Psalms 37:12-15

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.

37:14 Evil men draw their swords

and prepare their bows,

to bring down the oppressed and needy,

and to slaughter those who are godly.

37:15 Their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

Psalms 37:32-33

37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly

and try to kill them.

37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,

or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.


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.

tn Heb “to cause to fall.”

tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.

tn Heb “enter into.”

tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.

tn Heb “the Lord does not abandon him into his hand or condemn him when he is judged.” The imperfects draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic behavior in this regard.