Psalms 37:12
in Psalms 37The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
KJV
The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
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This verse in Psalms 37
Commentary
14 notes on this verse(Vers. 12, 13.) It follows: The sinner will observe the just and will gnash his teeth over him. But the Lord will deride him; for He sees that his day is coming. It is customary for one who is angry and seething to gnash his teeth: but the heart of the wicked also has its teeth, which are not accustomed to merely making noise, but to tearing. The sinner's traps, schemes, and wickedness are his teeth.
This site's exposition
scheme against the righteous
on Psalms 37:12-15
The scheming comes with gnashing teeth, and the drawn sword and bent bow are aimed at the poor and needy. The Lord laughs over them, the same laughter He gives the conspiring kings at Psalm 2:4, and He sees their day coming. Their own swords turn back into their hearts.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Be careful, for daily the devil considers you and gnashes his teeth over you; but [as it says in the next verse] the Lord mocks him because he knows his day will come.
When the wicked person sees someone working on developing good character, he feels convinced that he is being indicted personally. He gnashes his teeth and becomes outraged. If he cannot corrupt someone's character, then he immediately attempts to do away with his life.
The way in which consolation is offered to us is amazing, for who should delight himself in the pompous display of one whose audacity he knows will soon perish? If we would rather not be disturbed by jealousy, then let us follow what the Lord …
The Medieval Church1 voice
"He will watch." Above he set forth one reason why the men of God ought not be indignant over the sinner, namely because his prosperity is not stable; here he sets forth another, namely that sinners cannot harm the just. And regarding this he does …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
It is true the wicked plotteth against the just; there is a rooted enmity in the seed of the wicked one against the righteous seed; their aim is, if they can, to destroy their righteousness, or, if that fail, then to destroy them.
7 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
, 18, 19, 22-25, 28, 29, 37 . He prescribes very good remedies against this sin of envying the prosperity of the wicked, and great encouragement to use those remedies,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
The wicked plotteth against the just,.... Forms schemes to make him uneasy, uncomfortable, and unhappy: and gnasheth upon him with his teeth: which expresses his malice and hatred, as David's enemies did upon him, Psa 35:16; and Stephen's, Act 7:54.
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
The wicked plotteth against the just. Why can he not let the good man alone? Because there is enmity between the serpent's seed and the seed of the woman. Why not attack him fairly? Why plot and scheme? Because it is according to the serpent's nature to be very subtle. Plain sailing does not suit those who are on board of "The Apollyon." And gnashed upon him with his teeth. The wicked show by their gestures what they would do if they could; if they cannot gnaw they will gnash; if they may not bite they will at least bark.
The wicked plotteth against the just. Why can he not let the good man alone? Because there is enmity between the serpent's seed and the seed of the woman. Why not attack him fairly? Why plot and scheme? Because it is according to the serpent's nature to be very subtle. Plain sailing does not suit those who are on board of "The Apollyon." And gnashed upon him with his teeth. The wicked show by their gestures what they would do if they could; if they cannot gnaw they will gnash; if they may not bite they will at least bark. This is precisely what the graceless world did with "that just One, "the Prince of Peace. Yet he took no vengeance upon them, but like a silent lamb received injuries in patience.
The wicked plotteth against the just. Why can he not let the good man alone? Because there is enmity between the serpent's seed and the seed of the woman. Why not attack him fairly? Why plot and scheme? Because it is according to the serpent's nature to be very subtle. Plain sailing does not suit those who are on board of "The Apollyon." And gnashed upon him with his teeth. The wicked show by their gestures what they would do if they could; if they cannot gnaw they will gnash; if they may not bite they will at least bark.
Here is the portrait of a proud oppressor armed to the teeth.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The wicked plotteth against the just - Margin, “practiceth.” The Hebrew word means to plot; to lie in wait; to plan; to purpose; to devise. See Psa 31:13. The meaning is, that wicked people lay their plans against the righteous, but that they will not be able to carry them out, or accomplish them, for they will be cut off, and the Lord will protect His friends. And gnasheth upon him with his teeth - An expression of rage or anger. See the notes at Psa 35:16.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| זֹמֵ֣ם | zomem | [is] plotting | H2161 → | 13 times |
| רָ֭שָׁע | rasho' | [the] wicked | H7563 → | 263 times |
| לַצַּדִּ֑יק | latzadik | to the righteous | H6662 → | 206 times |
| וְחֹרֵ֖ק | vechorek | and [is] gnashing | H2786 → | 5 times |
| עָלָ֣יו | ʾalav | towards him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שִׁנָּֽיו׃ | shinav | teeth his | H8127 → | 55 times |
זֹמֵ֣ם[is] plotting
zomemH2161 →13 times
רָ֭שָׁע[the] wicked
rasho'H7563 →263 times
לַצַּדִּ֑יקto the righteous
latzadikH6662 →206 times
וְחֹרֵ֖קand [is] gnashing
vechorekH2786 →5 times
עָלָ֣יוtowards him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
שִׁנָּֽיו׃teeth his
shinavH8127 →55 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
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
- Psalms 36:4
Even on his bed he plots wickedness; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he fails to reject evil.
- 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.
- Psalms 7:14–16
Behold, the wicked man travails with evil; he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
- Hosea 7:6–7
For they prepare their heart like an oven while they lie in wait; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
- Proverbs 6:12–19
A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,
- Psalms 36:4
Through
Psalms 31:13For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side. They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 20:10
For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that…
- Matthew 27:1
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Jeremiah 20:10
Through
Psalms 35:16Like godless jesters at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me.
it leads to
- Lamentations 2:16
All your enemies open their mouths against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth, saying, “We have swallowed her up. This is the day for which we have waited. We have lived to see…
- Lamentations 2:16
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms; Arnobius the Younger, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 37; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 37:12; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 37:13; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; 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.