Psalms 37:18 (KJV)

Passage

The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

Psalms 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.

Psalms 37:18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

Psalms 37:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Psalms 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "knoweth", "days", "upright", "inheritance", "shall", and "ever". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "knoweth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "For the arms of the wicked shall..." into verse 19's "They shall not be ashamed in the...", so "lord" and "knoweth" 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 "lord" and "knoweth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.