Psalms 37:32
What does Psalms 37:32 mean?
A plain-English look at Psalms 37:32 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Psalms 37:32 means
This verse describes the persistent, malevolent attention the wicked direct toward the righteous. It acknowledges the real and ongoing threat faced by those who follow God. "The wicked watcheth the righteous" conveys a deliberate and often obsessive observation, not out of admiration, but with hostile intent. The purpose of this surveillance is sinister: "And seeketh to slay him." This reveals the murderous desires and destructive intentions of the wicked, who are not content merely to oppose but actively wish to eliminate the righteous. It highlights the spiritual darkness that drives evil-doers.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him.
KJV
King James Version · 1611The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The sinners are watching the upright man, desiring to put him to death.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862The wicked is watching for the righteous, And is seeking to put him to death.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Not available in this translation
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him:
Context
Following the description of the righteous's inner stability rooted in God's law in verse 31, this verse abruptly shifts to the external threat they face. It vividly portrays the wicked's malicious plotting and murderous intent against the righteous. This stark picture of danger then immediately sets the stage for God's powerful promise of protection and vindication for His faithful ones in the next verse.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Psalms 37:12
The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
- Luke 6:7
And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find how to accuse him.
- Luke 14:1
And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him.
- Luke 11:54
laying wait for him, to catch something out of his mouth.
- Psalms 10:8
He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; In the secret places doth he murder the innocent; His eyes are privily set against the helpless.
- Luke 19:47
And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him:
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