Psalms 37:7
in Psalms 37Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
KJV
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
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This verse in Psalms 37
Commentary
4 notes on this verse(Verse 7.) Be subject to the Lord and beseech Him. Not only should you be subject to God, but also beseech the Lord, so that you can fulfill your desire for submission, as it also says above: Reveal your way to the Lord and hope in Him. It is not only fitting to reveal your way; but also to hope in the Lord. However, submission should not be abject, lowly, but glorious and exalted; for he is subject to God who does the will of the Lord.
This site's exposition
Be still before the LORD
on Psalms 37:7-9
The command to be still before the LORD carries the waiting with it. Anger and wrath are to be dropped, and the fretting forbidden a third time yields only harm to the man who frets. Evildoers are cut off, and those who hope inherit the land.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Rest in the Lord. This fifth is a most divine precept, and requires much grace to carry it out. To hush the spirit, to be silent before the Lord, to wait in holy patience the time for clearing up the difficulties of Providence—that is what every gracious heart should aim at. "Aaron held his peace:" "I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it." A silent tongue in many cases not only shows a wise head, but a holy heart. And wait patiently for him. Time is nothing to him; let it be nothing to thee.
THE occurrence of our text in the Psalm before us is an instance of the great rule that the Lord does nothing by halves. In this priceless Psalm, the Lord found His servant, in the first verse, liable to fretfulness and envy—and He exhorted him to cease from fretting. Then, in verse three, He taught him to trust. In verse four He led him on to delight.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| דּ֤וֹם׀ | dom | be still | H1826 → | 30 times |
| לַיהוָה֮ | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְהִתְח֪וֹלֵ֫ל | vehitcholel | and wait longingly | H2342 → | 58 times |
| ל֥וֹ | lo | for him | ||
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּ֭תְחַר | titchar | you fret yourself | H2734 → | 91 times |
| בְּמַצְלִ֣יחַ | bematzliach | in [one who] makes prosperous | H6743 → | 65 times |
| דַּרְכּ֑וֹ | darko | way his | H1870 → | 707 times |
| בְּ֝אִ֗ישׁ | beish | in a person | H376 → | 1663 times |
| עֹשֶׂ֥ה | ʾoseh | [who] makes | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| מְזִמּֽוֹת׃ | mezimot | plots | H4209 → | 19 times |
דּ֤וֹם׀be still
domH1826 →30 times
לַיהוָה֮to Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְהִתְח֪וֹלֵ֫לand wait longingly
vehitcholelH2342 →58 times
ל֥וֹfor him
lo
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּ֭תְחַרyou fret yourself
titcharH2734 →91 times
בְּמַצְלִ֣יחַin [one who] makes prosperous
bematzliachH6743 →65 times
דַּרְכּ֑וֹway his
darkoH1870 →707 times
בְּ֝אִ֗ישׁin a person
beishH376 →1663 times
עֹשֶׂ֥ה[who] makes
ʾosehH6213 →2628 times
מְזִמּֽוֹת׃plots
mezimotH4209 →19 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
Psalms 27:14Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
it leads to
- Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
- Psalms 31:24
Be strong and courageous, all you who hope in the LORD.
- Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
- Psalms 37:34
Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
- Psalms 130:5
I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.
- Isaiah 40:31
Through
Psalms 62:5Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.
it leads to
- Micah 7:7
But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
- Psalms 27:13–14
Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
- Lamentations 3:24–26
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
- Micah 7:7
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; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1333: “"Rest in the Lord"” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.