Psalms 37:20 (YLT)

Passage

But the wicked perish, and the enemies of Jehovah, As the preciousness of lambs, Have been consumed, In smoke they have been consumed.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect, And their inheritance is--to the age.

Psalms 37:19 They are not ashamed in a time of evil, And in days of famine they are satisfied.

Psalms 37:20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of Jehovah, As the preciousness of lambs, Have been consumed, In smoke they have been consumed.

Psalms 37:21 The wicked is borrowing and repayeth not, And the righteous is gracious and giving.

Psalms 37:22 For His blessed ones do possess the land, And His reviled ones are cut off.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wicked", "perish", "enemies", "jehovah", "preciousness", "lambs", "been", and "consumed". 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 are not ashamed in a time..." into verse 21's "The wicked is borrowing and repayeth not...", 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.