Psalms 1:6
in Psalms 1For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous; But the way of the wicked shall perish.
KJV
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
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This verse in Psalms 1
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThe Lord knoweth - יודע yodea approveth the way, “aloweth the way”, Coverdale, of the righteous, צדיקים tsaddikim, from צדק tsadak, to give even weight; the men who give to all their due; opposed to רשעים reshaim, Psa 1:1, they who withhold right from all; see above. Such holy men are under the continual eye of God’s providence; he knows the way that they take; approves of their motives, purposes, and works, because they are all wrought through himself. He provides for them in all exigencies, and defends them both in body and soul.
This site's exposition
like the chaff which the wind driveth away
on Psalms 1:4-6
The ungodly are not so reverses the tree image at a stroke: chaff has no root, no fruit and no weight, driven by whatever wind passes. The judgment and the congregation of the righteous are two settings closed to the ungodly, a sifting the psalm states as fact rather than threat. The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous closes the psalm on knowledge rather than sentiment, the same two ways the older commentators trace back to Deuteronomy's blessing and curse.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Or, as the Hebrew hath it yet more fully, "The Lord is knowing the way of the righteous." He is constantly looking on their way, and though it may be often in mist and darkness, yet the Lord knoweth it. If it be in the clouds and tempest of affliction, he understandeth it. He numbereth the hairs of our head; he will not suffer any evil to befall us. "He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10.) "But the way of the ungodly shall perish."
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
For the Lord knows the way, etc. Because He knows the way of the righteous, and it is before Him to recognize it constantly; the way of the wicked is hateful to Him, and He removes it from before Him.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יוֹדֵ֣עַ | yodea' | [is] knowing | H3045 → | 945 times |
| יְ֭הוָה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| דֶּ֣רֶךְ | derekh | [the] way of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| צַדִּיקִ֑ים | tzadikim | righteous [people] | H6662 → | 206 times |
| וְדֶ֖רֶךְ | vederekh | and [the] way of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| רְשָׁעִ֣ים | reshaim | wicked [people] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| תֹּאבֵֽד׃ | toved | it will perish | H6 → | 184 times |
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יוֹדֵ֣עַ[is] knowing
yodea'H3045 →945 times
יְ֭הוָהYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
דֶּ֣רֶךְ[the] way of
derekhH1870 →707 times
צַדִּיקִ֑יםrighteous [people]
tzadikimH6662 →206 times
וְדֶ֖רֶךְand [the] way of
vederekhH1870 →707 times
רְשָׁעִ֣יםwicked [people]
reshaimH7563 →263 times
תֹּאבֵֽד׃it will perish
tovedH6 →184 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Timothy 2:19Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
it leads to
- John 10:14
I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Corinthians 8:3
But the one who loves God is known by God.
- Nahum 1:7
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
- 1 John 3:7–10
Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.
- Numbers 16:5
Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one…
- John 10:14
Through
Nahum 1:7The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 10:27
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- 2 Timothy 2:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
On this verse
About Psalms
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.