Psalms 37:10 (ASV)

Passage

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: Fret not thyself, [it tendeth] only to evil-doing.

Psalms 37:9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the land.

Psalms 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.

Psalms 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the land, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalms 37:12 The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "little", "wicked", "shall", "thou", "shalt", "diligently", "consider", and "place". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "little" and "wicked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "For evil-doers shall be cut off But..." into verse 11's "But the meek shall inherit the land...", so "little" and "wicked" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "little" and "wicked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.