Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
God protects the righteous and kills the wicked.
II. Photo
A message: “Do not be vexed by evil men; do not be incensed by wrongdoers; for they soon wither like grass, like verdure fade away.” (vv. 1b-2)
III. Select Verses
1b-2: Do not be vexed by evil men; do not be incensed by wrongdoers; for they soon wither like grass, like verdure fade away.
14-15: The wicked draw their swords, bend their bows, to bring down the lowly and needy, to slaughter upright men. Their swords shall pierce their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken.
16: Better the little that the righteous man has than the great abundance of the wicked.
18-20: The LORD is concerned for the needs of the blameless; their portion lasts forever; they shall not come to grief in bad times; in famine, they shall eat their fill. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be consumed, like meadow grass consumed in smoke.
25: I have been young and am now old, but I have never seen a righteous man abandoned, or his children seeking bread.
27: Shun evil and do good, and you shall abide forever.
35-36: I saw a wicked man, powerful, well-rooted like a robust native tree. Suddenly he vanished and was gone; I sought him, but he was not to be found.
IV. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b-2. The wicked will fade away
3-8. Trust in God
9-10. The wicked will disappear
11. The lowly will be lifted
12-15. The wicked will be met with death
16-17. Better to be righteous than wicked
18-19. The righteous are looked out for
20. God will destroy the wicked
21-22. The righteous man as opposed to the wicked
23-26. The righteous always succeed
27-31. Exhortation and rationale for doing good
32-33. The wicked will not succeed
34. Exhortation to turn to God
35-36. Anecdote about a wicked man
37-38. Fates of the righteous and wicked
39-40. God protects the righteous
V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.
VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Craigie, Peter C. “Psalms 1-50” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 19 (Waco, Texas: Wordbooks, 1983).
Gerstenberger, Erhard S. “Psalms Part 1 with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry” Forms of Old Testament Literature (Michigan: Eerdmans, 1988).
Photo taken from http://www.lexnight.com/images/desktops/prairiegrass.jpg
