For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.
Parallel Translations
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For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.
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For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
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For the LORD regardeth the way of the righteous; but the way of the wicked shall perish.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (15)
Passages linked to Psalms 1:6 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Timothy 2:19 However God’s firm foundation stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.”
- John 10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;
- Proverbs 15:9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but he loves him who follows after righteousness.
- Nahum 1:7 Yahweh is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who take refuge in him.
- Psalms 37:18-24 Yahweh knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish— vanish like smoke. The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back, but the righteous give generously. For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off. A man’s steps are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
- John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
- Psalms 146:9 Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but he turns the way of the wicked upside down.
- Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
- Psalms 139:1-2 Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
- Matthew 7:13 “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.
- Job 23:10 But he knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I will come out like gold.
- Psalms 142:3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, you knew my route. On the path in which I walk, they have hidden a snare for me.
- 2 Peter 2:12 But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed,
- Psalms 9:6 The enemy is overtaken by endless ruin. The very memory of the cities which you have overthrown has perished.
- Psalms 112:10 The wicked will see it, and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain Even in this world the prosperity of the ungodly…
Even in this world the prosperity of the ungodly begins to pass away as often as God manifests the tokens of his judgment; (for then, being awakened out of sleep, they are constrained to acknowledge, whether they will or no, that they have no part with the assembly of the righteous;) but because this is not accomplished always, nor with respect to all men, in the present state, we must patiently wait for the day of final revelation, in which Christ will separate the sheep from the goats. At the same time, we must maintain it as a general truth, that the ungodly are devoted to misery; for their own consciences condemn them for their wickedness; and, as often as they are summoned to give an account of their life, their sleep is broken, and they perceive that they were merely dreaming when they imagined themselves to be happy, without looking inward to the true state of their hearts.
Moreover, as things appear to be here driven about at the mercy of chance, and as it is not easy for us, in the midst of the prevailing confusion, to acknowledge the truth of what the Psalmist had said, he therefore presents to our consideration the grand principle, that God is the Judge of the world. Granting this, it follows that it cannot but be well with the upright and the just, while, on the other hand, the most terrible destruction must impend over the ungodly. According to all outward appearance, the servants of God may derive no advantage from their uprightness; but as it is the peculiar office of God to defend them and take care of their safety, they must be happy under his protection. And from this we may also conclude that, as he is the certain avenger of wickedness, although, for a time, he may seem to take no notice of the ungodly, yet at length he will visit them with destruction. Instead, therefore, of allowing ourselves to be deceived with their imaginary felicity, let us, in circumstances of distress, have ever before our eyes the providence of God, to whom it belongs to settle the affairs of the world, and to bring order out of confusion.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Doth approve and prosper, like as not to know,…
Doth approve and prosper, like as not to know, is to reprove and reject.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of…
Psa 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Ver. 6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous] Or, acknowledgeth, approveth, administereth, and ordereth all things to their eternal salvation; as may appear by the opposition, wherein there is a rhetorical aposiopesis. God’s knowledge of men and their ways is not merely intuitive, but approbative of the good and vindictive of the evil; εχει θεος εκδικον ομμα. His providence (which is the carrying on of his decree) is that helm which turns about the whole ship of the universe with singular skill and justice. Dominus diligit, et dirigit viam, id est, vitam et omne institutum iustorum. See Psa 37:18; Psa 142:4 Nah 1:7 Pro 2:8, with the notes there. God knows the righteous by name, Exo 33:17, knows them for his own, looks upon them and their whole course with singular delight and complacency; they are his Hephzibah, Isa 62:4, the dearly beloved of his soul, Jer 12:7. Verba notitiae apud Hebracos secum trahunt affectum.
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But the way of the ungodly shall perish] Their practices and persons shall perish together, be done away, be lost for ever. And why? because the Lord knoweth them not; unless it be for black sheep, as we say, or rather for reprobate goats, Mat 25:32-46 Hence their souls are flung out, as out of the middle of a sling, when the souls of the saints are bound up in the bundle of life, with the Lord their God, 1Sa 25:29.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain For; he now gives a reason of this great…
For; he now gives a reason of this great difference between the righteous and the ungodly, expressed in the foregoing verses.
The Lord knoweth; either,
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1. Properly and speculatively; he searcheth and knoweth all their hearts and ways or actions; and therefore will preserve, prosper, and bless them; which may be gathered out of the following and opposite clause of this verse, and out of Psa 1:1,2. Or,
2. Practically and affectionately, as words of knowledge in Scripture do frequently imply affection, as Exo 1:8; Psa 31:7; 101:4; Hos 8:4; Amo 3:2. He approveth, loveth, and delighteth in them, and in the course of their lives, and therefore will recompense them; or, he careth for and directeth their actions to a blessed issue.
The way of the ungodly shall perish; all their wicked designs and courses shall come to nothing, and they shall perish with them.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous,....…
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous,.... The way in which he walks by faith, which is in Jesus Christ; the way in which he goes to the Father, and carries to him his sacrifices of prayer and praise, which meet with acceptance through him; the way in which he seeks for and expects justification, pardon, and salvation, namely, through the blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ: and also it may denote his course, his walk and conversation; for the righteous man is a follower of God, he takes up the cross and follows after Christ: he walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, according to the rule of the word, and as becomes the Gospel of Christ: and this way of his in every sense the Lord "knows"; not merely as he is omniscient, for by his omniscience his eyes are upon the ways of all men; he knows the way of the wicked as well as the way of the righteous; but the sense is, that the Lord approves of and is well pleased with his way of faith and holiness; he knows this person, so as to love him and take delight and pleasure in him; his countenance beholds him with a smile; he is well pleased with him in Christ and for his sake, on whose account he has respect to him and to his offerings, to his service and duty, to his ways and works; and hence he is a blessed man, is in a happy situation, and all he does prospers, for he and his ways please the Lord: and hence also it is that neither he nor his way shall perish; the way he is in leads to everlasting life, and he being a follower of the Lord in a way pleasing to him, he shall never perish, but have eternal life;
but the way of the ungodly shall perish; for his way is a wicked way, the way of sinners, Psa 1:1; it leads to destruction and death, and all that walk in it shall perish; for if is a way the Lord knows not, does not approve of, he abhors it; wherefore the man that continues in it will be unhappy, wretched, and miserable to all eternity. These last words therefore show the reason of the happiness of one sort of men, and the unhappiness of the other; and prove and confirm the same: the Lord knows, approves of, loves, and delights in the one; he does not approve of and delight in the other.
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Next: Psalms Chapter 2
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Knoweth - He approves, loves, and delights in them,…
Knoweth - He approves, loves, and delights in them, and therefore will recompence them. Perish - All their designs and courses shall come to nothing, and they shall perish with them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 6. The Lord knoweth] יודע yodea, approveth the…
Verse 6. The Lord knoweth] יודע yodea, approveth the way, aloweth the way, Coverdale, of the righteous, צדיקים tsaddikim, from צדק tsadak, to give even weight; the men who give to all their due; opposed to רשעים reshaim, Ps 1:1, they who withhold right from all; see above. Such holy men are under the continual eye of God's providence; he knows the way that they take; approves of their motives, purposes, and works, because they are all wrought through himself. He provides for them in all exigencies, and defends them both in body and soul.
The way of the ungodly shall perish.] Their projects, designs and operations, shall perish; God's curse shall be on all that they have, do, and are. And in the day of judgment they shall be condemned to everlasting fire in the perdition of ungodly men. The wicked shall perish at the presence of the Lord. Reader take warning!
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ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST PSALM
The τοκρινομενον in this Psalm is, Who is the happy man? or, What may make a man happy?
I. This question the prophet resolves in the first two verses:
1. Negatively. It is he, 1. "That walks not in the counsel of the ungodly." 2. "That stands not in the way of sinners." 3. "That sits not in the seat of the scornful."
2. Positively. It is he. 1. "Whose delight is in the law of the Lord." 2. "Who doth meditate in the law day and night."
II. This happiness of the good man is illustrated two ways: 1. By a similitude. 2. By comparing him with a wicked man.
1. The similitude he makes choice of is that of a tree; not every tree neither, but that which hath these eminences: 1. It is "planted; " it grows not of itself, neither is wild. 2. "Planted by the rivers of water," it wants not moisture to fructify. 3. It doth fructify; "it brings forth fruit;" it is no barren tree. 4. The fruit it brings is seasonable; "it brings forth fruit in its season." 5. It is always green, winter and summer; "the leaves wither not." Clearly, without any trope, Whatsoever this good man doth, or takes in hand, "it shall prosper."
2. He shows this good man's happiness by comparing him with a wicked man, in whom you shall find all the contrary.
1. In general. Not so. As for the ungodly, it is not so with them: not so in the plantation; in the place; in the seasonable fruit; in the greenness; in the prosperity. So far from being like a tree, that they are like, 1. Chaff, a light and empty thing. 2. Chaff which the wind whiffles up and down. 3. Chaff which the wind scatters or driveth away. 4. And never leaves scattering, till it has driven it from the face of the earth. So the Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic.
2. And that no man may think that their punishment shall extend only to this life; in plain terms he threatens to them, 1. Damnation at the great day: "They shall not stand in judgment;" though some refer this clause to this life. When he is judged by men, causa cadet, he shall be condemned. 2. Exclusion from the company of the just: "Sinners shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous."
III. In the close he shows the cause why the godly is happy, the wicked unhappy:
1. Because "the way of the righteous is known to God;" approved by him, and defended.
2. But the way, studies, plots, "counsels of the wicked, shall perish." - DAVID'S HARP STRUNG AND TUNED. See the introduction.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Psa 1:6. For the Lord knoweth the way of…
Psa 1:6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous — As he searcheth the reins and the heart, and perfectly knows all his people, so he approves, loves, and delights in them, and in their conduct and conversation, and therefore will recompense them; but the way of the ungodly shall perish — All their designs and courses shall come to nothing, and they shall perish with them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous…
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous - This is given as a reason why the wicked would not stand in the judgment with the righteous. The reason is, that the Lord, the great Judge, fully understands the character of those who are his friends, and can discriminate between them and all others, whatever pretences others may make to that character. Only those whom God approves, and loves, as his friends, will be able to stand in the day when the great decision shall be made. No one can impose on him by any mere pretensions to piety; no one can force his way to his favor, or to the rewards of the just, by power; no one can claim this in virtue of rank and station. No one can be admitted to the favor of God, and to the rewards of heaven, whose character is not such that it will bear the scrutiny of the Omniscient eve. Compare the notes at 2Ti 2:19. Man may be deceived in judging character, but God is not. When it is said that “the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous,” the word “way” seems to be used to denote the whole of life - the manner of living (Notes, Psa 1:1), and hence, the whole character. Perhaps there is included also the idea that the Lord knows the result of their manner of life - the issue to which it leads - and that, therefore, he can properly judge the righteous and assign them to that place in the future world, to wit, heaven, to which their actions tend.
But the way of the ungodly shall perish - The way or manner in which the ungodly live shall tend to ruin; their plans, and purposes, and hopes, shall come to nought. Their course, in fact, tends to destruction. None of their plans shall prosper in regard to religion: none of their hopes shall be fulfilled. In this, as in all other respects, they stand in strong contrast with the righteous, alike in this world and the world to come.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain knoweth the way--attends to and provides for them (Psa…
knoweth the way--attends to and provides for them (Psa 101:6; Pro 12:10; Hos 13:5).
way of the wicked--All their plans will end in disappointment and ruin (Psa 37:13; Psa 146:8; Pro 4:19).
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 6. The Lord knoweth—Recognises its excellent nature and worthiness…
6. The Lord knoweth—Recognises its excellent nature and worthiness of approval and reward. Comp. note on “foreknow,” Rom_8:29.
Shall perish—What is predicated of the way here applies to the ungodly. The Hebrew word “perish” is a strong word, occurring about one hundred and seventy times; about sixty times translated destroy, a few times lost, but otherwise almost always as in this text. When used of persons it generally signifies death; when used of lands, desolation. It denotes, not annihilation, but the destruction of things as to their uses and ends, and of men as to their plans, expectations, and enjoyments. The law of antithetic parallelism requires us to understand it here as the exact opposite of the reward of the righteous; and the scope of the argument refers us to the final and inevitable judgment of God in the next life. It is the ultimate issue of the two ways and the two characters which is the point aimed at and reached. To suppose them both equal in the final issue is a flat contradiction of the whole psalm, the first word of which is ashrey, blessed, applied to the godly man, and the last word, tobheyd, shall perish, applied to the ungodly, as in Psa_112:1; Psa_112:10. The Hebrew words are as opposite as heaven and hell.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 6. The teaching of the Psalm is grounded on…
6. The teaching of the Psalm is grounded on the doctrine of divine Providence. Each clause of the verse implies the supplement of its antithesis to the other clause. ‘The lord knows the way of the righteous,’ and under His care it is a ‘way of life’ (Psa_16:11; Pro_12:28); ‘a way of peace’ (Isa_59:8); ‘a way eternal’ (Psa_139:24). Equally He knows the way of the wicked, and by the unalterable laws of His government it can lead only to destruction; it is a way of death (Pro_14:12).
knoweth] Divine knowledge cannot be abstract or ineffectual. It involves approval, care, guidance; or abandonment, judgement. The righteous man’s course of life leads to God Himself; and He takes care that it does not fail of its end (Nah_1:7; 2Ti_2:19).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (6) Knoweth—i.e., recogniseth with discriminative discernment and appreciation. (Comp.…
(6) Knoweth—i.e., recogniseth with discriminative discernment and appreciation. (Comp. Psa_31:7; Psa_144:3; Exo_2:25; also Joh_10:14. So Shakespeare, As You Like It: “I know you are my eldest brother, and in the gentle condition of blood you should so know me.”)
The way of the ungodly shall perish.—This is explained by Psa_112:10, “the desire of the wicked shall perish;” all his plans and ambitions shall come to nought. The metaphor is illustrated by Job_6:18, where an unjust course is compared to a stream that suddenly dries up and disappears.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.…
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. God is said to "know" those of whom he approves, and. on whom he "lifts up the light of his countenance." The wicked he does not "know;" he "casts them out of the sight of his eyes them behind his back;" refuses to acknowledge them. God "knows the way of the righteous," and therefore they live and prosper; he does not know the way of the wicked, and therefore the way of the (wicked, or) ungodly shall perish. (compare the beginning and end of Ps 112)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Verse 6. Or, as the Hebrew hath it yet…
Verse 6. Or, as the Hebrew hath it yet more fully, "The Lord is knowing the way of the righteous." He is constantly looking on their way, and though it may be often in mist and darkness, yet the Lord knoweth it. If it be in the clouds and tempest of affliction, he understandeth it. He numbereth the hairs of our head; he will not suffer any evil to befall us. "He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10.) "But the way of the ungodly shall perish." Not only shall they perish themselves, but their way shall perish too. The righteous carves his name upon the rock, but the wicked writes his remembrance in the sand. The righteous man ploughs the furrows of earth, and sows a harvest here, which shall never be fully reaped till he enters the enjoyments of eternity; but as for the wicked, he ploughs the sea, and though there may seem to be a shining trail behind his keel, yet the waves shall pass over it, and the place that knew him shall know him no more for ever. The very "way" of the ungodly shall perish. If it exist in remembrance, it shall be in the remembrance of the bad; for the Lord will cause the name of the wicked to rot, to become a stench in the nostrils of the good, and to be only known to the wicked themselves by its putridity. May the Lord cleanse our hearts and our ways, that we may escape the doom of the ungodly, and enjoy the blessedness of the righteous!
Verse 6. "For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." Behold how David here terrifies us away from all prosperous appearances, and commends to us various temptations and adversities. For this "way" of the righteous all men utterly reprobate; thinking also, that God knoweth nothing about any such way. But this is the wisdom of the cross. Therefore, it is God alone that knoweth the way of the righteous, so hidden is it to the righteous themselves. For his right hand leads them on in a wonderful manner, seeing that it is a way, not of sense, nor of reason, but of faith only; even of that faith that sees in darkness, and beholds things that are invisible. Martin Luther.
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Verse 6. "The righteous." They that endeavour righteous living in themselves and have Christ's righteousness imputed to them. Thomas Wilcocks, 1586.
Verse 6. (first sentence). A sweet encouragement to the tried people of God. The knowledge here meant.
1. Its character. It is a knowledge of observation and approbation.
2. Its source. It is caused by omniscience and infinite love.
3. Its results. Support, deliverance, acceptance, and glory at last.
Verse 6. (last clause). His way of pleasure, of pride, of unbelief, of profanity, of persecution, of procrastinating, of self-deception, etc.: all these shall come to an end.
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.
Psa_1:6
The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.
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The way of the righteous
I. Contrasted pictures of life.
1. That of the happy man illustrated by the law of attraction and repulsion. See the sentiments, habits, and disposition
(i) of the evil he is led to repel (Psa_1:1);
(ii) of the good to which he is attracted (Psa_1:2). Delighting and meditating upon Gods Word.
2. By the law of vegetable life (Psa_1:3). The happy life of the good, like a fruit tree, is
(i) one of ceaseless appropriation and transformation,
(ii) of seasonable fruit bearing,
(iii) of prosperity under all circumstances.
3. With all this the life of the ungodly is contrasted (Psa_1:4-6):
(i) As shown in the reason of the contrast. The character of the ungodly is self-evolved from their own nature. That of the good, from God.
(ii) In the result of the contrast. The ungodly having no solidity, nothing substantial in themselves, are compared to chaff, which is light and empty and easily carried away. And having no foundation, they cannot stand in the judgment. And having nothing to support them, must perish while the good shall prosper evermore.
II. Lessons from these contrasted pictures.--
I. That true happiness is not the result of chance, but of law--fundamental, immutable, Divine. This law may be thus stated: Every effect must have an adequate cause. An uprooted tree cannot bear fruit; so a soul whose faith and love are torn away from God cannot be happy or prosperous. The specific law of spiritual good is this: Character determines destiny.
2. That God has so graciously arranged the conditions of happiness or misery that it is dependent upon each ones personal choice. (D. C. Hughes, A. M.)
The Divine observation
The question is not whether the righteous is apparently stronger than the ungodly, but what is the relation of the Lord to them both. The final award is not with man but with God. The destiny of the righteous and the ungodly is as distinct as their character. There is no blending of one into the other--the one lives, the other perishes. Consistently throughout the Bible life is always associated with obedience or righteousness, and death with disobedience or unrighteousness. Great value attaches to a consistency of this kind. It has a bearing upon the character of God Himself. It is because He never changes in His own moral quality that He never changes, in relation to the actions of men. That the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous is the good mans supreme comfort. Not that the good man challenges the Divine scrutiny in the matter of his actions, but that he is able to invite the Lord to look into the secret purpose of his heart and understand what is the supreme wish of his life. To know that the motive is right is to know that the end must be good. What we have to be supremely anxious about is the main purpose or desire of life; that being right, actions will adjust themselves accordingly, and, notwithstanding innumerable mistakes, the substance of the character shall be good, and a crown of glory shall be granted to the faithful servant. (Joseph Parker, D. D.)
The way of the righteous
Or is it that the prophet saith not, God knoweth the righteous, but the way of the righteous; perhaps lest men, for doing one or two good deeds in all their life, should claim to be righteous, and for such righteousness claim acquaintance with God; and so indeed God might have acquaintance enough, seeing no man is so wicked but he may sometimes have good thoughts and do good deeds; but this will not serve: it must be a way of righteousness before God will know it. (Sir Richard Parker.)
Resolute righteousness safe
And here the godly may take his comfort by the way, that it is not their slippings or treading awry, which may he by ignorance, or infirmity, that can make, with God, this shipwreck of perishing; it must be a way of ungodliness, which is not usually made without much walking and exercising, without resolute intentions and endeavours, without set purposes and persistings, that if a man be sure he is free from these, he may then be confident he is safe from perishing. (Sir Richard Parker.)
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Psa_2:1-12
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 For Yahweh approves of the way of the righteous,…
For Yahweh approves of the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish
These two clauses contrast what happens to righteous people with what happens to wicked people. (See: Parallelism)
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the way of the righteous
How people live is spoken of as if it were a "way" or "road" that they are walking on. AT: "how the righteous live" (See: Metaphor)
the way of the wicked will perish
How people live and what they do is spoken of as if it were a "way" or "road" that they walk on. Possible meanings are 1) the way perishing represents the wicked perishing because of how they live. AT: "The wicked will die because of how they live" or 2) the way perishing is a metaphor for no longer being able to live the way they do. AT: "the wicked will no longer be able to live the way they live" (See: Metaphor and Metonymy)
translationWords
Yahweh
righteous
evil
perish
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 1:6 The Lord’s care for the righteous and the…
1:6 The Lord’s care for the righteous and the demise of the wicked both demonstrate the Lord’s principle of retribution (see Gal 6:7-10). The brief and futile lives of the wicked will end, whereas the Lord and his saints will triumph (see Pss 9:5, 6, 18; 10:16; 37:20; 73:27; 92:9; cp. 142:4; Isa 57:1). • The godly (see Pss 5:12; 14:5) are joyful (1:1) because the Lord protects and cares for them, hears them when they cry out for justice, and secures their future (see 121:3-4). • A person’s path is their life and character.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.