Psalm 37:11
New English Translation
11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity.[a]
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:11 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
Psalm 37:16
New English Translation
16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men,[a]
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:16 tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.
Psalm 37:18
New English Translation
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:18 tn Heb “the Lord knows the days of the innocent ones.” He “knows” their days in the sense that he is intimately aware of and involved in their daily struggles. He meets their needs and sustains them.
- Psalm 37:18 tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”
Psalm 37:19
New English Translation
19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come;[a]
when famine comes they will have enough to eat.[b]
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:19 tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”
- Psalm 37:19 tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”
Psalm 37:22-25
New English Translation
22 Surely[a] those favored by the Lord[b] will possess the land,
but those rejected[c] by him will be wiped out.[d]
23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable.[e]
24 Even if[f] he trips, he will not fall headlong,[g]
for the Lord holds[h] his hand.
25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen the godly abandoned,
or their children[i] forced to search for food.[j]
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:22 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.
- Psalm 37:22 tn Heb “those blessed by him.” The pronoun “him” must refer to the Lord (see vv. 20, 23), so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Psalm 37:22 tn Heb “cursed.”
- Psalm 37:22 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).
- Psalm 37:23 tn Heb “from the Lord the steps of a man are established, and in his way he delights.” The second line qualifies the first. The man whose behavior is commendable in God’s sight is the one whose ways are established by God. Another option is that the second line refers to the godly man delighting in God’s “way,” namely the lifestyle which he prescribes for men. In this case one might translate, “The Lord grants success to the one who desires to obey his commands.”
- Psalm 37:24 tn Other translation options for כִּי (ki) in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
- Psalm 37:24 tn Heb “be hurled down.”
- Psalm 37:24 tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.
- Psalm 37:25 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
- Psalm 37:25 tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.
Psalm 37:28
New English Translation
28 For the Lord promotes[a] justice,
and never abandons[b] his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure,[c]
but the children[d] of the wicked are wiped out.[e]
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:28 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.
- Psalm 37:28 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
- Psalm 37:28 tn Or “protected forever.”
- Psalm 37:28 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
- Psalm 37:28 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
Psalm 37:29
New English Translation
29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
Psalm 37:37
New English Translation
37 Take note of the one who has integrity. Observe the upright.
For the one who promotes peace has a future.[a]
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:37 tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (ʾakharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).
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