Psalm 37

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 37:35

I have seen the wicked in great power ,.... Meaning some particular person invested with great power, in great authority among men, one of the spiritual wickednesses in high places; such a man as Haman in Ahasuerus's court; and though the psalmist does not choose to mention his name, he doubtless had him in his mind; as either Saul, or Doeg the Edomite, or Ahithophel, or some such man, who was in an exalted station of life; and it may be when he himself was in low and distressed... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 37:36

Yet he passed away ,.... At once, on a sudden; either his riches and honour, which, in one hour, came to nought, by one providence or another; or he himself by death; in the midst of all his prosperity, and while blessing himself in it, his soul was required of him; and so the Targum is, "he ceased from the world"; he went out of it unawares: the laurel, or bay tree, very quickly grows old F4 "Senescit velociter", Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 16. c. 44. ; and, lo, he was not ; he was not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 37:37

Mark the perfect man ,.... None are so in themselves, not the most holy man upon earth; for though all grace is implanted at once in regeneration, the seed of grace of every kind is cast into the heart at once; yet it opens and spreads, and gradually increases; nor is any grace in its exercise perfect; not faith, nor hope, nor love: sin is in the best of men, and all stand in need of fresh supplies of grace. None of the saints ever affirmed that they had arrived to perfection, but have... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 37:38

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together ,.... This is to be understood of obstinate and continued transgressors, who live and die in their transgressions; see Proverbs 11:3 ; otherwise all men are transgressors in Adam, and sinned and fell with him in his transgression; and are justly called transgressors from the womb; and are guilty of actual transgressions, nor are any clear from them; and are arraigned, convinced, and judged by the law as transgressors; and for many of these... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 37:39

But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord ,.... Both their temporal, spiritual, and eternal salvation; particularly the latter, which is originally of the Lord, and springs from the thoughts, purposes, and resolutions of his heart: it is of him freely, of his rich grace and abundant mercy; and it is of him fully and completely; it is an entire salvation of soul and body; includes all blessings of grace and glory in it; it is to the uttermost, and from all sin, and every enemy; and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 37:40

And the Lord shall help them ,.... In their distress, and out of their troubles, when none else can, and they themselves cannot; and that seasonably, and sometimes with means, and sometimes without; and deliver them ; out of all their afflictions, which he does sooner or later; if not in life, yet at death; he shall deliver them from the wicked ; this is repeated both for confirmation and explanation sake, showing who they are the Lord will deliver his people from, even from wicked... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 37

Godly directions for those who are in adversity not to envy the prosperity of the wicked, because it is superficial, and of short duration, vv. 1-22; to put their confidence in God, and live to his glory, as this is the sure way to be happy in this life, and in that which is to come, vv. 23-40. In the title this Psalm is attributed to David by the Hebrew, and by most of the Versions: but it is more likely it was intended as an instructive and consoling ode for the captives in Babylon, who... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 37:1

Fret not thyself because of evil doers - It is as foolish as it is wicked to repine or be envious at the prosperity of others. Whether they are godly or ungodly, it is God who is the dispenser of the bounty they enjoy; and, most assuredly, he has a right to do what he will with his own. To be envious in such a case, is to arraign the providence of God. And it is no small condescension in the Almighty to reason with such persons as he does in this Psalm. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 37:2

For they shall soon be cut down - They have their portion in this life; and their enjoyment of it cannot be long, for their breath is but a vapor that speedily vanishes away. They fall before death, as the greensward does before the scythe of the mower. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 37:3

Dwell in the land - Do not flee to foreign climes to escape from that providence which, for thy own good, denies thee affluence in thy own country. And verily thou shalt be fed - God will provide for thee the necessaries of life: its conveniences might damp thy intellect in its inventions, and lead thee into idleness; and its superfluities would induce thee to pamper thy passions till the concerns of thy soul would be absorbed in those of the flesh and, after having lived an animal life,... read more

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