Psalms 1:6
What does Psalms 1:6 mean?
A plain-English look at Psalms 1:6 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Psalms 1:6 means
This concluding verse succinctly summarizes the fundamental distinction between the two ways of life. God intimately knows and approves of the path of the righteous; He watches over them and guides them, ensuring their ultimate well-being. Conversely, the way of the wicked, devoid of divine guidance and approval, is destined for destruction. Their path leads to ruin and ultimate despair, reinforcing the psalmist's initial declaration of blessedness for those who choose God and His law.
Psalms 1:6 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 · 2000For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous; But the way of the wicked shall perish.
KJV
King James Version · 1611For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous; But the way of the wicked shall perish.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Because the Lord sees the way of the upright, but the end of the sinner is destruction.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862For Jehovah is knowing the way of the righteous, And the way of the wicked is lost!
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.
Context
This final verse serves as the powerful summation of the entire psalm, drawing a definitive conclusion to the contrast presented. It directly follows the description of the wicked's judgment, providing the divine rationale for their fate and for the blessing of the righteous. This concluding statement solidifies the psalm's central message about the two roads of life and their respective eternal outcomes, making it a foundational principle for the entire book of Psalms.
v.5Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
v.6This passage
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Proverbs 15:9
The way of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah; But he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
- Nahum 1:7
Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that take refuge in him.
- Job 23:10
But he knoweth the way that I take; When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
- Psalms 146:9
Jehovah preserveth the sojourners; He upholdeth the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
- 2 Peter 2:12
But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed,
- Psalms 37:18
Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever.
Sermon ideas from Psalms 1:6
Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.
What Psalms 1:6 teaches us about meditation on scripture
What Psalms 1:6 teaches us about two ways
What Psalms 1:6 teaches us about fruitfulness
What Psalms 1:6 teaches us about judgment
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