Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 37:16
A little that a righteous man hath [is] better than the riches of many wicked.
16. Better is a little that the righteous hath
Than the abundance of many wicked. (R.V.)
Abundance, lit. tumult (a different word from that in Psa 37:11), suggests the idea of noisy, ostentatious opulence. Cp. Pro 15:16; Pro 16:8; and Tob 12:8 ; “a little with righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness.” The P.B.V. great riches of the ungodly follows the LXX, Vulg. and Jer.: but the present Heb. text cannot be so rendered.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
16, 17. Stanza of Teth. The nature of true wealth.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A little that a righteous man hath – literally, Good is a little to the righteous, more than, etc. Our translation, however, has expressed the sense with sufficient accuracy. There are two things implied here:
(a) that it happens not unfrequently that the righteous have little of the wealth of this world; and
(b) that this little is to them of more real value, accompanied, as it is, with higher blessings, than the more abundant wealth which the wicked often possess.
It is better to have but little of this worlds goods with righteousness, than it is to have the riches of many wicked men – or the wealth which is often found in the possession of wicked men – with their ungodliness. It is not always true, indeed, that the righteous are poor; but if they are poor, their lot is more to be desired than that of the wicked man, though he is rich. Compare Luk 16:19-31.
Is better than the riches of many wicked – Of many wicked people. The small property of one truly good man, with his character and hopes, is of more value than would be the aggregate wealth of many rich wicked men with their character and prospects. The word rendered riches here – hamon – means properly noise, sound, as of rain or of a multitude of people; then, a multitude, a crowd of people; and then, a multitude of possessions; that is, riches or wealth. The allusion here is not, as Prof. Alexander supposes, to the tumult or bustle which often attends the acquisition of property, or to the disorder and disquiet which attends its possession, but simply to the amount considered as large, or as accumulated or brought together. It is true that its acquisition is often attended with bustle and noise; it is true that its possessor has not often the peace and calmness of mind which the man has who has a mere competence; but the simple thought here is that, in reference to the amount, or the actual possession, it is better, on the whole, to have what the poor, pious man has, than to have what many wicked men have, if it were all gathered together. It does more to make a man happy on earth; it furnishes a better prospect for the life to come.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 37:16-20
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
The folly of fretful envy
I. The good in comparative poverty are better off than the wicked with plenty, A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. Better for two reasons.
1. His condition would be a more enjoyable one. He would have higher happiness, tits happiness would spring from within, that of the other from without. The happiness of the one selfish, the other generous; the one decreasing, the other heightening.
2. His condition would be a more honourable one. The one is honoured for what he has, the other for what he is. The one is honoured only here by the depraved, the other is honoured yonder by angels and by God.
II. The good are divinely supported, but the wicked shall lose their power, The arms of the wicked shall be broken; but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
1. The power of the wicked to execute their purpose is to be destroyed. They have often a great deal of power, the arm of literature, commerce, law, war, and with these they work out their iniquitous plans; but the arms are not imperishable.
2. The power of the good to prosecute their mission will he Divinely sustained.
(1) The power to do good is Divine.
(2) Divine power is indestructible. If God be for us, who can be against us?
III. The good shall have a permanent inheritance, but ruin is the doom of the wicked. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be for ever. What is the inheritance of the righteous? The Lord Himself. The Lord is my portion.
1. This inheritance will preclude all disappointment. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time. Whatever comes, whatever the wrecks of life, and the riot of confusion, with this inheritance there will he calm courage. I am persuaded that neither life nor death, etc.
2. This inheritance will yield satisfaction under the most unfavourable circumstances. (Homilist.)
The righteous and his little, better than the wicked with his much
The little may be better than the much This is Heavens arithmetic. Why is the little better?
I. Because it is honestly gained. Either the product of healthy labour, of commendable skill, or of lawful inheritance.
II. Because it may be safely retained. Prayer and benevolence are a great preservative to wealth.
III. Because it may be truly enjoyed.
IV. Because it will be carefully spent.
V. Because it will be benevolently used. The righteous gain by giving. A running stream inherits the most territory.
VI. Because it will be divinely blessed. Lessons:–
1. To be satisfied with little.
2. To make little sufficient.
3. To use little well. (Joseph Exell, M. A.)
The advantages of the virtuous for the enjoyment of external good
I. A good man has greater enjoyment, purer and more solid satisfaction, from a little, than the wicked can have from the largest fortune.
1. Vice produces a temper which is very unfavourable to our enjoyment. It destroys the constitution, and breaks the vigour of the soul. It subjects it to the most uneasy feelings and the most painful passions (Isa 1:5-6). The fiercest shocks of thunder, winds, and rains cannot produce more dreadful convulsions in the frame of nature, than those into which tumultuous, exorbitant, and jarring passions throw the soul: they ravage all its enjoyments.
2. On the other hand, virtue establishes a temper in the soul, which fits us for taking pleasure in whatever we possess. It dispels the black clouds which overcast the vicious heart, and intercept the comfort which might arise from outward things: they are scattered by its brightness; they fly away before it as the shadows of the night before the rising sun. A virtuous temper lays the mind open to every satisfaction that comes in its way, prepares it for embracing and enjoying it; and it renders the man so well disposed, so happy in himself, that almost every object throws some satisfaction in his way.
II. His enjoyment is more durable.
1. As bodily distemper, from small beginnings, increases till it prove mortal, as one disease neglected is the cause of many others; so the vices of the depraved heart daily acquire new strength by indulgence; they propagate many more; they infect the temper and disorder the constitution with a growing multitude of tormenting passions; they root guilt, remorse, and terror deeper in the soul. Whatever good qualities he once possessed, they will be gradually choked by his spreading vices; they will wither and decay; his capacity of enjoyment will be blasted in the same proportion. The man who never thinks of rectifying the depravities of his temper, but goes on to indulge them without control, must at last become abandoned, and insusceptible of genuine satisfaction.
2. The enjoyment of the good man is in every respect the reverse. Like his practice, it is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. His virtue does not merely secure the continuance of that relish which he has for true pleasure; it improves his relish in proportion as itself is, by careful practice, strengthened and refined. By daily progress in holiness, he will be more and more possessed of that heavenly serenity of soul, which, by giving him the full enjoyment of himself, prepares him for deriving high and solid satisfaction from every agreeable circumstance in his worldly condition.
III. But a strong objection seems to arise from experience: the wicked, it may be urged, have actually a greater, and the righteous a less degree of enjoyment than we have asserted. We admit the fact; if the wicked were so totally destitute of enjoyment as we have represented them to be, their life would be insupportable: but we maintain that, when this fact is examined, instead of weakening our argument, it will confirm it. We have hitherto supposed the character to be purely virtuous, or purely vicious, that by viewing virtue and vice separately, we might the better discover the genuine tendency of both: but every human character is mixed, composed of some virtues and some vices; and the actual enjoyment of every human creature is affected by each of the ingredients which enter into the composition. Every abatement to which the good mans enjoyment is liable in this mixed state, is to be placed to the account of vice and whatever degree of enjoyment the world can convey to the wicked, is to be ascribed to their imperfect virtues.
1. If these things be so, need we be surprised that so few are really happy? Is it not rather surprising that so many find life tolerable?
2. Need we be concerned that outward things are distributed so promiscuously, or so unequally? It is in the power of every man, by the assistance of Gods grace, to cultivate a virtuous and holy temper: and this is infinitely more important to his enjoyment than the gaudiest distinctions of external state.
3. Would we be truly happy? Let us be virtuous. It is not more our duty than it is our interest. (A. Gerard, D. D.)
How to make much of a little
1. See, in any poor cottage, where true devotion and honest industry abide, how far even very scant wages will go towards providing the real comforts of life. It is not only that Christian patience makes them content with a little, but somehow Christian prudence teaches them to make the most of that little, so that it seems to grow in their hands, and to reach further in the way of making them comfortable than any one would have thought possible.
2. Nor is it less surprising, on the other hand, to see how irreligion wears out and destroys, if not the riches themselves of worldly men, at least all the enjoyment and pleasure that might be looked for in them. How often do we hear of great fortunes dissipated unexpectedly, and nothing, people say, to show for it all I
3. This becomes still plainer when we come down to more particulars–to the things wherein people are supposed particularly to enjoy their wealth. Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a stalled ox, and barred therewith. Who would not rather be St. John in the wilderness, with the leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat locusts and wild honey, than such a wealthy king as Herod, making a feast to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee?
4. It is the same in the matter of health and strength. A saint on a sick-bed–Hezekiah turning his face to the wall and praying–shall do more, shall really exert more power to change the face of the world, than a mighty conqueror, such as Sennacherib, at the head of his army.
5. One chief supposed advantage of wealth is, that it enables men to choose their company, and to abound in all social enjoyment; but one sure friend that the righteous hath is worth all the companions of the ungodly. Elijah in the wilderness, with now and then a visit from an angel: did he not find that the remembrance of those rare moments cast a light over all his long, solitary hours, which quite prevented them from being tedious? Did he ever wish himself, think you, in Ahabs place, with his many friends and allies, and his seventy children?
6. Nay, and the same rule holds, not only in respect of outward things, but of knowledge also, and scholarship, and acquaintance even with divine matters. Thus a little drop of knowledge, touched by Divine grace, may swell into a sea: as the wise son of Sirach describes Gods dealings with himself: I came out, he says, as a brook from a river, and as a conduit into a garden: I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed; and lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea. Because he applied himself to his immediate and nearest duty with all [ is heart, God blessed him with large and high knowledge, beyond all the ungodly wisdom of the world.
7. Such is Gods mercy on the one hand, and the perverseness of men on the other, that, even in respect of spiritual blessings also, the psalmists saying holds true. A little measure of grace well employed, and received into a heart willing to be made righteous, is better–far better–than the highest spiritual privileges, when God, in His unsearchable judgments, has vouchsafed them to unworthy persons. Here is comfort for those who seem to be placed in less favourable circumstances than others; less within reach of the means of grace; farther from churches, or with rarer opportunities of receiving the Sacraments. I do not deny that their loss is great: yet our Lord not doubtfully gives us to understand that it may be made up, though they themselves know not how, by increased and most earnest prayers and endeavours on their part. They may be like the woman of Canaan, who, although she was in the place of the dogs, yet was allowed a portion of the childrens bread, because of her great faith, her persevering and humble prayer. (Plain Sermons by Contributors to the Tracts for the Times. )
Gladness under constrained conditions
As I was writing these words there broke upon my ears the song of a canary bird hanging in the room overhead. Its thrilling notes were not a whir less joyous than those which I have often heard rained down from the infinite expanse of heaven by the little skylark of my native land. In spite of its cage that tiny warbler sings, and when its young mistress goes to speak to it, there is a flutter of joy in its wings as with ruffled neck and chattering gladness it leaps to bid her welcome. So let us accept our bonds, whether of poverty, or weakness, or duty, as the bird accepts its cage. You may cage the bird, but you cannot cage its song. No more can you confine or restrain the joy of the heart which, accepting its condition, sees God in it and greets Him from it. (W. M. Taylor.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. A little that a righteous man hath] This is a solid maxim. Whatever a good man has, has God’s blessing in it; even the blessings of the wicked are cursed.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Because he hath it with many great and glorious advantages, with Gods favour and blessings, with great serenity, and satisfaction of his own mind, which is infinitely more desirable and comfortable than all earthly possessions; with the consolations of Gods Spirit, and the assurance of everlasting felicity; whilst wicked mens riches are loaded with many encumbrances, with the wrath and curse of God, the torment of their own consciences and passions, and the dreadful expectation of an after-reckoning, and of endless miseries.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. richesliterally, “noiseand tumult,” as incidental to much wealth (compare Ps39:6). Thus the contrast with the “little” of one manis more vivid.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
A little that a righteous man hath,…. It is the portion of the righteous, for the most part, to have but little of this world’s goods; some indeed have been rich, as Abraham, Lot, David, Joseph of Arimathea, and others; but, generally speaking, the wicked have the largest share of worldly things, and the righteous but little, and are as having nothing comparatively; and yet their little
[is] better than the riches of many wicked; not that a little is better than much, or that poverty is better than riches, or a poor man better than a rich man; but the comparison is between a righteous man and a wicked man; the emphasis lies there; and the sense is, that a “righteous” man’s “little” is better than a “wicked” man’s “much”; the righteous have a right to what they have, through Christ, who is heir of all things, but not the wicked; they have what they have in love and with a blessing, not so the wicked; they are contented in their state and condition, when the wicked are never satisfied; they possess and enjoy what they have, even all they have, when God oftentimes does not give the wicked an heart to eat and drink of what they are possessed, but a stranger eats it; they have the presence of God with them, and that makes a little sweet, and to go a great way; and they live without any anxious, distressing, burdensome care; not so the wicked; and before long the tables will be turned, and they will have their good things, and the wicked their evil things; see Pr 16:8; wherefore they have no need to fret under present circumstances, nor envy the happiness of wicked men. Arama interprets it, of a little help that a righteous man has, better than the riches of many wicked; and Gussetius r understands all this not of the smallness and largeness of the substance of different persons, but of their numbers, the one small, the other large; and Jarchi, that the sense is, that a few persons with the righteous, which was the case of Abraham and Gideon, are better and succeed more than the multitude of many wicked persons; and the church should be content with a small number of believers, and not draw in a multitude of wicked men into their communion.
r Ebr. Comment. p. 213, 475.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
With Psa 37:16 accord Pro 15:16; Pro 16:8, cf. Tobit 12:8. The of is a periphrastic indication of the genitive (Ges. 115). is a noisy multitude, here used of earthly possessions. is not per attract. (cf. Psa 38:11, for ) equivalent to , but the one righteous man is contrasted with many unrighteous. The arms are here named instead of the bow in Psa 37:15. He whose arms are broken can neither injure others nor help himself. Whereas Jahve does for the righteous what earthly wealth and human power cannot do: He Himself upholds them.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
16. Better is the little of the righteous, etc This verse, without any sufficient reason, has been variously rendered. The word המון , hamon, (32) which is rendered abundance, indeed, sometimes signifies a great multitude of men, and sometimes abundance of things; sometimes, too, an adjective of the plural number is joined to a substantive of the singular number. But those who wrest David’s words to this sense, that a few righteous persons are better than a great multitude of the ungodly, (33) plainly destroy their import, and pervert the meaning of the whole sentence. Nor can I receive the explanation which others have given, that the little which the just man possesses is better than the great abundance of the wicked; for I see no necessity for connecting, contrary to the rules of grammar, the word המון, hamon, which denotes abundance, with the word רבים, rabbim. which signifies many or great, and not with the word רשעים, reshaim, which means wicked I have therefore no doubt; that David here contrasts the limited possessions of one righteous man with the riches and wealth of many wicked men. The Hebrew word רבים, rabbim, however, which I have rendered many, may also be properly taken to denote persons of great authority and power. Certainly, it is not difficult to understand that David means to say, that although the wicked excel in this world, and are enriched with its possessions in great abundance and trust in their riches, yet the little which the just man possesses is far better than all their treasures. From this we learn, that David is here speaking, not so much of external grandeur and wealth, as of the secret blessing of God which truly enriches the righteous; for although they live from hand to mouth, yet are they fed from heaven as it were with manna; while the ungodly are always hungry, or else waste away in the very midst of their abundance.
To this also belongs the reason which is added in the next verse, namely, that there is nothing stable in the world except it be sustained by the power of God; but we are plainly told that the righteous only are upheld by him, and that the power of the ungodly shall be broken Here again we see, that in order to form a right and proper estimate of true felicity, we must look forward to the future, or contemplate by the eye of faith the secret grace of God, and his hidden judgments. Unless we are persuaded by faith that God cherishes us in his bosom as a father does his children, our poverty will always be a source of trouble to us; and, on the other hand, unless we bear in mind what is here said concerning the wicked, that their arms shall be broken, we will make too great account of their present condition. But if this doctrine be deeply fixed in the hearts of the faithful, as soon as they shall have learned to rely upon the divine blessing, the delight and joy which they will experience from their little store shall be equal to the magnanimity with which they shall look down, as it were from an eminence, upon the vast treasures in which the ungodly glory. At the same time, we are here admonished, that whilst the ungodly rely upon their own strength, and proudly boast of it, we ought to wait patiently till God arise and break their arms in pieces. As for us, the best consolation which we could have in our infirmity is, that God himself upholds and strengthens us.
(32) Ainsworth renders this word, “plenteous mammon,” which, he remarks, “signifieth multitude, plenty, or store of riches, or any other thing.” The Septuagint renders it riches. The English word mammon is derived from this Hebrew word.
(33) This is the view taken by Fry, who renders the words,
“
Better are the few of the Just one, Than the great multitude of the wicked.”
By the Just One, he understands Christ.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) A little.A natural reflection, when it is remembered that great riches bring corresponding cares (Pro. 15:16), and often lead to ruinous indulgence and luxury (Pro. 13:25; Job. 20:12.) Besides, the contentment which is often enjoyed in virtuous poverty seldom dwells with the mammon of unrighteousness.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Little that a righteous man hath Because it sufficeth for all natural and reasonable want, and is received with gratitude and contentment, is better, etc. Wealth never satisfies the craving for wealth, nor induces soul rest; neither can indulgence abate the force and tyranny of vicious appetites. See Pro 15:16; Pro 16:8
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
These verses are all so plain, that, as they need no explanation, so an attempt to do it would only enervate their own pure and decisive language. A little with Christ is beyond millions of riches without him. Reader I look diligently in all your enjoyments, whether Jesus be in them, and whether those enjoyments be real enjoyments, because of finding the Lord Christ in them.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath [is] better than the riches of many wicked.
Ver. 16. A little that the righteous man hath, &c. ] Whereas it was said before, the meek shall inherit the earth, some man might object that sach are commonly poor enough; and that is no small affliction, as the heathens (Menander, Euripides, Alcus, &c.) have affirmed; and experience assureth it. Hereunto it is answered that “a little that the righteous man hath is better,” &c., as a box of pearls is more worth than many loads of pebbles. And as a bird with a little eye, and the advantage of a wing to soar with, may see far wider than an ox with a greater; so the righteous, with a little estate, joined with faith, tranquillity, and devotion, may have mere pleasure, feel more comfort, see more of God’s bounty, than one of vast possessions, whose heart cannot lift itself above the earth, as one well observeth. Some render it thus, Better is the little of one righteous man than the plenteous mammon of many wicked. The bee is as well (if not better) content with feeding on the dew, or sucking from a flower, as Behemoth, that grazeth on the mountains. Here the psalmist speaketh, saith Vatablus, of the secret blessing of God; Quia etsi in diem victitent, e caelo tamen non secus ac manna pascuntur; for although they have but from hand to mouth, yet they are fed from heaven, as it were, with manna.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 37:16-22
16Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord sustains the righteous.
18The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.
19They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will have abundance.
20But the wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures,
They vanish like smoke they vanish away.
21The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and gives.
22For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be cut off.
Psa 37:16-22 This strophe is a series of contrasts (antithetical parallelism).
1. Psa 37:16
a. better is the little of the righteous (cf. Pro 15:16-17; Pro 16:8; Pro 28:6; this is the theological balance to Psa 37:25)
b. than the abundance of many wicked (i.e., do not fret over the seeming prosperity of the wicked, Psa 37:1-2)
2. Psa 37:17
a. the arms of the wicked will be broken
b. YHWH sustains the righteous
3. Psa 37:18-20
a. the blameless, Psa 37:18-19
(1) YHWH knows their day
(2) their inheritance will be forever
(3) they will not be ashamed in the time of evil
(4) in the days of famine, they will have abundance
b. the wicked
(1) will perish
(2) will vanish away (MT uncertain, context suggests, like spring flowers, cf. Psa 37:2)
4. Psa 37:21
a. the wicked borrows and does not pay back
b. the righteous is gracious and gives
5. Psa 37:22
a. those blessed by YHWH will inherit the land
b. those cursed by YHWH will be cut off
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Psa 37:16-22
Psa 37:16-22
THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED CONTRASTED
“Better is a little that the righteous hath
Than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken;
But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.
Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect;
And the days of their inheritance shall be forever.
They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil;
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
But the wicked shall perish,
And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs.
They shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away.
The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again;
But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth.
For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land;
And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.”
As Ash noted, “Throughout the remainder of this psalm, either the righteous or the wicked are mentioned in practically every verse.
“Better than the abundance of the wicked” (Psa 37:16). As Spurgeon noted, “For a wicked heart, the whole world is not enough. The greed, envy, and covetousness that eat like a cancer in the heart of the wicked are insatiable, while the child of God learns with the apostles that “godliness with contentment” is great gain.
“The enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs” (Psa 37:20). We are certain that the RSV rendition of this place is erroneous. It reads, “The enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures.” (1) “The Hebrew word here commonly and properly means `lamb’; but it also may mean the meadow or pasture where lambs feed.” This is another instance in which translators deliberately choose the least appropriate meaning in a situation of multiple choices. The fact that the common and ordinary meaning of the word here is `lamb’ strongly favors the American Standard Version rendition.
(2) But that is not all. The genius of Hebrew poetry has the advantage of repeating the meaning in the next line; and here that settles the matter. The reason why God’s enemies are like the fat of lambs is that they shall eventually be burned up, just like the fat of the sacrifices was always burned (See Exo 29:13-25). Notice how that thought is echoed in the next clause: “They shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away”!
What are the grounds, then, upon which the RSV rejected the ancient versions and came up with their recent change? It is here stated by Rawlinson:
“Both translations are tenable; but the RSV is preferable, since the consumption of the fat of lambs upon the altar is connected with the idea, not of rejection, but of acceptance.
To us this excuse is absolutely untenable as any adequate explanation of the RSV error. Some of the scholars try to make the new translation fit, by pointing out that sometimes pastures had to be burned off; and that, of course, would harmonize with the `smoke’ in the second clause; but lambs do not feed in a pasture that is being `burned off.’ Furthermore, the new rendition speaks of “the glory of the pastures”; and where do they get that?
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 37:16. His little is better for two reasons. He obtained it by the proper means, and a righteous man will appreciate what he has and make proper use of it.
Psa 37:17. Arms is from an original that has a figurative as well as literal definition. It is here used in the first sense and means “force.” The forces of the wicked will finally be brought to naught.
Psa 37:18. Lord knoweth is used in the sense of approval. Inheritance means the reward that the upright man will receive from the Lord, never to fade away.
Psa 37:19. Not be ashamed means they will not be confused or disappointed in times of distress. The Lord will remember them and supply their needs.
Psa 37:20. The fat of lambs is used as a sacrifice to God. The wicked will not be literally burned up as the fat is done, but they will be consigned to the wrath of God and their evil works shall utterly perish.
Psa 37:21. Two opposite kinds of conduct are described in this verse, and the characteristic of the one emphasizes that of the other. If the wicked man should repay what he had borrowed it would be only what strict justice would require. The righteous man goes farther than the demands of justice. He shows mercy by giving to the needy who would not be able to repay. (See Luk 14:12-14.)
Psa 37:22. Blessed of him means blessed by the Lord. Those who are righteous come under this benefit and shall inherit the earth. For explanation of this phrase see comments at Psa 37:9.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Pro 3:33, Pro 13:25, Pro 15:16, Pro 15:17, Pro 16:8, Pro 30:9, Ecc 2:26, Ecc 4:6, Mat 6:11, 1Ti 6:6
Reciprocal: Gen 27:41 – then Pro 12:27 – but Pro 15:6 – in the revenues Pro 17:1 – a dry Ecc 5:20 – For he shall not much remember Jer 35:9 – General Dan 1:15 – their Luk 6:20 – Blessed Luk 9:17 – eat Luk 12:15 – for Luk 18:30 – manifold more 1Ti 4:8 – having Heb 11:26 – greater
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 37:16-17. Is better than the riches of many wicked Because he hath it with many great and glorious advantages; with Gods favour and blessing, with great serenity and satisfaction of his own mind, which is infinitely more desirable and comfortable than all earthly possessions, with the consolations of Gods Spirit, and the assurance of everlasting felicity: while wicked mens riches are loaded with many encumbrances; with the wrath and curse of God; the torment of their own consciences and passions; and the dreadful expectation of an after-reckoning, and of endless miseries. The Lord upholdeth the righteous This is a proof of what he had said Psa 37:16. For what the wicked have shall suddenly be lost and gone, but God will maintain the righteous in their happy estate.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
37:16 {k} A little that a righteous man hath [is] better than the riches of many wicked.
(k) For they are daily fed as with manna from heaven and have sufficient, while the wicked never have enough, but always hunger.