Psalms 37:5
in Psalms 37Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Commit thy way unto Jehovah; Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.
KJV
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
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This verse in Psalms 37
Commentary
19 notes on this verse(Vers. 5, 6.) Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in Him, and He will act. And He will bring forth your righteousness like the light, and your justice like the noonday. This single verse declares what kind of person you should be. For who reveals their way, except those who confess to God, the arbiter of their hidden secrets within their heart? Reveal, blessed one, this is, open your conscience, so that it may not be burdened by the shadow or flesh of this world.
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
Commit your way to the LORD
Adam Clarke thought the image probably came from a camel lying down while its load is rolled onto its back. He rendered the closing verb He will work, so the outcome is God's own doing. Albert Barnes sent the reader on to 1 Peter 5:7.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
"Behold" (you say), "I do long after it, I do ask for it, I do desire it. Shall I then accomplish it?" No. Who shall then? "Reveal your way unto the Lord: trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" [Psalm 37:5]. Mention to Him what you suffer, mention to Him what thou dost desire. For what is it that you suffer? "The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh." [Galatians 5:17] What is it then that you desire? "Wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" [Romans 7:24] And because it is He "Himself" that "will bring it to pass," when you shall have "revealed your ways unto Him;" hear what follows: "The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord." What is it then that He is to bring to pass, since it is said, "Reveal your way unto Him, and He will bring it to pass"? What will He bring to pass?
"Behold" (you say), "I do long after it, I do ask for it, I do desire it. Shall I then accomplish it?" No. Who shall then? "Reveal thy way unto the Lord: trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (ver. 5). Mention to Him what thou sufferest, mention to Him what thou dost desire. For what is it that thou sufferest? "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh." What is it then that thou dost desire? "Wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" And because it is He "Himself" that "will bring it to pass," when thou shall have "revealed thy ways unto Him;" hear what follows: "The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord." What is it then that He is to bring to pass, since it is said, "Reveal thy way unto Him, and He will bring it to pass"? What will He bring to pass? "And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light" (ver. 6). For now, "thy righteousness" is hid. Now it is a thing of faith; not yet of sight. You believe something that you may do it. You do not yet see that in which you believe. But when thou shall begin to see that, which thou didst believe before, "thy righteousness will be brought forth to the light," because it is thy faith that was thy righteousness. For "the just lives by faith." "And He shall bring forth thy judgment as the noon-day." That is to say, "as the clear light." It was too little to say, "as the light." For we call it "light" already, even when it but dawns: we call it light even while the sun is rising. But never is the light brighter than at mid-day. Therefore He will not only "bring forth thy righteousness as the light," but "thy judgment shall be as the noon-day." For now dost thou make thy "judgment" to follow Christ. This is thy purposé: this is thy choice: this is thy "judgment."...
Offer up to God, he is saying, both yourself and your actions, and expect grace from him; for his part he will bring forth a just verdict like a judge, will extol you and make you famous to the extent of being known to everyone, …
Be sincere in pursuing good, not pretending to be honest while being evil; instead, be good openly and as it were without disguise so that God may openly repay you with good.
The Medieval Church1 voice
"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 …
11 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 7 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
However much knowledge a man may have of the New and Old Testament, it is still necessary that he consult the Lord. The Psalm says: 'Reveal your way to the Lord, and he himself will give you the petitions of your heart. Be subject to …
The Puritans and the Awakening5 voices
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
Retreat thy way unto the Lord (so the LXX.), that is, "By prayer spread thy case, and all thy cares about it, before the Lord" (as Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh, Judg. xi.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
, 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
Commit thy way unto the Lord,....
Retreat thy way unto the Lord (so the LXX.), that is, "By prayer spread thy case, and all thy cares about it, before the Lord" (as Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh, Judg. xi.
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
Commit thy way unto the Lord. Roll the whole burden of life upon the Lord. Leave with Jehovah not thy present fretfulness merely, but all thy cares; in fact, submit the whole tenor of thy way to him. Cast away anxiety, resign thy will, submit thy judgment, leave all with the God of all. What a medicine is this for expelling envy! What a high attainment does this fourth precept indicate! How blessed must he be who lives every day in obedience to it! Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Commit thy way unto the Lord. Roll the whole burden of life upon the Lord. Leave with Jehovah not thy present fretfulness merely, but all thy cares; in fact, submit the whole tenor of thy way to him. Cast away anxiety, resign thy will, submit thy judgment, leave all with the God of all. What a medicine is this for expelling envy! What a high attainment does this fourth precept indicate! How blessed must he be who lives every day in obedience to it! Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Our destiny shall be joyfully accomplished if we confidently entrust all to our Lord. We may serenely sing— The ploughman sows and harrows, and then leaves the harvest to God. What can he do else? He cannot cover the heavens with clouds, or command the rain, or bring forth the sun or create the dew. He does well to leave the whole matter with God; and so to all of us it is truest wisdom, having obediently trusted in God, to leave results in his hands, and expect a blessed issue.
Commit thy way unto the Lord. Roll the whole burden of life upon the Lord. Leave with Jehovah not thy present fretfulness merely, but all thy cares; in fact, submit the whole tenor of thy way to him. Cast away anxiety, resign thy will, submit thy judgment, leave all with the God of all. What a medicine is this for expelling envy! What a high attainment does this fourth precept indicate! How blessed must he be who lives every day in obedience to it! Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Commit thy way unto the Lord - גול על יהוה gol al Yehovah, Roll thy way upon the Lord: probably, a metaphor taken from the camel, who lies down till his load be rolled upon him. He shall bring it to pass - יעשה yaaseh, “He will work.” Trust God, and he will work for thee.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Commit thy way unto the - Lord. Margin, as in Hebrew, “Roll thy way upon, the Lord.” Compare the notes at Psa 22:8, where the marg., as the Hebrew, is, “He rolled himself on the Lord.” See also 1Pe 5:7. The idea is that of rolling a heavy burden from ourselves on another, or laying it upon him, so that he may bear it. The burden which we have not got strength to bear we may lay on God. The term “way” means properly the act of treading or going; then, a way or path; then, a course of life, or the manner in which one lives; and the reference here is to the whole course of life, or all that can affect life; all our plans or conduct; all the issues or results of those plans. It is equivalent here to “lot” or “destiny.” Everything, in regard to the manner in which we live, and all its results, are to be committed to the Lord. Trust also in him - See Psa 37:3. And he shall bring it to pass - Hebrew, “He shall do it.” That is, He will bring it to a proper issue; He will secure a happy result. He will take care of your interests, and will not permit you to suffer, or to be ultimately wronged. The thing particularly referred to here, as appears from the next verse, is reputation or character.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| גּ֣וֹל | gol | roll | H1556 → | 18 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| דַּרְכֶּ֑ךָ | darkekha | way your | H1870 → | 707 times |
| וּבְטַ֥ח | uvetach | and rely | H982 → | 120 times |
| עָ֝לָ֗יו | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְה֣וּא | vehu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ | yaaseh | he will act | H6213 → | 2628 times |
גּ֣וֹלroll
golH1556 →18 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
דַּרְכֶּ֑ךָway your
darkekhaH1870 →707 times
וּבְטַ֥חand rely
uvetachH982 →120 times
עָ֝לָ֗יוon him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
וְה֣וּאand he
vehu'H1931 →1879 times
יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃he will act
yaasehH6213 →2628 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 5:7Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
it leads to
- Psalms 55:22
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 56:3–4
When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
- Matthew 6:25–26
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more…
- Matthew 6:33–34
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
- Psalms 55:22
Through
Psalms 55:22Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- 1 Peter 5:7
Through
Proverbs 16:3Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved.
it leads to
- Psalms 37:4–5
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
- Proverbs 3:6
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
- Psalms 37:4–5
Where this verse is studied
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, Exposition on Psalm 37; Augustine of Hippo, ON THE PSALMS - Psalm 37; Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 7; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Diodorus of Tarsus, COMMENTARY ON PSALM 37; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 37:2 and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.