Psalms 37:36 (GNV)

Passage

Yet he passed away, and loe, he was gone, and I sought him, but he could not be founde.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:34 Waite thou on the Lord, and keepe his way, and he shall exalt thee, that thou shalt inherite the lande: when the wicked men shall perish, thou shalt see.

Psalms 37:35 I haue seene the wicked strong, and spreading himselfe like a greene bay tree.

Psalms 37:36 Yet he passed away, and loe, he was gone, and I sought him, but he could not be founde.

Psalms 37:37 Marke the vpright man, and beholde the iust: for the end of that man is peace.

Psalms 37:38 But the transgressours shall be destroyed together, and the ende of the wicked shall bee cut off.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "passed", "away", "gone", "sought", and "founde". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "passed" and "away", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 35's "I haue seene the wicked strong and..." into verse 37's "Marke the vpright man and beholde the...", so "passed" and "away" 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 "passed" and "away" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.