Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 37:32
The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
32. Cp. Psa 10:8 ff.: Pro 1:11 ff. The next verse shews that wrong by judicial corruption (Isa 5:13) as well as actual violence is meant.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
32, 33. Stanza of Tsadi. Malice defeated.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
32 40. The final contrast.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The wicked watcheth the righteous … – Observes closely; looks out for him; has his eye on him, seeking an opportunity to slay him. See the notes at Psa 10:8-9. The sense is, that the wicked are the enemies of the righteous, and seek to do them wrong. It is a characteristic of the wicked that they seek to destroy the righteous. This was manifested in the case of the prophets; in the case of the apostles; in the case of the Saviour; and it has been so manifest in the deaths of the martyrs, and all the persecutions which the Church has suffered, as to justify the general declaration that it is one of the characteristics of a wicked world that it desires to do this.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 37:32-33
The wicked watcheth the righteous, and waiteth to slay him.
The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
The foes of the righteous and how to escape them
We have seen a dog run after a bird when it was upon the ground, and nearly catch it; but, as soon as it mounted into its native element, all the dog could do was to look and bark. Christian, bird of Paradise, if thou settle upon earthly things, the great hell dog will stand some chance of injuring thee; but if thou keep in the heavenlies thou art safe. (W. Luff.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 32. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.] Similar to what is said Ps 37:8: “The wicked plotteth against the righteous.” But it is added, Ps 37:33: “The Lord will not leave him in his hands;” he will confound his devices, and save his own servants.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Watcheth, to find out a fit season or occasion to destroy him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
32, 33. The devices of thewicked against the good fail because God acquits them.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The wicked watcheth the righteous,…. All his motions and steps, his works and actions; he watches for his halting, and to take all opportunities and advantages against him; see Jer 20:10;
and seeketh to slay him; murder his reputation, destroy his substance, and take away his life: some understand it of the devil, who watches the saints, observes their failings, accuses then, before the throne, and seeks to devour them, 1Pe 5:8.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Lord as is, as in 1Co 4:3., put in contrast with the of men, or of human . If men sit in judgment upon the righteous, yet God, the supreme Judge, does not condemn him, but acquits him (cf. on the contrary Psa 109:7). Si condemnamur a mundo , exclaimed Tertullian to his companions in persecution, absolvimur a Deo .
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
32. and 33. The wicked watcheth the righteous, etc. David here illustrates more plainly the nature of the possession of the earth, of which he had spoken, namely, that God preserves his own people, though they are beset with enemies round about. And hence we are again taught, that the faithful are not promised in the preceding context a quiet state of life, and one free from all trouble and distress. If so, these two statements would be contradictory: first, that the faithful possessing an inheritance, enjoy repose and pleasure; and, secondly, that yet they are daily delivered as sheep out of the mouth of wolves. These two verses, however, contain this special ground of consolation, that the faithful, though surrounded by such a variety of dangers, shall notwithstanding escape, and be preserved in safety by the help of God. Accordingly, David here teaches them, that when they shall see their enemies lying in wait for them, and seeking by every means in their power to annoy them, they, on the contrary, ought to consider how deeply interested God is in the welfare of his own people, and how carefully he watches over them to preserve them in safety. David indeed confesses that the stratagems to which the wicked have recourse in seeking not only to deprive good men of their property, but even to take away their lives, are terrible in themselves, because they cruelly plot their destruction; but still he teaches us at the same time, that we ought to continue to preserve firm and undaunted courage, because God has promised that he will be our guardian and defender: Jehovah will not leave him in his hand This circumstance, however, ought to be considered, that God does not always grant us deliverance at the first, but often delays it till we seem to be even at the point of death. In the last clause of the verse, we are also admonished, that however carefully good men may guard against giving offense to any, and endeavor to secure the good-will of all, and shun debate and strife, yet they shall not be exempted from false accusations: Jehovah will not condemn them when they are judged David does not say that they shall receive the applause of the world, and that their virtues shall be celebrated in such praises as they deserve; but he exhorts them, when they shall be haled to judgment, and as it were overwhelmed with slander, so that they already resemble those who are condemned, to rest contented with the protection of God, who will at length manifest their innocence, and maintain it against the unrighteous judgments of men. If any one object, that, on the contrary, many of the children of God, after having been condemned, have suffered a cruel and bitter death, I answer, that their avenger nevertheless is in heaven. Christ was put to death in the most cruel form, and in circumstances of the deepest ignominy, but notwithstanding, as the prophet Isaiah says, Isa 53:8, “he was taken from that distress and condemnation;” and in the same manner God is still acting daily towards those who are his members. If it may still be objected, that David is here discoursing not of the life to come, but of the state of the godly in the present life, I must again repeat in answer to this, the explanation which I have given before, namely, that earthly blessings are at God’s disposal, and are regulated entirely according to his will; and hence it is that he never bestows them in an equal measure upon all, but according to his wisdom, and as he sees meet, sometimes withdrawing them either in whole or in part, and at other times displaying them to the view of all. Accordingly, it may happen, that the holy martyrs, after they have been condemned, may also be put to death, as if God had forsaken them; but this is only because it is better for themselves, and because they desire nothing more than to glorify God by their death. Yet he who permits the ungodly to exercise their cruelty, ceases not to be the assertor of the righteousness of his servants: for he openly shows before his angels, and before his whole Church, that he approves it, and declares that he will make inquisition for it; nay, more, raising them from the darkness in which they have been hid, he makes their ashes yield a sweet and pleasant odour. Finally, after the Lord has suffered them to be overwhelmed by reproach and violence, he will pronounce the judgment by which he will vindicate their righteous cause from wicked calumnies and false accusations.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
4). The Contrast Between The Behaviour And Destinies Of The Righteous and Of The Unrighteous (Tsade to Tau – Psa 37:32-40 ).
The Psalmist concludes his Psalm by making contrasts between the lives and destinies of the righteous and the unrighteous.
Psa 37:32-33
TS ‘The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
YHWH will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.’
It is one of the traits of the unrightous that they cannot bear those who are ‘too righteous’. Thus they seek to do them harm, and even get rid of them. But God’s promise is that He will not leave His righteous ones in the hands of the unrighteous. Nor will He Himself condemn those who are His, simply because they are falsely declared guilty by men. He is not bound by men’s verdicts, and knows how often they are perverted. This is especially so in countries where bribery and influence can be brought to bear on the sourcs of ‘justice’.
Psa 37:34
Q ‘Wait for YHWH, and keep his way,
And he will exalt you to inherit the land,
When the wicked are cut off,
You will see it.’
So the righteous must wait patiently for YHWH and walk truly in His way. Then they can be sure that in His own good time God will lift them up and will cause them to ‘inherit the land (or earth)’. That is, He will give them the full desire of their heart. To ‘inherit the land’ was the dream of every Israelite. It was to gain all that they could want. As for the unrighteous, they will be cut off, and the tighteous will see it. In other words, in the end all will see God’s justice fulfilled.
Psa 37:35
R I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
But one passed by, and, lo, he was not,
Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.’
An example is now given. The ageing Psalmist looks back over his life and can think of many times when the unrighteous have been in positions of great power and influence. They had spread themselves like a green tree does in its natural environment. But one day passers by notice that they have gone. They cannot be found anywhere. They have been ‘cut off’.
Psa 37:37-38
SH ‘Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright,
For there is a happy end to the man of peace.
As for transgressors, they will be destroyed together,
The end of the wicked will be cut off.’
So let men observe those who are true to their God and are upright, those who walk in His ways. To these ‘men of peace’, men who do not love violence but prefer mediation and amity, there is a happy end, and a joyous destiny. But as for the unrighteous, for transgressors against God’s ways, they will all be destroyed together, for their destiny is to be ‘cut off’.
Psa 37:39-40
T But the salvation of the righteous is of YHWH,
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble,
And YHWH helps them, and rescues them,
He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
Because they have taken refuge in him.’
The Psalm closes with and assurance for the righteous, that is, for all true believers. They do not have to live lives of worry and concern for their salvation is in the hands of YHWH. Indeed their whole lives are in the hands of YHWH. When the time of trouble comes He is their stronghold. In Him they can find refuge. He is ever there to help them and to rescue them and to deliver them. Thus He rescues them from the unrighteous, and saves them as a result of the fact that they have taken refuge in Him and that their trust is in Him. They know that He will never let them down.
‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give to them eternal life, and they will never perish, and none will pluck them from My hand’ (Joh 10:27-28).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psa 37:32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
Ver. 32. The wicked wateheth the righteous ] See Psa 10:8-10 , See Trapp on “ Psa 10:8 “ See Trapp on “ Psa 10:9 “ See Trapp on “ Psa 10:10 “ Speculatur, he accurately observeth, looking this way and that, as a watchman in a watch tower. Thus Saul eyed David, and laid out for him. Thus Jeroboam watched those of the ten tribes that went to Jerusalem to worship, he watched them, and waylaid them, Hos 5:1 .
And seeketh to slay him
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
watcheth: Psa 37:12, Psa 10:8-10, Jer 20:10, Luk 6:7, Luk 11:54, Luk 14:1, Luk 19:47, Luk 19:48, Luk 20:20, Act 9:24
Reciprocal: Gen 37:18 – conspired Gen 39:16 – General 1Sa 18:11 – And David 1Sa 23:14 – but God 1Sa 24:2 – and went 2Ki 6:13 – spy where Neh 6:2 – they thought Est 5:14 – he caused Psa 41:2 – thou wilt not Psa 56:6 – mark Psa 59:3 – they Psa 71:10 – lay wait for Psa 116:15 – Precious Psa 119:95 – wicked Psa 124:2 – when men Psa 140:4 – Keep me Pro 24:15 – Lay Jer 11:19 – and I Jer 18:23 – thou Dan 6:4 – sought Dan 6:11 – assembled Hab 1:13 – the wicked Mar 3:2 – General Luk 4:29 – that Joh 8:40 – now Act 5:33 – took Act 12:7 – the angel Act 12:19 – sought for him Act 23:15 – that he Act 25:3 – laying Act 26:17 – Delivering
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 37:32-33. The wicked watcheth the righteous To find out a fit season or occasion to destroy him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand That is, will not give him up to his power and rage; nor condemn him when he is judged Will not give his consent to the sentence of condemnation, which the wicked have pronounced against him, but will justify him, and vindicate his innocence, and deliver him. Some understand the words thus: Nor shall he (the wicked) condemn him when he is judged, observing, that it seems more to the purpose to say, that God would not suffer the wicked man to condemn the righteous, or to find him guilty, (for that probably was the way in which he proposed to murder him,) than that he would not do it himself. Mudge.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
4. The conflict between the wicked and the righteous 37:32-40
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The wicked really tries to overcome God when he sets himself against the righteous. The wicked will inevitably fail because God’s power is much greater than his own. Consequently, the righteous person only needs to wait for God to act for him.