Psalms 52:6
in Psalms 52The righteous will see and fear; they will mock the evildoer, saying,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The righteous also shall see it, and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying,
KJV
The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
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This verse in Psalms 52
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThe righteous also shall see,.... The Targum adds, "the punishment of the wicked"; particularly what is before predicted of Doeg.
This site's exposition
The righteous will see and fear
on Psalms 52:6-7
The righteous see and fear, then they mock, and verse 7 gives the words they use. They name the failure in one line: he did not make God his refuge, and he trusted the abundance of his wealth. His strength came out of what he destroyed.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Wherefore God shall destroy you at the end" [Psalm 52:6]: though now you seem to flourish like grass in the field before the heat of the sun. For, "All flesh is grass, and the brightness of man as the bloom of grass: the grass has withered, and the bloom has fallen down: but the word of the Lord abides for everlasting." [Isaiah 40:6-8] Behold that to which you may bind yourself, to what "abides for everlasting." For if to grass, and to the bloom of grass, you shall have bound yourself, since the grass shall wither, and the bloom shall fall down, "God shall destroy you at the end:" and if not now, certainly at the end He shall destroy, when that winnowing shall have come, and the heap of chaff from the solid grain shall have been separated. Is not the solid grain for the barns, and the chaff for the fire? Shall not the whole of that Doeg stand at the left hand, when the Lord is to say, "Go ye into fire everlasting, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels"? [Matthew 25:41] Therefore "God shall destroy at the end: shall pluck you out, and shall remove you from your dwelling." Now then this Doeg the Edomite is in a dwelling: "But a servant abides not in the house for ever." [John 8:35] Even he works something of good, even if not with his doings, at least with the words of God, so that in the Church, when he "seeks his own," [Philippians 2:21] he would say, at least, those things which are of Christ. "But He shall remove you from your dwelling." "Verily, verily, I say unto you, they have received their reward." [Matthew 6:2] "And your root from the land of the living." Therefore in the land of the living we ought to have root. Be our root there. Out of sight is the root: fruits may be seen, root cannot be seen. Our root is our love, our fruits are our works: it is needful that your works proceed from love, then is your root in the land of the living. […]
The Medieval Church1 voice
"The just shall see." Here is set forth the fruit of punishment: for God punishes here and foretells punishments for the benefit of the just. First, on account of the fear of punishment, because "they shall fear." And this can be applied to the state …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
); that is, they shall reverence the justice of God, and stand in awe of him, as a God of almighty power, before whom the proudest sinner cannot stand and before whom therefore we ought every one of us to humble ourselves. Note, God's judgments on the wicked should strike an awe upon the righteous and make them afraid of offending God and incurring his displeasure, Ps. cxix.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The righteous —the object of the tyrant's hatred—shall outlive his enmity, and also shall see, before his own face, the end of the ungodly oppressor. God permits Mordecai to see Haman hanging on the gallows. David had brought to him the tokens of Saul's death on Gilboa. And fear. Holy awe shall sober the mind of the good man; he shall reverently adore the God of providence. And shall laugh at him. If not with righteous joy, yet with solemn contempt. Schemes so far reaching all baffled, plans so deep, so politic, all thwarted.
The righteous —the object of the tyrant's hatred—shall outlive his enmity, and also shall see, before his own face, the end of the ungodly oppressor. God permits Mordecai to see Haman hanging on the gallows. David had brought to him the tokens of Saul's death on Gilboa. And fear. Holy awe shall sober the mind of the good man; he shall reverently adore the God of providence. And shall laugh at him. If not with righteous joy, yet with solemn contempt. Schemes so far reaching all baffled, plans so deep, so politic, all thwarted. Mephistopheles outwitted, the old serpent taken in his own subtlety. This is a good theme for that deep seated laughter which is more akin to solemnity than merriment.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The righteous also shall see, and fear - The thing shall be done in the sight of the saints; they shall see God’s judgments on the workers of iniquity; and they shall fear a God so holy and just, and feel the necessity of being doubly on their guard lest they fall into the same condemnation. But instead of וייראו veyirau, “and they shall fear,” three of Kennicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS., with the Syriac, have וישמחו veyismachu, “and shall rejoice;” and, from the following words, “and shall laugh at him,” this appears to be the true reading, for laughing may be either the consequence or accompaniment of rejoicing.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The righteous also shaIl see - See the notes at Psa 37:34. And fear - The effect of such a judgment will be to produce reverence in the minds of good people - a solemn sense of the justice of God; to make them tremble at such fearful judgments; and to fear lest they should violate the law, and bring judgment on themselves. And shall laugh at him - Compare the notes at Psa 2:4. See also Psa 58:10; Psa 64:9-10; Pro 1:26. The idea here is not exultation in the “sufferings” of others, or joy that “calamity” has come upon them, or the gratification of selfish and revengeful feeling that an enemy is deservedly punished; it is that of approbation that punishment has come upon those who deserve it, and joy that wickedness is not allowed to triumph. It is not wrong for us to feel a sense of approbation and joy that the laws are maintained, and that justice is done, even though this does involve suffering, for we know that the guilty deserve it, and it is better that they should suffer than that the righteous should sutter through them. All this may be entirely free from any malignant, or any revengeful feeling. It may even be connected with the deepest pity, and with the purest benevolence toward the sufferers themselves.
The words behind it
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיִרְא֖וּ | veyiru | so they may see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| צַדִּיקִ֥ים | tzadikim | righteous [people] | H6662 → | 206 times |
| וְיִירָ֗אוּ | veyirau | so they may fear | H3372 → | 315 times |
| וְעָלָ֥יו | vealav | and on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יִשְׂחָֽקוּ׃ | yischaku | they will laugh | H7832 → | 36 times |
וְיִרְא֖וּso they may see
veyiruH7200 →1300 times
צַדִּיקִ֥יםrighteous [people]
tzadikimH6662 →206 times
וְיִירָ֗אוּso they may fear
veyirauH3372 →315 times
וְעָלָ֥יוand on him
vealavH5921 →5755 times
יִשְׂחָֽקוּ׃they will laugh
yischakuH7832 →36 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
Revelation 15:4Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
it leads to
- Psalms 86:9
All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
- Malachi 1:11
For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name…
- Jeremiah 10:7
Who would not fear You, O King of nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.
- Psalms 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
- Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign…
- Psalms 86:9
Through
Psalms 37:34Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
it leads to
- Psalms 27:14
Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
- Psalms 27:14
Through
Psalms 40:3He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
it leads to
- Psalms 33:3
Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.
- Psalms 103:1–5
Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.
- Psalms 33:3
About Psalms
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); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 52; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; 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.