Psalms 37:3
in Psalms 37Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Trust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness.
KJV
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
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This verse in Psalms 37
Commentary
5 notes on this verse(Verse 3.) Therefore the Prophet rightly says: Hope in the Lord, and do good; and you shall inhabit the land, and shall be fed with its riches. What is the land that he advises to inhabit, if not your soul, which you should cultivate well, frequently plowing it with spiritual plows, so that it does not become overgrown with weeds? For a good farmer works his field with daily activity and diligent care, and protects his own fields; lest a wild boar from the forest devastate them, and a cunning thief snatch away the ripe fruits.
This site's exposition
Trust in the LORD
on Psalms 37:3-6
Trust is joined to doing good and dwelling in the land. The Hebrew verb behind commit your way is the word for roll, a burden rolled onto one able to carry it. The man who delights in the LORD is given the desires of his heart, and his righteousness comes up like the dawn.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humours of the fancy, but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please him and to be pleased in him.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Trust in the Lord. Here is the second precept, and one appropriate to the occasion. Faith cures fretting. Sight is cross-eyed, and views things only as they seem, hence her envy: faith has clearer optics to behold things as they really are, hence her peace. And do good. True faith is actively obedient. Doing good is a fine remedy for fretting. There is a joy in holy activity which drives away the rust of discontent. So shalt thou dwell in the land. In "the land" which floweth with milk and honey; the Canaan of the covenant.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Trust--sure of safety. shalt thou dwell--or, "dwell thou"; repose quietly. verily . . . fed--or, "feed on truth," God's promise (Ps 36:5; compare Ho 12:1).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּטַ֣ח | betach | trust | H982 → | 120 times |
| בַּֽ֭יהוָה | bayahweh | in Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וַעֲשֵׂה־ | vaaseh- | and do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| ט֑וֹב | tov | good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| שְׁכָן־ | shekhon- | dwell | H7931 → | 129 times |
| אֶ֝֗רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וּרְעֵ֥ה | ureeh | and graze | H7462 → | 177 times |
| אֱמוּנָֽה׃ | ʾemunah | faithfulness | H530 → | 49 times |
בְּטַ֣חtrust
betachH982 →120 times
בַּֽ֭יהוָהin Yahweh
bayahwehH3068 →6520 times
וַעֲשֵׂה־and do
vaaseh-H6213 →2628 times
ט֑וֹבgood
tovH2896 →538 times
שְׁכָן־dwell
shekhon-H7931 →129 times
אֶ֝֗רֶץ[the] land
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
וּרְעֵ֥הand graze
ureehH7462 →177 times
אֱמוּנָֽה׃faithfulness
ʾemunahH530 →49 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
Psalms 62:8Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
it leads to
- Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.
- Lamentations 2:19
Arise, cry out in the night from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives…
- Psalms 142:2
I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.
- 1 Samuel 1:15
“No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.
- Philippians 4:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.