Psalms 1:4
What does Psalms 1:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Psalms 1:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Psalms 1:4 means
In sharp contrast to the flourishing tree, this verse describes the wicked as utterly unstable and without substance. The image of chaff, the light, worthless husks separated from grain, perfectly conveys their nature. Unlike the deeply rooted tree, the wicked are easily scattered and driven away by the winds of life and judgment, signifying their lack of foundation and enduring value. Their way of life offers no true stability or lasting fruit, leading ultimately to futility.
Psalms 1:4 in context
Psalms 1 — The Two Ways
The Psalter opens with a portrait of two roads. The blessed man does not stand in the path of sinners; instead he meditates on God's law day and night and is like a tree planted by streams of water, fruitful in its season. The wicked are not so — they are like chaff the wind drives away. The chapter is the doorway to all 150 psalms: prayer and praise grow out of a life rooted in the Word.
- Meditation on Scripture
- Two ways
- Fruitfulness
- Judgment
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The wicked are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
KJV
King James Version · 1611The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The wicked are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The evil-doers are not so; but are like the dust from the grain, which the wind takes away.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Not so the wicked: But--as chaff that wind driveth away!
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The wicked are not so; but are as the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Context
This verse marks a dramatic shift in the psalm, introducing the contrasting fate of the wicked after three verses dedicated to the righteous. It immediately follows the detailed description of the blessed person's flourishing life, setting up a clear dichotomy. This abrupt contrast emphasizes the fundamental difference between the two ways of life, preparing the reader for the ultimate judgment outlined in the subsequent verses.
v.3And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also doth not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
v.4This passage
v.5Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Job 21:18
That they are as stubble before the wind, And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?
- Isaiah 29:5
But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be in an instant suddenly.
- Hosea 13:3
Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that passeth early away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing-floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.
- Isaiah 17:13
The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but he shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm.
- Matthew 3:12
whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.
- Psalms 35:5
Let them be as chaff before the wind, And the angel of Jehovah drivingthemon.
Sermon ideas from Psalms 1:4
Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.
What Psalms 1:4 teaches us about meditation on scripture
What Psalms 1:4 teaches us about two ways
What Psalms 1:4 teaches us about fruitfulness
What Psalms 1:4 teaches us about judgment
Related questions readers ask
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