Psalms 37:12-13

37:12 Evil men plot against the godly

and viciously attack them.

37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust at them,

for he knows that their day is coming.


tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.

tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.

tn Heb “laughs.” As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter (see 2:4). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes the action from the perspective of an eye-witness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.

tn Heb “for he sees that his day is coming.” As the following context makes clear (vv. 15, 17, 19-20), “his day” refers to the time when God will destroy evildoers.