Psalms 37:4
in Psalms 37Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.
KJV
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
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This verse in Psalms 37
Commentary
17 notes on this verse(Verse 4.) Therefore, he says: Delight in the Lord, and he will grant you the desires of your heart. Why did he not say 'your desires' but 'the desires of your heart'? For the desires of the external and internal man are not the same and not all of them are approved by Christ; because the law of the flesh often opposes to the rules of the spirit. But those desires that belong to the interior man, who is renewed by the Spirit, the Lord grants them to the petitioner with effect.
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.
This site's exposition
Delight yourself in the LORD
Charles Spurgeon heard a third precept here, rising above trust. The word behind desires means petitions, the askings of the heart, as Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes both read it. Clarke drew the rule that a godly man keeps no desire he cannot turn into a prayer.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
"Delight thyself in the Lord" (ver. 4). As if thou hadst put the question, and hadst said "Show me the riches of that land, in which thou biddest me dwell", he says, "Delight thyself in the Lord." "And He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Understand in their proper signification, "the desires of thine heart." Distinguish the "desires of thine heart" from the desires of thy flesh; distinguish as much as thou canst. It is not without a meaning that it is said in a certain Psalm, "God is" (the strength) "of mine heart." For there it says in what follows: "And God is my portion for ever." For instance: One labours under bodily blindness. He asks that he may receive his sight. Let him ask it; for God does that too, and gives those blessings also. But these things are asked for even by the wicked. This is a desire of the flesh. One is sick, and prays to be made sound. From the point of death he is restored to health. That too is a desire of the flesh, as are all of such a kind. What is "the desire of the heart"? As the desire of the flesh is to wish to have one's eyesight restored, to enable him, that is, to see that light, which can be seen by such eyes; so "the desire of the heart" relates to a different sort of light. For, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Delight thou thyself in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
A commentator
Origen of AlexandriaCOMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 32:106 · Written before 253.
proposed
The expression "we have need" is applied to those things that are necessary for life. Consequently, applied to material things, it means that one does not need most things but only those of which Paul says, "but having food and clothing, we shall be satisfied with these things." Those things, [by contrast], that are accumulated in wealth and luxury are the result of abundance among those who live luxuriously. They are not considered to be necessary and absolutely essential but to be superfluous. So, therefore, there are also things that are necessary for us in the realm of divine matters, which bring us into life and cause us to be in the one who says, "I am the life." But what supersedes these things would be said to supersede need. It is said of such things, "Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the requests of your heart." These include all the things that are considered in relation to the paradise of luxury and in relation to wealth and glory, the things in the left hand of wisdom according to him who said, "For length of life and years of life are in her right hand, but in her left hand are wealth and glory." One would say that these go beyond necessity.
In everything he taught the benefit of hope in God: the person hoping in God, he says, and fed by him will enjoy the goods supplied by him while those who find delightful constant converse with him will most of all attain them.
The Medieval Church2 voices
"Delight." And regarding this he does two things, inasmuch as the joy of this delight consists in two things: namely, in attaining one's desire and in fulfilling one's purpose; the second is at "Reveal." He says therefore of the first, "Delight," etc. Prov. 13: "A …
A commentator
BonaventureItinerarium Mentis in Deum, Chapter 4 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Therefore, however much one may be illuminated by the light of nature and acquired knowledge, one cannot enter into oneself so as within oneself to delight in the Lord, except through the mediation of Christ, who says: I am the door. If anyone enters through …
9 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
, 10, 20, 35, 36, 38 ) and the salvation and protection which the righteous are sure of from all the malicious designs of the wicked,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. The instructions here given are very plain; much need not be said for the exposition of them, but there is a great deal to be done for the reducing of them to practice, and there they will look best. We are here cautioned against discontent at the prosperity and success of evil-doers (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Delight thyself also in the Lord,....
We must not only depend upon God, but solace ourselves in him. We must be well pleased that there is a God, that he is such a one as he has revealed himself to be, and that he is our God in covenant.
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
There is an ascent in this third precept. He who was first bidden not to fret, was then commanded actively to trust, and now is told with holy desire to delight in God. Delight thyself also in the Lord. Make Jehovah the joy and rejoicing of thy spirit. Bad men delight in carnal objects; do not envy them if they are allowed to take their fill in such vain idols; look thou to thy better delight, and fill thyself to the full with thy more sublime portion.
There is an ascent in this third precept. He who was first bidden not to fret, was then commanded actively to trust, and now is told with holy desire to delight in God. Delight thyself also in the Lord. Make Jehovah the joy and rejoicing of thy spirit. Bad men delight in carnal objects; do not envy them if they are allowed to take their fill in such vain idols; look thou to thy better delight, and fill thyself to the full with thy more sublime portion. In a certain sense imitate the wicked; they delight in their portion—take care to delight in yours, and so far from envying you will pity them. There is no room for fretting if we remember that God is ours, but there is every incentive to sacred enjoyment of the most elevated and ecstatic kind. Every name, attribute, word, or deed of Jehovah, should be delightful to us, and in meditating thereon our soul should be as glad as is the epicure who feeds delicately with a profound relish for his dainties. And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. A pleasant duty is here rewarded with another pleasure. Men who delight in God desire or ask for nothing but what will please God; hence it is safe to give them carte blanche. Their will is subdued to God's will, and now they may have what they will. Our innermost desires are here meant, not our casual wishes; there are many things which nature might desire which grace would never permit us to ask for; these deep, prayerful, asking desires are those to which the promise is made.
There is an ascent in this third precept. He who was first bidden not to fret, was then commanded actively to trust, and now is told with holy desire to delight in God. Delight thyself also in the Lord. Make Jehovah the joy and rejoicing of thy spirit. Bad men delight in carnal objects; do not envy them if they are allowed to take their fill in such vain idols; look thou to thy better delight, and fill thyself to the full with thy more sublime portion.
Delight thyself also in the Lord - Expect all thy happiness from him, and seek it in him. The desires of thine heart - משאלות mishaloth, the petitions. The godly man never indulges a desire which he cannot form into a prayer to God.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Delight thyself also in the - Lord. The word rendered “delight” means properly to live delicately and effeminately; then, to be tender or delicate; then, to live a life of ease or pleasure; then, to find delight or pleasure in anything. The meaning here is, that we should seek our happiness in God - in his being, his perfections, his friendship, his love. And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart - literally, the “askings,” or the “requests” of thy heart. What you really “desire” will be granted to you. That is, (a) the fact that you seek your happiness in him will regulate your desires, so that you will be “disposed” to ask only those things which it will be proper for him to grant; and (b) the fact that you do find your happiness in him will be a reason why he will grant your desires. The fact that a child loves his father, and finds his happiness in doing his will, will do much to regulate his own “wishes” or “desires,” and will at the same thee be a reason why the father will be disposed to comply with his requests.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִתְעַנַּ֥ג | vehitanag | and take delight | H6026 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְיִֽתֶּן־ | veyiten- | so he may give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לְ֝ךָ֗ | lekha | to you | ||
| מִשְׁאֲלֹ֥ת | mishalot | [the] requests of | H4862 → | |
| לִבֶּֽךָ׃ | libekha | heart your | H3820 → | 595 times |
וְהִתְעַנַּ֥גand take delight
vehitanagH6026 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְיִֽתֶּן־so he may give
veyiten-H5414 →2011 times
לְ֝ךָ֗to you
lekha
מִשְׁאֲלֹ֥ת[the] requests of
mishalotH4862 →
לִבֶּֽךָ׃heart your
libekhaH3820 →595 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
John 15:7If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
it leads to
- 1 John 5:14
And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
- John 14:13
And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
- 1 John 3:22
and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.
- John 15:16
You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
- Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- 1 John 5:14
Through
John 15:16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 1:5–7
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
- John 15:19
If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
- Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
- Jeremiah 1:5–7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
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, 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; Augustine of Hippo, ON THE PSALMS - Psalm 37; Bonaventure, Itinerarium Mentis in Deum, Chapter 4; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 32:106; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 37:2 and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.