit the land.
10 Yet still a little while, and the sinner will not be. And you will search his place and find nothing.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and they will delight in the multitude of peace.
12 The sinner will observe the just, and he will gnash his teeth over him.
13 But the Lord will laugh at him: for he knows in advance that his day will come.
14 The sinners have drawn the sword, they have bent their bow, so as to cast down the poor and the needy, so as to massacre the upright of heart.
15 Let their sword enter into their own hearts, and let their bow be broken.
16 A little is better to the just than the many riches of sinners.
17 For the arms of sinners will be crushed, but the Lord confirms the just.
18 The Lord knows the days of the immaculate, and their inheritance will be in eternity.
19 They will not be confounded in an evil time; and in days of famine, they will be satisfied:
20 for sinners will perish. Truly, the adversaries of the Lord, soon after they have been honored and exalted, will fade away, in the same way that smoke fades away.
21 The sinner will lend and not release, but the just one shows compassion and donates.
22 For those who bless him will inherit the earth, but those who curse him will perish.
23 The steps of a man will be directed by the Lord, and he will choose his way.
24 When he falls, he will not be harmed, because the Lord places his hand under him.
25 I have been young, and now I am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his offspring seeking bread.
26 He shows compassion and lends, all day long, and his offspring will be in blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good, and dwell forever and ever.
28 For the Lord loves judgment, and he will not abandon his saints. They will be kept safe in eternity. The unjust will be punished, and the offspring of the impious will perish.
29 But the just will inherit the earth, and they will dwell upon it forever and ever.
30 The mouth of the just one will express wisdom, and his tongue will speak judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted.
32 The sinner considers the just one and seeks to put him to death.
33 But the Lord will not abandon him into his hands, nor condemn him, when he will be judged.
34 Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way. And he will exalt you, so as to inherit the land that you may seize. When the sinners will have passed away, then you shall see.
35 I have seen the impious over-exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon.
36 And I passed by, and behold, he was not. And I sought him, and his place was not found.
37 Keep to innocence, and gaze upon fairness: because there are allotments for the peaceful man.
38 But the unjust will be destroyed together: the allotments of the impious will pass away.
39 But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in time of tribulation.
40 And the Lord will help them and free them. And he will rescue them from sinners and save them, because they have hoped in him.
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Psalm 36: CPDV
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Psalms 36
36
Psalm 36#sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked.
For the music director; written by the Lord’s servant, David; an oracle.#tn In the Hebrew text the word נאם (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach נאם (nÿ’um, “oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.
1 An evil man is rebellious to the core.#tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew mss, the Hebrew text of Origen’s Hexapla, and the Syriac.
He does not fear God,#tn Heb “there is no dread of God before his eyes.” The phrase “dread of God” refers here to a healthy respect for God which recognizes that he will punish evil behavior.
2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin.#tn Heb “for it causes to be smooth to him in his eyes to find his sin to hate.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: His rebellious attitude makes him reject any notion that God will hold him accountable. His attitude also prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways.
3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right.#tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.
4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;
he is committed to a sinful lifestyle;#tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.
he does not reject what is evil.#tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.
5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky;#tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”
your faithfulness to the clouds.#sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9).
6 Your justice is like the highest mountains,#tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you preserve#tn Or “deliver.” mankind and the animal kingdom.#sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.
7 How precious#tn Or “valuable.” is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings.#tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.
8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
9 For you are the one who gives
and sustains life.#tn Heb “for with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” Water (note “fountain”) and light are here metaphors for life.
10 Extend#tn Heb “draw out to full length.” your loyal love to your faithful followers,#tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the Lord in the sense that they recognize his royal authority and obey his will (see Jer 22:16).
and vindicate#tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line). the morally upright!#tn Heb “the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless!#tn Heb “let not a foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the evil ones cause me to wander as a fugitive.”
12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen!#tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.).
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up!#tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.
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