Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 1:6
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
6. The teaching of the Psalm is grounded on the doctrine of divine Providence. Each clause of the verse implies the supplement of its antithesis to the other clause. ‘The lord knows the way of the righteous,’ and under His care it is a ‘way of life’ (Psa 16:11; Pro 12:28); ‘a way of peace’ (Isa 59:8); ‘a way eternal’ (Psa 139:24). Equally He knows the way of the wicked, and by the unalterable laws of His government it can lead only to destruction; it is a way of death (Pro 14:12).
knoweth ] Divine knowledge cannot be abstract or ineffectual. It involves approval, care, guidance; or abandonment, judgement. The righteous man’s course of life leads to God Himself; and He takes care that it does not fail of its end (Nah 1:7; 2Ti 2:19).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous – This is given as a reason why the wicked would not stand in the judgment with the righteous. The reason is, that the Lord, the great Judge, fully understands the character of those who are his friends, and can discriminate between them and all others, whatever pretences others may make to that character. Only those whom God approves, and loves, as his friends, will be able to stand in the day when the great decision shall be made. No one can impose on him by any mere pretensions to piety; no one can force his way to his favor, or to the rewards of the just, by power; no one can claim this in virtue of rank and station. No one can be admitted to the favor of God, and to the rewards of heaven, whose character is not such that it will bear the scrutiny of the Omniscient eve. Compare the notes at 2Ti 2:19. Man may be deceived in judging character, but God is not. When it is said that the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, the word way seems to be used to denote the whole of life – the manner of living (Notes, Psa 1:1), and hence, the whole character. Perhaps there is included also the idea that the Lord knows the result of their manner of life – the issue to which it leads – and that, therefore, he can properly judge the righteous and assign them to that place in the future world, to wit, heaven, to which their actions tend.
But the way of the ungodly shall perish – The way or manner in which the ungodly live shall tend to ruin; their plans, and purposes, and hopes, shall come to nought. Their course, in fact, tends to destruction. None of their plans shall prosper in regard to religion: none of their hopes shall be fulfilled. In this, as in all other respects, they stand in strong contrast with the righteous, alike in this world and the world to come.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 1:6
The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.
The way of the righteous
I. Contrasted pictures of life.
1. That of the happy man illustrated by the law of attraction and repulsion. See the sentiments, habits, and disposition
(i) of the evil he is led to repel (Psa 1:1);
(ii) of the good to which he is attracted (Psa 1:2). Delighting and meditating upon Gods Word.
2. By the law of vegetable life (Psa 1:3). The happy life of the good, like a fruit tree, is
(i) one of ceaseless appropriation and transformation,
(ii) of seasonable fruit bearing,
(iii) of prosperity under all circumstances.
3. With all this the life of the ungodly is contrasted (Psa 1:4-6):
(i) As shown in the reason of the contrast. The character of the ungodly is self-evolved from their own nature. That of the good, from God.
(ii) In the result of the contrast. The ungodly having no solidity, nothing substantial in themselves, are compared to chaff, which is light and empty and easily carried away. And having no foundation, they cannot stand in the judgment. And having nothing to support them, must perish while the good shall prosper evermore.
II. Lessons from these contrasted pictures.–
I. That true happiness is not the result of chance, but of law–fundamental, immutable, Divine. This law may be thus stated: Every effect must have an adequate cause. An uprooted tree cannot bear fruit; so a soul whose faith and love are torn away from God cannot be happy or prosperous. The specific law of spiritual good is this: Character determines destiny.
2. That God has so graciously arranged the conditions of happiness or misery that it is dependent upon each ones personal choice. (D. C. Hughes, A. M.)
The Divine observation
The question is not whether the righteous is apparently stronger than the ungodly, but what is the relation of the Lord to them both. The final award is not with man but with God. The destiny of the righteous and the ungodly is as distinct as their character. There is no blending of one into the other–the one lives, the other perishes. Consistently throughout the Bible life is always associated with obedience or righteousness, and death with disobedience or unrighteousness. Great value attaches to a consistency of this kind. It has a bearing upon the character of God Himself. It is because He never changes in His own moral quality that He never changes, in relation to the actions of men. That the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous is the good mans supreme comfort. Not that the good man challenges the Divine scrutiny in the matter of his actions, but that he is able to invite the Lord to look into the secret purpose of his heart and understand what is the supreme wish of his life. To know that the motive is right is to know that the end must be good. What we have to be supremely anxious about is the main purpose or desire of life; that being right, actions will adjust themselves accordingly, and, notwithstanding innumerable mistakes, the substance of the character shall be good, and a crown of glory shall be granted to the faithful servant. (Joseph Parker, D. D.)
The way of the righteous
Or is it that the prophet saith not, God knoweth the righteous, but the way of the righteous; perhaps lest men, for doing one or two good deeds in all their life, should claim to be righteous, and for such righteousness claim acquaintance with God; and so indeed God might have acquaintance enough, seeing no man is so wicked but he may sometimes have good thoughts and do good deeds; but this will not serve: it must be a way of righteousness before God will know it. (Sir Richard Parker.)
Resolute righteousness safe
And here the godly may take his comfort by the way, that it is not their slippings or treading awry, which may he by ignorance, or infirmity, that can make, with God, this shipwreck of perishing; it must be a way of ungodliness, which is not usually made without much walking and exercising, without resolute intentions and endeavours, without set purposes and persistings, that if a man be sure he is free from these, he may then be confident he is safe from perishing. (Sir Richard Parker.)
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Psa 2:1-12
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. The Lord knoweth] yodea, approveth the way, aloweth the way, Coverdale, of the righteous, tsaddikim, from tsadak, to give even weight; the men who give to all their due; opposed to reshaim, Ps 1:1, they who withhold right from all; see above. Such holy men are under the continual eye of God’s providence; he knows the way that they take; approves of their motives, purposes, and works, because they are all wrought through himself. He provides for them in all exigencies, and defends them both in body and soul.
The way of the ungodly shall perish.] Their projects, designs and operations, shall perish; God’s curse shall be on all that they have, do, and are. And in the day of judgment they shall be condemned to everlasting fire in the perdition of ungodly men. The wicked shall perish at the presence of the Lord. Reader take warning!
ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST PSALM
The in this Psalm is, Who is the happy man? or, What may make a man happy?
I. This question the prophet resolves in the first two verses:
1. Negatively. It is he, 1. “That walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” 2. “That stands not in the way of sinners.” 3. “That sits not in the seat of the scornful.”
2. Positively. It is he. 1. “Whose delight is in the law of the Lord.” 2. “Who doth meditate in the law day and night.”
II. This happiness of the good man is illustrated two ways: 1. By a similitude. 2. By comparing him with a wicked man.
1. The similitude he makes choice of is that of a tree; not every tree neither, but that which hath these eminences: 1. It is “planted; ” it grows not of itself, neither is wild. 2. “Planted by the rivers of water,” it wants not moisture to fructify. 3. It doth fructify; “it brings forth fruit;” it is no barren tree. 4. The fruit it brings is seasonable; “it brings forth fruit in its season.” 5. It is always green, winter and summer; “the leaves wither not.” Clearly, without any trope, Whatsoever this good man doth, or takes in hand, “it shall prosper.”
2. He shows this good man’s happiness by comparing him with a wicked man, in whom you shall find all the contrary.
1. In general. Not so. As for the ungodly, it is not so with them: not so in the plantation; in the place; in the seasonable fruit; in the greenness; in the prosperity. So far from being like a tree, that they are like, 1. Chaff, a light and empty thing. 2. Chaff which the wind whiffles up and down. 3. Chaff which the wind scatters or driveth away. 4. And never leaves scattering, till it has driven it from the face of the earth. So the Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic.
2. And that no man may think that their punishment shall extend only to this life; in plain terms he threatens to them, 1. Damnation at the great day: “They shall not stand in judgment;” though some refer this clause to this life. When he is judged by men, causa cadet, he shall be condemned. 2. Exclusion from the company of the just: “Sinners shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous.”
III. In the close he shows the cause why the godly is happy, the wicked unhappy:
1. Because “the way of the righteous is known to God;” approved by him, and defended.
2. But the way, studies, plots, “counsels of the wicked, shall perish.” – DAVID’S HARP STRUNG AND TUNED. See the introduction.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For; he now gives a reason of this great difference between the righteous and the ungodly, expressed in the foregoing verses.
The Lord knoweth; either,
1. Properly and speculatively; he searcheth and knoweth all their hearts and ways or actions; and therefore will preserve, prosper, and bless them; which may be gathered out of the following and opposite clause of this verse, and out of Psa 1:1,2. Or,
2. Practically and affectionately, as words of knowledge in Scripture do frequently imply affection, as Exo 1:8; Psa 31:7; 101:4; Hos 8:4; Amo 3:2. He approveth, loveth, and delighteth in them, and in the course of their lives, and therefore will recompense them; or, he careth for and directeth their actions to a blessed issue.
The way of the ungodly shall perish; all their wicked designs and courses shall come to nothing, and they shall perish with them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. knoweth the wayattends toand provides for them (Psa 101:6;Pro 12:10; Hos 13:5).
way of the wickedAlltheir plans will end in disappointment and ruin (Psa 37:13;Psa 146:8; Pro 4:19).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous,…. The way in which he walks by faith, which is in Jesus Christ; the way in which he goes to the Father, and carries to him his sacrifices of prayer and praise, which meet with acceptance through him; the way in which he seeks for and expects justification, pardon, and salvation, namely, through the blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ: and also it may denote his course, his walk and conversation; for the righteous man is a follower of God, he takes up the cross and follows after Christ: he walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, according to the rule of the word, and as becomes the Gospel of Christ: and this way of his in every sense the Lord “knows”; not merely as he is omniscient, for by his omniscience his eyes are upon the ways of all men; he knows the way of the wicked as well as the way of the righteous; but the sense is, that the Lord approves of and is well pleased with his way of faith and holiness; he knows this person, so as to love him and take delight and pleasure in him; his countenance beholds him with a smile; he is well pleased with him in Christ and for his sake, on whose account he has respect to him and to his offerings, to his service and duty, to his ways and works; and hence he is a blessed man, is in a happy situation, and all he does prospers, for he and his ways please the Lord: and hence also it is that neither he nor his way shall perish; the way he is in leads to everlasting life, and he being a follower of the Lord in a way pleasing to him, he shall never perish, but have eternal life;
but the way of the ungodly shall perish; for his way is a wicked way, the way of sinners, Ps 1:1; it leads to destruction and death, and all that walk in it shall perish; for if is a way the Lord knows not, does not approve of, he abhors it; wherefore the man that continues in it will be unhappy, wretched, and miserable to all eternity. These last words therefore show the reason of the happiness of one sort of men, and the unhappiness of the other; and prove and confirm the same: the Lord knows, approves of, loves, and delights in the one; he does not approve of and delight in the other.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Even in this world the prosperity of the ungodly begins to pass away as often as God manifests the tokens of his judgment; (for then, being awakened out of sleep, they are constrained to acknowledge, whether they will or no, that they have no part with the assembly of the righteous;) but because this is not accomplished always, nor with respect to all men, in the present state, we must patiently wait for the day of final revelation, in which Christ will separate the sheep from the goats. At the same time, we must maintain it as a general truth, that the ungodly are devoted to misery; for their own consciences condemn them for their wickedness; and, as often as they are summoned to give an account of their life, their sleep is broken, and they perceive that they were merely dreaming when they imagined themselves to be happy, without looking inward to the true state of their hearts.
Moreover, as things appear to be here driven about at the mercy of chance, and as it is not easy for us, in the midst of the prevailing confusion, to acknowledge the truth of what the Psalmist had said, he therefore presents to our consideration the grand principle, that God is the Judge of the world. Granting this, it follows that it cannot but be well with the upright and the just, while, on the other hand, the most terrible destruction must impend over the ungodly. According to all outward appearance, the servants of God may derive no advantage from their uprightness; but as it is the peculiar office of God to defend them and take care of their safety, they must be happy under his protection. And from this we may also conclude that, as he is the certain avenger of wickedness, although, for a time, he may seem to take no notice of the ungodly, yet at length he will visit them with destruction. Instead, therefore, of allowing ourselves to be deceived with their imaginary felicity, let us, in circumstances of distress, have ever before our eyes the providence of God, to whom it belongs to settle the affairs of the world, and to bring order out of confusion.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) Knowethi.e., recogniseth with discriminative discernment and appreciation. (Comp. Psa. 31:7; Psa. 144:3; Exo. 2:25; also Joh. 10:14. So Shakespeare, As You Like It: I know you are my eldest brother, and in the gentle condition of blood you should so know me.)
The way of the ungodly shall perish.This is explained by Psa. 112:10, the desire of the wicked shall perish; all his plans and ambitions shall come to nought. The metaphor is illustrated by Job. 6:18, where an unjust course is compared to a stream that suddenly dries up and disappears.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. The Lord knoweth Recognises its excellent nature and worthiness of approval and reward. Comp. note on “foreknow,” Rom 8:29.
Shall perish What is predicated of the way here applies to the ungodly. The Hebrew word “perish” is a strong word, occurring about one hundred and seventy times; about sixty times translated destroy, a few times lost, but otherwise almost always as in this text. When used of persons it generally signifies death; when used of lands, desolation. It denotes, not annihilation, but the destruction of things as to their uses and ends, and of men as to their plans, expectations, and enjoyments. The law of antithetic parallelism requires us to understand it here as the exact opposite of the reward of the righteous; and the scope of the argument refers us to the final and inevitable judgment of God in the next life. It is the ultimate issue of the two ways and the two characters which is the point aimed at and reached. To suppose them both equal in the final issue is a flat contradiction of the whole psalm, the first word of which is ashrey, blessed, applied to the godly man, and the last word, tobheyd, shall perish, applied to the ungodly, as in Psa 112:1; Psa 112:10. The Hebrew words are as opposite as heaven and hell.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘For YHWH knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.’
Every man must choose the way in which he walks, whether in the way of the word of God or in the way of sinners. And those who walk in the way of His word ‘YHWH knows’ (see Gen 18:19), He reveals Himself to them, He meets with them, and He blesses them. They are His people and they enjoy His presence and His watch over them. And He knows their way. It is the way of life (Psa 16:11; Pro 12:28), it is the way of peace (Isa 59:8), it is the everlasting way (Psa 139:24). So although they may be tested in it they will finally triumph, for He is with them (see Job 23:10).
But the way of the wicked can be described quickly, its end is that they will perish. That is its one certainty. Whatever they may enjoy along the way, and that is not certain, finally they will perish (compare Psa 73:17). All in which they are involved will be destroyed. Their way is the way of death (Pro 14:12).
For this whole psalm compare Jer 17:7-8 where he speaks of those who ‘trust in YHWH’ in similar terms. And then he finishes by saying, ‘the heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately sick. Who can know it?’, speaking finally of those who have not trusted in YHWH.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Lord knoweth them that are his, saith an Apostle. And as Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life; so in Jesus the Lord approveth of all that are in Him; and not only approveth and accepteth them in Jesus, but while the way of seducers waxeth worse and worse, the way of every poor justified believer in the Lord Jesus is known and approved by him, and all such are accepted in the beloved. 2Ti 2:19 .
REFLECTIONS
READER, let you and I, while reading this precious Psalm, in the very opening of the book, look at, and study, and meditate upon it, as an introductory subject, concerning the Lord Jesus, to what we shall meet with concerning him and his work, through the whole of the sacred contents of the Psalms, as Jesus is represented in them. Let us, in that part of it which thus beautifully speaks of the perfection of our nature, never lose sight of Christ. And while we thus look up to him in this holiness of character, let it be our delight and our joy to tell God our Father, what a perfection of beauty, glory, and holiness, was in him, who is our divine head. Yes, thou dear Redeemer! I would so read of thee, and of thy holiness, as to have my whole soul rejoicing in the contemplation. For do I not know that thy righteousness is for thy people? thy obedience and delight in the Father’s law, becomes the justification of all thy redeemed. And in thy holiness, all thy people are accounted holy before God, because our God and Father hath an eye to thee as our glorious head, and beholds thy saints complete in thee. Hail, then, thou Holy One of God! Thou art the Lord, our righteousness! And thou art made of God to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. And do thou, blessed Lord, grant us faith to know, and to consider ourselves as perfectly secured in thee. Give us to flourish in thee, and from thee, as the tree planted near the river’s side? even from the streams of that river of life which cometh forth from the throne of God and the Lamb. Then, when the faithless and unbelieving shall die away as the heath of the desert, which knoweth not when good cometh, our souls may be as the well-watered garden, whose waters fail not, but deriving all from thee, thou wilt be in us a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Ver. 6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous ] Or, acknowledgeth, approveth, administereth, and ordereth all things to their eternal salvation; as may appear by the opposition, wherein there is a rhetorical aposiopesis. God’s knowledge of men and their ways is not merely intuitive, but approbative of the good and vindictive of the evil; . His providence (which is the carrying on of his decree) is that helm which turns about the whole ship of the universe with singular skill and justice. Dominus diligit, et dirigit viam, id est, vitam et omne institutum iustorum. See Psa 37:18 ; Psa 142:4 Nah 1:7 Pro 2:8 , with the notes there. God knows the righteous by name, Exo 33:17 , knows them for his own, looks upon them and their whole course with singular delight and complacency; they are his Hephzibah, Isa 62:4 , the dearly beloved of his soul, Jer 12:7 . Verba notitiae apud Hebracos secum trahunt affectum.
But the way of the ungodly shall perish
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
For. Effect latent in first clause: cause latent in second clause.
knoweth = approveth, or acknowledged. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause). Compare Nah 1:7. 2Ti 2:19.
perish = come to naught.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 1:6
Psa 1:6
“For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous;
But the way of the wicked shall perish.”
It is not stated here that wicked men shall not prosper, because it is a sad truth that they often do prosper; but their ultimate total destruction is certified upon every page of the Bible.
There will come a time when God in righteous anger shall arise and cast evil out of his universe; and all who have given themselves to wickedness shall partake of the destruction that shall characterize that Day.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 1:6. Knoweth means to recognize or own. Way means a course of action in one’s life. God will own or accept the life of a righteous man by accepting and saving the man. On the other hand, the course of life followed by an ungodly man is objectionable, and the Lord will reject it in that he will let the man perish.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
knoweth: Psa 37:18-24, Psa 139:1, Psa 139:2, Psa 142:3, Job 23:10, Nah 1:7, Joh 10:14, Joh 10:27, 2Ti 2:19
way: Psa 112:10, Psa 146:9, Pro 14:12, Pro 15:9, Mat 7:13, 2Pe 2:12
Reciprocal: Gen 18:19 – For I Gen 22:12 – now Exo 2:25 – had respect Exo 33:12 – I know Deu 2:7 – he knoweth Job 10:7 – Thou knowest Job 31:6 – know Psa 1:1 – way Psa 2:12 – ye perish Psa 31:7 – known Psa 145:20 – all the wicked Pro 2:8 – keepeth Pro 10:29 – but Isa 1:28 – the destruction Isa 26:7 – most Hos 13:5 – know Mat 25:12 – I know Luk 13:27 – I tell Rom 7:15 – allow Rom 8:29 – whom 1Co 8:3 – is Gal 4:9 – are known 1Pe 4:5 – that Rev 2:2 – know
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 1:6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous As he searcheth the reins and the heart, and perfectly knows all his people, so he approves, loves, and delights in them, and in their conduct and conversation, and therefore will recompense them; but the way of the ungodly shall perish All their designs and courses shall come to nothing, and they shall perish with them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1:6 For the LORD {f} knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
(f) Approves and prospers, in the same way that to not know is to reprove and reject.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The instrument of the judgment that will determine the ultimate fate of these two basic kinds of people is God’s knowledge (cf. Mat 7:23). He knows (has intimate, loving concern about) what they have done (cf. Exo 2:25; Exo 19:4; Rom 8:29-30). The "way" refers to the whole course of life including what motivates it, what it produces, and where it ends. "Knows" (lit.) or "watches over" (NIV) is the antithesis of "perish" (cf. Psa 31:7; Pro 3:6).
This whole psalm is a solemn warning that the reader should live his or her life in view of ultimate judgment by God. Not only will the godly way prove the only adequate one then, but it also yields a truly beneficial existence now. [Note: See Charles R. Swindoll, Living Beyond the Daily Grind, Book I, pp. 3-15.]
"It [this psalm] announces that the primary agenda for Israel’s worship life is obedience, to order and conduct all of life in accordance with God’s purpose and ordering of the creation. The fundamental contrast of this psalm and all of Israel’s faith is a moral distinction between righteous and wicked, innocent and guilty, those who conform to God’s purpose and those who ignore those purposes and disrupt the order. Human life is not mocked or trivialized. How it is lived is decisive." [Note: Brueggemann, pp. 38-39.]