Psalm 37:4–5

Context

The superscription of Psalm 37 reads "A Psalm of David." In the original Hebrew it is an acrostic poem in which every other verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm opens, in view of the prosperity of the wicked, with the exhortation "Fret not thyself because of evildoers" (v. 1), and it repeatedly contrasts the righteous, who will ultimately inherit the land, with the wicked, who will vanish. For this reason scholars commonly classify it as a wisdom psalm, that is, a psalm belonging to the tradition of wisdom literature that teaches the right way to live.

Verses 4 and 5 continue the exhortation of verse 3: "Trust in the LORD, and do good." The words "he shall bring it to pass" in verse 5 lead directly into verse 6: "And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light." In context, then, what God brings to pass is closely tied to his vindication of the righteous person who has been wronged. The Hebrew verb rendered "commit" in verse 5 is understood to mean literally "to roll." The image is of entrusting something to another, as one might roll a heavy burden onto someone else.

Interpretation

• As a promise: The passage is received as a promise that God grants the wishes of those who delight in him and rely on him. This is the usual reading when the verses are cited as a basis for answered prayer.
• As a transformation of desire: Many commentators and preachers hold that the desires of one who delights in the LORD gradually come to be directed toward God. On this reading, what is fulfilled are desires that have been reshaped in God.
• In the context of a wisdom psalm: The passage is read as an exhortation not to grow impatient or angry at the prosperity of the wicked but to wait for God's timing. It is understood together with the words that immediately follow: "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him" (v. 7).

Questions of Application

Those who emphasize prosperity theology or positive confession sometimes cite this passage as grounds for the idea that one obtains whatever one asks for in faith. Critics of this view point out that Psalm 37 as a whole deals with suffering and waiting, and that "delight" is not a condition for or means to the fulfillment of wishes but a call to delight in God himself. There is little formal interpretive disagreement between denominations; differences appear mainly in preaching and application.

Among Korean translations, the New Korean Revised Version refined the wording of the Korean Revised Version, for example by changing the archaic pronoun "저가" ("he") to "그가," but the difference in meaning is slight.

In the Korean Church

The passage is known to be widely used as a memory verse or as a word of blessing. It is often shared at life's turning points, such as the new year, entering a new school, or marriage.

Related Passages

• Psalm 37:7
• Proverbs 16:1–3
• 1 Peter 5:7
• Matthew 6:24–34
• Philippians 4:4–6