Psalms 37:21 (GNV)

Passage

The wicked boroweth and payeth not againe. but the righteous is mercifull, and giueth.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:19 They shall not be confounded in the perilous time, and in the daies of famine they shall haue ynough.

Psalms 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be consumed as the fatte of lambes: euen with the smoke shall they consume away.

Psalms 37:21 The wicked boroweth and payeth not againe. but the righteous is mercifull, and giueth.

Psalms 37:22 For such as be blessed of God, shall inherite the lande, and they that be cursed of him, shalbe cut off.

Psalms 37:23 The pathes of man are directed by the Lord: for he loueth his way.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wicked", "boroweth", "payeth", "againe", "righteous", "mercifull", and "giueth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wicked" and "boroweth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "But the wicked shall perish and the..." into verse 22's "For such as be blessed of God...", so "wicked" and "boroweth" 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 "wicked" and "boroweth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.