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Psalms 37:20

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20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat[a] of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
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Psalm 37:5
Rest in the Lord
Never Stop Dreaming

Psalms 37:20 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 37:20

But the wicked shall perish
In a time of famine, in an evil day, and particularly at the day of judgment: for this is to be understood, not merely of being in bodily distress and want; nor of perishing by death, common to the righteous and the wicked; nor of being in a lost perishing condition, as all men by nature are, but of eternal perdition in hell;

and the enemies of the Lord [shall be] as the fat of lambs, they shall
consume;
that is, either they shall consume away as the fat of lambs burnt upon the altar, which evaporates, or as lambs fattened on purpose to be killed, and so prepared for the day of slaughter; in like manner the wicked, who have waxed fat and kicked, will be destroyed; they being the enemies of God, yea, enmity to him, to Father, Son, and Spirit, to the Gospel and ordinances of Christ, and to his people, and will be treated as such. Some render the word, "like the excellency of pastures" F19; the grass of the field, which is cut down and withers presently; see ( Psalms 37:2 ) ;

into smoke shall they consume away,
or "with" F20 it; that is, as it; see ( Psalms 68:1 Psalms 68:2 ) ; or "in smoke" F21; in the smoke of eternal torments, or hell, as the Targum.

FOOTNOTES:

F19 (Myrk rqyk) "sicut pretiosum pratorum", Muis; so some in Piscator; "vel gloria", Michaelis.
F20 (Nveb) "cum fumo", Gejerus, Tigurine version; so Ainsworth.
F21 "In fumo", Montanus, Musculus, Michaelis.
Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Psalms 37:20 In-Context

18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
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.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. the fat: Heb. the preciousness
The King James Version is in the public domain.