Psalms 37:2

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
soon	מְהֵרָ֣ה me.he.Rah	H4120	properly · adverb
down	יִמָּ֑לוּ yi.Ma.lu	H5243	to become clipped or (specifically) circumcised · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
grass	כֶ֭חָצִיר Khe.cha.tzir	H2682	grass · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
wither	יִבּוֹלֽוּן yi.bo.Lun	H5034	to wilt · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + paragogic nun
green	וּכְיֶ֥רֶק u.khe.Ye.rek	H3418	properly · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
herb	דֶּ֝֗שֶׁא De.she'	H1877	a sprout · noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 92:7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
Psalms 90:5-6 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
James 1:10-11 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
Job 14:2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
Psalms 37:35-36 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Job 20:5-9 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Psalms 73:17-20 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
1 Peter 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 37:1-6

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. I. We are here cautioned against discontent at the prosperity and success of evil-doers (Psa 37:1, Psa 37:2): Fret not thyself, neither be thou envious. We may suppose that David speaks this to himself first, and preaches it to his own heart (in his communing with that upon his bed), for the suppressing of those corrupt passions which he found working there, and then leaves it in writing for instruction to others that might be in similar temptation. That is preached best, and with most probabili…

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John Gill on Psalms 37:2

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Which in the morning looks green, pretty, and flourishing, and in the evening is cut down, and then fades away; see Psalm 90:5; and so the wicked prosper and flourish for a while, and then they perish with all their honour, riches, and wealth; so that their happiness is a very short lived one, and therefore need not be envied and fretted at.

John Calvin on Psalms 37:1-6

Psalm 37:1-6 1. Fret not thyself because of the wicked, and be not envious at the workers of iniquity: 2. For they shall soon be cut down like grass; and they shall wither as the green and tender herb. 3. Put thy trust in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and be fed in truth, [or faithfully. [14] ] 4. And delight thyself in Jehovah, and he will give thee the desires of thy heart. 5. Roll [or devolve] thy ways on Jehovah, and trust in him, and he will bring it to pass. 6. And he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgments [15] as the noon day. 1. Fret not thyself because of the wicked. David lays down this as a general principle, that the prosperity of the wick…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 37:1-2

Dictionary and topics

Hay — Properly so called, was not in use among the Hebrews; straw was used instead. They cut the grass green as it was needed. The word rendered “hay” in Prov. 27:25 means the first shoots of the grass. In…
Herb — (1.) Heb. ‘eseb, any green plant; herbage (Gen. 1:11, 12, 29, 30; 2:5; 3:18, etc.); comprehending vegetables and all green herbage (Amos 7:1, 2). (2.) Yarak, green; any green thing; foliage of trees…
Psalms, Book Of — The present Hebrew name of the book is Tehill’im, “Praises;” but in the actual superscriptions of the psalms the word Tehillah is applied only to one, (Psalms 145:1) ... which is indeed emphatically…
Herbs, & C · Illustrative: Of the wicked — Illustrative: Of the wicked
Resignation · Exhortation to — Exhortation to
Wicked (People) · .Grass — .Grass
Wicked, The, Are Compared To · Grass — Grass

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Psalms 37:2

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 37:1-6

John Gill on Psalms 37:2

John Calvin on Psalms 37:1-6

Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 37:1-2

Dictionary and topics

Psalms 37:2

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 37:1-6

John Gill on Psalms 37:2

John Calvin on Psalms 37:1-6

Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 37:1-2

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 37:2

Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 37:2