For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
Parallel Translations
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For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
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For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
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For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
Cross-references (12)
Passages linked to Psalms 37:17 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 41:10 Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
- Psalms 63:8 My soul stays close to you. Your right hand holds me up.
- Psalms 145:14 Yahweh upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down.
- Isaiah 42:1 “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.
- Psalms 37:24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
- Psalms 119:116-117 Uphold me according to your word, that I may live. Let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold me up, and I will be safe, and will have respect for your statutes continually.
- Psalms 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit.
- Jude 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy,
- Psalms 10:15 Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.
- Job 38:15 From the wicked, their light is withheld. The high arm is broken.
- Psalms 41:12 As for me, you uphold me in my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.
- Ezekiel 30:21-25 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Behold, it has not been bound up, to apply medicines, to put a bandage to bind it, that it become strong to hold the sword. Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong arm, and that which was broken. I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand; but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before the king of Babylon with the groaning of a mortally wounded man. I will hold up the arms of the king of Babylon; and the arms of Pharaoh will fall down. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he stretches it out on the land of Egypt.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall…
Psa 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
Ver. 17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken] i.e. His power, valour, all that wherein they think their strength and help standeth. See Psa 37:15; the strongest sinew in the arm of flesh cracks.
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But the Lord upholdeth the righteous] Though seemingly never so weak and wealthless.
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 This is a proof of what he said Psa…
This is a proof of what he said Psa 37:16. For what the wicked have shall suddenly be lost and gone, but God will maintain the righteous in their happy estate.
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 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright,.... Not…
The Lord knoweth the days of the upright,.... Not only how long they shall live, and so fill up their days, the number of them, as Aben Ezra interprets it; but the nature of their days, whether prosperous or adverse; and causes both to work together for their good; and he knows the work of their days, as Jarchi explains it, the actions done by them in faith and love, and to his honour and glory, and which he approves and accepts of in Christ; see Psa 1:6;
and their inheritance shall be for ever; in heaven, which is an eternal and never fading one, Heb 9:15; and therefore they ought not to fret and be envious.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 17. The arms of the wicked] Their power…
Verse 17. The arms of the wicked] Their power to do evil. Of this they are often deprived. Talents lent and abused shall be resumed, and the misuser called to a severe account by the Lord of the talents.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For the arms of the wicked shall be broken…
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken - See the notes at Psa 10:15. The “arm” is the instrument by which we accomplish a purpose; and the meaning here is, that that will be broken on which the wicked rely, or, in other words, that their plans will fail, and that they will be disappointed - as a man is rendered helpless whose arms are broken. Compare the notes at Job 38:15.
But the Lord upholdeth the righteous - The Lord will sustain and strengthen him. While the plans of the wicked will be defeated, while they themselves will be overthrown, and fail to accomplish their purposes of wickedness, the Lord will uphold the righteous, and enable them fully to carry out their plans. Their great scheme or purpose of life, the promotion of the glory of God, and the salvation of their own souls, will be fully accomplished - for in that purpose God will be their helper and friend.
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 Even the members of the body needed to hold…
Even the members of the body needed to hold weapons are destroyed.
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 17. Arms of the wicked—Their instruments of power.
17. Arms of the wicked—Their instruments of power.
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 17. For the arms &c.] All the power which…
17. For the arms &c.] All the power which they have misused for evil will be rendered impotent. Cp. Psa_10:15; Job_38:15.
upholdeth] When the wicked strives to make him fall (Psa_37:14), and at all times. See Psa_37:24; Psa_37:31. Cp. Psa_3:5; Psa_54:4; Psa_71:6.
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 (17) The arms—i.e., of the body, not the sword…
(17) The arms—i.e., of the body, not the sword and bow mentioned above. In contrast, the arms of Jehovah are under the righteous, and uphold him.
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 arms of the wicked shall be broken.…
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken. (scrap. Psa_10:15) The wicked shall be disabled from doing more mischief. If not slain outright, they shall return from the combats that they have provoked with shattered weapons (ver. 15) and damaged persons. But the Lord up-holdeth the righteous. Their adversaries in the encounters.
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 Ver. 17. For the arms of the wicked shall…
Ver. 17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken. Their power to do mischief shall be effectually taken away, for the arms which they lifted up against God shall be crushed even to the bone. God often makes implacable men incapable men. What is a more contemptible sight than toothless malice, armless malevolence! But the Lord upholdeth the righteous. Their cause and course shall be safe, for they are in good keeping. The sword of two edges smites the wicked and defends the just.
Ver. 17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but he upholdeth (or underprops) the righteous. By the arms of the wicked, you are to understand their strength, their valour, their power, their wit, their wealth, their abundance, which is all the arms they have to support and bear up themselves in the world with. Now, these arms shall be broken, and when they are broken, then, even then, will God uphold the righteous, that is, God will be a continual overflowing fountain of good to his righteous ones; so that they shall never want, though all the springs of the wicked are dried up round about them. Thomas Brooks.
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Ver. 17. (last clause).
1. The favoured persons.
2. Their evident need, "upholding."
3. Their singular blessedness, "upheld, "above trial, under trial, after trial.
4. Their august Patron.
Psalms 37:18*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.