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
12 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 Church Fathers2 voices
The wicked not only grows rich but even plots against the righteous, God's permission causing both developments to go ahead; but let it not alarm you. God in his foreknowledge [is] aware of the fate of the wicked and [sees] the righteous person's endurance.… God …
"But how long is the sinner to flourish? How long shall I have to endure?" Thou art impatient; that which seems long to thee, will soon come to pass. It is infirmity makes that seem long, which is really short, as is found in the case of the longings of sick men. Nothing seems so long as the mixing of the potion for him when athirst. For all that his attendants are making all speed, lest haply the patient be angry; "When will it be done? (he cries). When will it be drest? When will it be served?" Those who are waiting upon you are making haste, but your infirmity fancies that long which is being done with expedition. Behold ye, therefore, our Physician complying with the infirmity of the patient, saying, "How long shall I have to endure? How long will it be?" "Yet a little while, and the sinner shall not be" (ver. 10). Is it certainly among sinners, and because of the sinner, that thou murmurest? "A little while, and he shall not be." Lest haply because I said, "They that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the land," thou shouldest think that waiting to be of very long duration. Wait "a little while," thou shalt receive without end what thou waitest for. A little while, a moderate space. Review the years from Adam's time up to this day; run through the Scriptures. It is almost yesterday that he fell from Paradise! So many ages have been measured out, and unrolled. Where now are the past ages? Even so, however, shall the few which remain, pass away also. Hadst thou been living throughout all that time, since Adam was banished from Paradise up to this present day, thou wouldest certainly see that the life, which had thus flown away, had not been of long duration. But how long is the duration of each individual's life? Add any number of years you please: prolong old age to its longest duration: what is it? Is it not but a morning breeze? […]
The Medieval Church1 voice
Then when he says "And," he assigns the reason on the part of the wicked; and regarding this he does two things. For he had said, "Do not be envious of the one who prospers in his way, of the man who commits injustices." First, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be what they now are; they are brought into desolation in a moment, Ps. lxxiii. Have a little patience, for the Judge stands before the door, Jam. v. 8, 9 . Moderate your passion, for the Lord is at hand, Phil. iv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be,....
5 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
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.
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. His house shall be empty, his chair of office vacant, his estate without an owner; he shall be utterly blotted out, perhaps cut off by his own debauchery, or brought to a deathbed of penury by his own extravagance. Gone like a passing cloud—forgotten as a dream—where are his boastings and hectorings, and where the pomp which made poor mortals think the sinner blest?
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.
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be - A prediction of the destruction of Babylon. This empire was now in its splendor; and the captives lived to see it totally overturned by Cyrus, so that even the shadow of its power did not remain. Thou shalt diligently consider his place - ואיננו veeynennu, and he is not. The ruler is killed; the city is taken; and the whole empire is overthrown, in one night! And now even the place where Babylon stood cannot be ascertained.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be - The thee will soon come when they shall pass away. The language “shall not be” cannot mean that they will cease to exist altogether, for the connection does not demand this interpretation. All that is intended is that they would be no longer on the earth; they would no longer live to give occasion for anxious thoughts and troubled feelings in the hearts of good people. Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place - The place where he lived; the house in which he dwelt; the office which he filled; the grounds which he cultivated. And it shall not be - Or rather, perhaps, as in the former member of the verse, “he is not.” That is, you will not see him there. His seat at the table is vacant; he is seen no more riding over his grounds; he is no more in the social circle where he found his pleasure, or in the place of business or of revelry: you are impressed with the feeling that “he is gone.” You look where he was, but he is not there; you visit every place where you have been accustomed to see him, “but he is gone.” Alas! where has he gone? Compare Job 14:10.
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
About Psalms
This page draws on 10 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 (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 37; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Diodorus of Tarsus, COMMENTARY ON PSALM 37; 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.