Psalms 37:1

Psalm 37 ¹ 

By David.

37:1 Do not fret ²  when wicked men seem to succeed! ³ 

Do not envy evildoers!

Psalms 37:7

37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! ⁴ 

Wait confidently ⁵  for him!

Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, ⁶ 

a man who carries out wicked schemes!

Isaiah 8:21-22

8:21 They will pass through the land ⁷  destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, ⁸  and they will curse their king and their God ⁹  as they look upward. 8:22 When one looks out over the land, he sees ¹⁰  distress and darkness, gloom ¹¹  and anxiety, darkness and people forced from the land. ¹² 

Revelation 16:9-11

16:9 Thus ¹³  people ¹⁴  were scorched by the terrible heat, ¹⁵  yet ¹⁶  they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority ¹⁷  over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.

16:10 Then ¹⁸  the fifth angel ¹⁹  poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that ²⁰  darkness covered his kingdom, ²¹  and people ²²  began to bite ²³  their tongues because ²⁴  of their pain. 16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings ²⁵  and because of their sores, ²⁶  but nevertheless ²⁷  they still refused to repent ²⁸  of their deeds.

[37:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[37:1]  ² tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.

[37:1]  ³ tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.

[37:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “Be quiet before the Lord!”

[37:7]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).

[37:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”

[8:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “he will pass through it.” The subject of the collective singular verb is the nation. (See the preceding note.) The immediately preceding context supplies no antecedent for “it” (a third feminine singular suffix in the Hebrew text); the suffix may refer to the land, which would be a reasonable referent with a verb of motion. Note also that אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) does appear at the beginning of the next verse.

[8:21]  ⁸ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[8:21]  ⁹ tn Or “gods” (NAB, NRSV, CEV).

[8:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[8:22]  ¹¹ tn The precise meaning of מְעוּף (mÿ’uf) is uncertain; the word occurs only here. See BDB 734 s.v. מָעוּף.

[8:22]  ¹² tn Heb “ and darkness, pushed.” The word מְנֻדָּח (mÿnudakh) appears to be a Pual participle from נדח (“push”), but the Piel is unattested for this verb and the Pual occurs only here.

[16:9]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the bowl poured on the sun.

[16:9]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.

[16:9]  ¹⁵ tn On this phrase BDAG 536 s.v. καῦμα states, “burning, heat Rv 7:16…καυματίζεσθαι κ. μέγα be burned with a scorching heat 16:9.”

[16:9]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:9]  ¹⁷ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[16:10]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:10]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the fifth”; the referent (the fifth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:10]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” to indicate the implied result of the fifth bowl being poured out.

[16:10]  ²¹ tn Grk “his kingdom became dark.”

[16:10]  ²² tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.

[16:10]  ²³ tn On this term BDAG 620 s.v. μασάομαι states, “bite w. acc. τὰς γλώσσας bite their tongues Rv 16:10.”

[16:10]  ²⁴ tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) has been translated here and twice in the following verse with a causal sense.

[16:11]  ²⁵ tn Grk “pains” (the same term in Greek [πόνος, ponos] as the last word in v. 11, here translated “sufferings” because it is plural). BDAG 852 s.v. 2 states, “ἐκ τοῦ π. in pain…Rv 16:10; pl. (Gen 41:51; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 146; Test. Jud. 18:4) ἐκ τῶν π. …because of their sufferings vs. 11.”

[16:11]  ²⁶ tn Or “ulcerated sores” (see 16:2).

[16:11]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and they did not repent.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but nevertheless” to express the contrast here.

[16:11]  ²⁸ tn Grk “they did not repent” The addition of “still refused” reflects the hardness of people’s hearts in the context.