Psalms 36:4
in Psalms 36Even on his bed he plots wickedness; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he fails to reject evil.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He deviseth iniquity upon his bed; He setteth himself in a way that is not good; He abhorreth not evil.
KJV
He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.
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This verse in Psalms 36
Commentary
15 notes on this verseMoreover, he meditated wickedness in his bed, where he should have sought the truth. For in our beds, we should remorse our sins, not commit them by our very actions, as the Prophet says: "What you utter in your hearts, and in your beds you are remorseful" (Psalm IV, 5). He stood, he said, on a path that was not good: but he did not have hatred for wickedness. For it is not without reason that he contemplates injustice, who stands on the path of error and loves wickedness, which he ought to hate.
This site's exposition
wicked and deceitful
on Psalms 36:3-4
The corruption now comes out of his mouth, wicked and deceitful. Ceasing to be wise and well-doing marks a departure from a course the man once kept. The plotting happens on his bed, and the path he sets himself on he will not leave.
This site's exposition
Even on his bed he plots wickedness
Ambrose of Milan set this bed against Psalm 4, where the bed is the place to grieve over sin. Albert Barnes found the verb for sets himself in Psalm 2:2, and read it as a settled purpose. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown called the last clause the climax.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
"He hath meditated iniquity on his bed." What said He, "On his bed?" (ver. 4). "The ungodly hath said in himself, that he will sin:" what above he said, in himself, that here he said, "On his bed." Our bed is our heart: there we suffer the tossing of an evil conscience; and there we rest when our conscience is good. Whoso loveth the bed of his heart, let him do some good therein. There is our bed, where the Lord Jesus Christ commands us to pray. "Enter into thy chamber, and shut thy door." What is, "Shut thy door?" Expect not from God such things as are without, but such as are within; "and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." Who is he that shutteth not the door? He who asketh much from God such things, and in such wise directeth all his prayers, that he may receive the goods that are of this world. Thy door is open, the multitude seeth when thou prayest. What is it to shut thy door? To ask that of God, which God alone knoweth how He giveth. What is that for which thou prayest, when thou hast shut the door? What "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, or hath entered into the heart of man." And haply it hath not entered into thy very bed, that is, into thy heart. But God knoweth what He will give: but when shall it be? When the Lord shall be revealed, when the Judge shall appear. ... "He hath set himself in every way that is not good." What is, "he hath set himself"? He hath sinned perseveringly. Whence also of a certain pious and good man it is said, "He hath not stood in the way of sinners." As this "hath not stood," so that "hath set himself." "But wickedness hath he not hated." There is the end, there the fruit: if a man cannot but have wickedness, let him at least hate it. For when thou hatest it, it scarcely occurs to thee to do any wickedness. For sin is in our mortal body, but what saith the Apostle? […]
He did not pass through this world's life like those who are confident that they have left it behind but have still remained in it and have become stuck in it.
A commentator
Ambrose of MilanCommentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms, On Psalm 36, 16 · Written before 397.
proposed
Moreover, he meditated wickedness in his bed, where he should have sought the truth. For in our beds, we should remorse our sins, not commit them by our very actions, as the Prophet says: "What you utter in your hearts, and in your beds you are remorseful."
The Medieval Church1 voice
Likewise, sometimes a man commits sin from a pursuit of malice; hence he says, "He has meditated iniquity on his bed," that is, in his heart. Or "on his bed," that is, when he is in secret: Prov. 24: "The thought of a fool is …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
David's Prayers, Intercessions and Triumphs. 5 Thy mercy, O L ORD , is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. 6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O L ORD , thou preservest man and beast.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:25w-of-43
7 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He deviseth mischief upon his bed,....
David's Prayers, Intercessions and Triumphs. 5 Thy mercy, O L ORD , is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. 6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O L ORD , thou preservest man and beast.
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
He deviseth mischief upon his bed. His place of rest becomes the place for plotting. His bed is a hot bed for poisonous weeds. God fearing men meditate upon God and his service; but when men turn all their thoughts and inventive faculties towards evil, their godlessness is proved to a demonstration. He hath the devil for his bed fellow who lies abed and schemes how to sin. God is far from him. He setteth himself in a way that is not good. When he gets up he resolutely and persistently pursues the mischief which he planned.
He deviseth mischief upon his bed. His place of rest becomes the place for plotting. His bed is a hot bed for poisonous weeds. God fearing men meditate upon God and his service; but when men turn all their thoughts and inventive faculties towards evil, their godlessness is proved to a demonstration. He hath the devil for his bed fellow who lies abed and schemes how to sin. God is far from him. He setteth himself in a way that is not good. When he gets up he resolutely and persistently pursues the mischief which he planned. The worst of ways he prefers for his walking, for he has taught his heart to love filthiness, having accustomed himself to revel in it in imagination. He abhorreth not evil. So far from having a contempt and abhorrence for evil, he even rejoices in it, and patronises it. He never hates a wrong thing because it is wrong, but he meditates on it, defends it, and practises it. What a portrait of a graceless man these few verses afford us! His jauntiness of conscience, his licentiousness of speech, his intentness upon wrong doing, his deliberate and continued preference of iniquity, and withal his atheistic heart, are all photographed to the life. Lord, save us from being such.
He deviseth mischief upon his bed. His place of rest becomes the place for plotting. His bed is a hot bed for poisonous weeds. God fearing men meditate upon God and his service; but when men turn all their thoughts and inventive faculties towards evil, their godlessness is proved to a demonstration. He hath the devil for his bed fellow who lies abed and schemes how to sin. God is far from him. He setteth himself in a way that is not good. When he gets up he resolutely and persistently pursues the mischief which he planned.
He deviseth mischief upon his bed - He seeks the silent and undisturbed watches of the night, in order to fix his plans of wickedness. He setteth himself - Having laid his plans he fixes his purpose to do what is bad; and he does it without any checks of conscience or abhorrence of evil. He is bent only on mischief, and lost to all sense of God and goodness. A finished character of a perfect sinner.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
He deviseth mischief upon his bed - Margin, as in Hebrew: “vanity.” That is, when he lies down; when he is wakeful at night; he plots some scheme of iniquity - some vain, wicked enterprise. So in Pro 4:16, “For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.” He setteth himself - That is, he takes his stand or his position; he assumes this attitude. See Psa 2:2, “The kings of the earth “set themselves,”” where the same word occurs. The meaning is that what is done by him is the result of a calm and deliberate purpose. It is not the effect of passion or temporary excitement, but it is a deliberate act in which the mind is made up to do the thing. The conduct here referred to is thus distinguished from rash and hasty acts, showing that this is the settled character of the man. In a way that is not good - In a bad or wicked way; in a way in which no good can be found; in conduct which allows of no redeeming or mitigating circumstances, and for which there can be no apology. He abhorreth not evil - He has no aversion to evil. He is not in any manner deterred from doing anything because it is wrong. The fact that it is sinful is not allowed to be a consideration affecting his mind in determining what he shall do. In other words, the moral quality of an action does not influence him at all in making up his mind as to how he shall act. If it is right, it is by accident, and not because he prefers the right; if it is wrong, that fact does not in any way hinder him from carrying his purpose into execution. This is, of course, the very essence of depravity.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אָ֤וֶן׀ | ʾaven | wickedness | H205 → | 77 times |
| יַחְשֹׁ֗ב | yachsho | he plans | H2803 → | 124 times |
| עַֽל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מִשְׁכָּ֫ב֥וֹ | mishkavo | bed his | H4904 → | 46 times |
| יִ֭תְיַצֵּב | yityatzev | he takes his stand | H3320 → | 48 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| דֶּ֣רֶךְ | derekh | a way | H1870 → | 707 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| ט֑וֹב | tov | good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| רָ֝֗ע | ra' | evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִמְאָֽס׃ | yimas | he rejects | H3988 → | 76 times |
אָ֤וֶן׀wickedness
ʾavenH205 →77 times
יַחְשֹׁ֗בhe plans
yachshoH2803 →124 times
עַֽל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מִשְׁכָּ֫ב֥וֹbed his
mishkavoH4904 →46 times
יִ֭תְיַצֵּבhe takes his stand
yityatzevH3320 →48 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
דֶּ֣רֶךְa way
derekhH1870 →707 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
ט֑וֹבgood
tovH2896 →538 times
רָ֝֗עevil
ra'H7451 →662 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יִמְאָֽס׃he rejects
yimasH3988 →76 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
Romans 12:9Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
it leads to
- Psalms 34:14
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
- 1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
- 1 Timothy 1:5
The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.
- 1 John 3:18–20
Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
- 1 Peter 3:10–11
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
- Psalms 34:14
Through
Isaiah 65:2All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations,
it leads to
- Romans 10:21
But as for Israel he says: “All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
- Proverbs 1:24
Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand,
- Romans 10:21
Through
Micah 2:1Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.
it leads to
- Isaiah 32:7
The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.
- Isaiah 32:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms; Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms, On Psalm 36, 16; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 36; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 36:5; 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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.