Psalms 37:18 (DRB)

Passage

For I am ready for scourges: and my sorrow is continually before me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:16 For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped: thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God.

Psalms 37:17 For I said: Lest at any time my enemies rejoice over me: and whilst my feet are moved, they speak great things against me.

Psalms 37:18 For I am ready for scourges: and my sorrow is continually before me.

Psalms 37:19 For I will declare my iniquity: and I will think for my sin.

Psalms 37:20 But my enemies live, and are stronger than I: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ready", "scourges", "sorrow", "continually", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ready" and "scourges", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "For I said Lest at any time..." into verse 19's "For I will declare my iniquity and...", so "ready" and "scourges" 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 "ready" and "scourges" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.