Psalms 37:20 (LSB)

Passage

But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of Yahweh will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—in smoke they vanish away.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:18 Yahweh knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever.

Psalms 37:19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

Psalms 37:20 But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of Yahweh will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—in smoke they vanish away.

Psalms 37:21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.

Psalms 37:22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wicked", "perish", "enemies", "yahweh", "like", "glory", "pastures", and "vanish". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wicked" and "perish", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "They will not be ashamed in the..." into verse 21's "The wicked borrows and does not pay...", so "wicked" and "perish" 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 "perish" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.