Psalms 37:10
in Psalms 37Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.
KJV
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
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This verse in Psalms 37
Commentary
3 notes on this verse(Verse 10.) But because he did not want to be redeemed through these means, and he believes he should persist in sin, of him the Prophet says: 'And yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: and thou shalt seek his place, and shalt not find it.' For how can he exist in the future, when the place of sin cannot endure? For this is the earth that opened its mouth to receive the blood of the innocent. And therefore in this earth is the place of sinners.
This site's exposition
Yet a little while
on Psalms 37:10-11
A little while is all the wicked have, and then the search for him turns up nothing. The meek inherit the land, and Jesus gives the same promise at Matthew 5:5, blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. The abundant prosperity is the land enjoyed.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be. When bad men reach to greatness, the judgments of God frequently sweep them away; their riches melt, their power decays, their happiness turns to wretchedness; they themselves cease any longer to be numbered with the living. The shortness of life makes us see that the glitter of the wicked great is not true gold. O wherefore, tried believer, dost thou envy one who in a little while will lie lower than the dust? Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
A short while longer When you wait a little longer, you will see that the wicked man is not here.
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. 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְע֣וֹד | veod | and yet | H5750 → | 490 times |
| מְ֭עַט | meat | a little | H4592 → | 101 times |
| וְאֵ֣ין | veein | and there not | H369 → | 789 times |
| רָשָׁ֑ע | rasha' | [will be the] wicked | H7563 → | 263 times |
| וְהִתְבּוֹנַ֖נְתָּ | vehitbonanta | and you will look carefully | H995 → | 170 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מְקוֹמ֣וֹ | mekomo | place his | H4725 → | 401 times |
| וְאֵינֶֽנּוּ׃ | veeinenu | and there not [will be] he | H369 → | 789 times |
וְע֣וֹדand yet
veodH5750 →490 times
מְ֭עַטa little
meatH4592 →101 times
וְאֵ֣יןand there not
veeinH369 →789 times
רָשָׁ֑ע[will be the] wicked
rasha'H7563 →263 times
וְהִתְבּוֹנַ֖נְתָּand you will look carefully
vehitbonantaH995 →170 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מְקוֹמ֣וֹplace his
mekomoH4725 →401 times
וְאֵינֶֽנּוּ׃and there not [will be] he
veeinenuH369 →789 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
1 Peter 4:7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
it leads to
- James 5:8–9
You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
- 1 Peter 1:13
Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
- Luke 21:34
But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- 2 Timothy 4:5
But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
- 1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
- James 5:8–9
Through
Psalms 103:16when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.
it leads to
- Isaiah 40:7
The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass.
- Job 20:9
The eye that saw him will see him no more, and his place will no longer behold him.
- Job 14:10
But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he?
- Isaiah 40:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.