But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish— vanish like smoke.
Parallel Translations
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But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish— vanish like smoke.
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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.
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For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs — they shall pass away in smoke, they shall pass away.
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Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (13)
Passages linked to Psalms 37:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 68:2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
- Psalms 102:3 For my days consume away like smoke. My bones are burned as a torch.
- Luke 13:3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
- Deuteronomy 33:14-16 for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, for the precious things that the moon can yield, for the best things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the everlasting hills, for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush. Let this come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.
- Judges 5:31 “So let all your enemies perish, Yahweh, but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises in its strength.” Then the land had rest forty years.
- Genesis 19:28 He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and saw that the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.
- Leviticus 3:3-11 He shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh. The fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away. Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. “ ‘If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh is from the flock, either male or female, he shall offer it without defect. If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before Yahweh; and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar. He shall offer from the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh; its fat, the entire tail fat, he shall take away close to the backbone; and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away. The priest shall burn it on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire to Yahweh.
- Psalms 92:9 For, behold, your enemies, Yahweh, for, behold, your enemies shall perish. All the evildoers will be scattered.
- 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,
- Leviticus 3:16 The priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma; all the fat is Yahweh’s.
- Luke 13:5 I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”
- Hebrews 12:29 for our God is a consuming fire.
- Deuteronomy 29:20 Yahweh will not pardon him, but then Yahweh’s anger and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book will fall on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under the sky.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 20 For the wicked shall perish. The causal particle…
20 For the wicked shall perish. The causal particle כי, ki, which is here translated for, might also be rendered as if used adversatively by but or although, unless, perhaps, some would prefer to expound the sentence as of much higher import. But the preferable interpretation is, that there is here a contrast between the subjects spoken of, namely, that the righteous are satisfied in the time of famine, whereas the ungodly shall perish in the midst of their affluence; for, while they trust in their abundance, God brings them to nought by the use of means that are secret and hidden. In calling them the enemies of Jehovah, he teaches us, that they are justly overwhelmed by his vengeance, which they bring upon themselves by their own wickedness. When he says, that they shall be consumed as the excellency of lambs, this is understood by some to refer to the fat of them. But as יכר, yakar, signifies excellency, as I have said elsewhere, I have no doubt that this expression denotes the very best of lambs, and such as are of extraordinary fatness: and this is very suitable to the contrast here stated. We learn from this what another prophet likewise teaches, that the ungodly are fattened for the day of slaughter; so that the more sumptuously they shall have lived, the more suddenly shall their destruction come upon them. To be consumed into smoke is of the same import as to vanish away quickly; as if it had been said, There is no stability or substance in them. Those who understand the term יקר, yakar, to mean fat, explain this latter clause in this sense: that the wicked are consumed into smoke as fat melts or wastes away. But the reader will see that the first interpretation is better.
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 They shall vanish away suddenly, for they are fed…
They shall vanish away suddenly, for they are fed for the day of slaughter.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the…
Psa 37:20 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.
Ver. 20. But the wicked shall perish] In tbe midst of their wealth and greatest abundance; their money shall perish with them.
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And the enemies of the Lord] These are worse than those wicked aforementioned, said Theodoret; they are such as go on still in their trespasses, Psa 68:21.
Shall be as the fat of lambs] Which in sacrifices was wholly to be burnt and consumed, Lev 3:15-17.
Into smoke shall they consume away] Smoke the higher it ascendeth the sooner it vanisheth. Quanto fuerit globus ille grandior, tanto vanter, saith Austin. They shall be consumed in the smoke of Gehenna, or hell, saith the Chaldee here.
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 Fat of lambs, which in an instant melteth before…
Fat of lambs, which in an instant melteth before the fire. Consume into smoke, i.e. utterly and irrecoverably,
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 wicked borroweth, and payeth not again,.... While the…
The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again,.... While the wicked live, they are scandalous; they live by borrowing, which was always reckoned mean; see Deu 28:12; and what is worse, as they borrow, they do not design to repay; they take no care nor thought about that, but live upon what they borrow: for this either expresses their incapacity that they cannot pay; or the evil disposition of their mind, which rather seems to be the sense, that they will not pay;
but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth; which not only argues capacity and ability, but a kind, merciful, and tender spirit to persons in distress, and is expressive of a generous action.
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 Fat - Which in an instant melts before the…
Fat - Which in an instant melts before the fire.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 20. The enemies of the Lord shall be…
Verse 20. The enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs] This verse has given the critics some trouble. Several of the Versions read thus: "But the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they are exalted to honour, shall vanish; like smoke they vanish." If we follow the Hebrew, it intimates that they shall consume as the fat of lambs. That is, as the fat is wholly consumed in sacrifices by the fire on the altar, so shall they consume away in the fire of God's wrath.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain But the wicked shall perish - The general sentiment…
But the wicked shall perish - The general sentiment here is the same as in Psa 1:1-6, that the righteous shall be prospered and saved, and that the wicked shall perish. See the notes at Psa 1:4-5. The word “perish” here would be applicable to any form of destruction - death here, or death hereafter - for it is equivalent to the idea that they shall be “destroyed.” Whether the psalmist means here to refer to the fact that they will be cut off from the earth, or will be punished hereafter in the world of woe, cannot be determined from the word itself. It is most probable, as appears from other parts of the psalm, that he refers particularly to the fact that they will be cut down in their sins; that their lives will be shortened by their crimes; that they will by their conduct expose themselves to the displeasure of God, and thus be cut off. The “word” used, however, would also express the idea of destruction in the future world in any form, and may have a significance beyond anything that can befall men in this life. Compare 2Th 1:8; Mat 25:46.
And the enemies of the Lord - All the enemies of God; all who can properly be regarded as his foes.
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Shall be as the fat of lambs - Margin, “the preciousness of lambs.” Gesenius renders this, “like the beauty of the pastures.” Prof. Alexander, “like the precious” (part) “of lambs;” that is, the sacrificial parts, or the parts that were consumed in sacrifice. De Wette, “as the splendor of the pasture.” The Vulgate and the Septuagint render it: “the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they are honored and exalted, shall fail as if they were smoke.” Rosenmuller renders it as it is in our common version. It is not easy to determine the meaning. The word rendered “fat” - יקר yâqâr - means properly that which is precious, costly, weighty, as precious gems; then, anything dear, beloved, or valuable; then, that which is honored, splendid, beautiful, rare. It is in no other instance rendered “fat;” and it cannot be so rendered here, except as “fat” was considered valuable or precious. But this is a forced idea. The word כר kar, properly and commonly means a “lamb;” but it also may the “pasture” or “meadow” where lambs feed. Psa 65:13 : “the “pastures” - כרים kariym - are clothed with flocks.” Isa 30:23, “in that day shall thy cattle feed in large “pastures” - where the same word occurs. It seems to me, therefore, that the interpretation of Gesenius, DeWette, and others, is the correct interpretation, and that the idea is, that the wicked in their pride, beauty, and wealth, shall be like the meadow covered with grass and flowers, soon to be cut down by the scythe of the mower, or by the frosts of winter. This image often occurs: Mat 6:30; Psa 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8; Jam 1:10; 1Pe 1:24.
They shall consume - The word used here means to be completed or finished; to be consumed or spent, as by fire, or in any other manner; to pine away by weeping, Lam 2:11; to vanish as a cloud or smoke, Job 7:9.
Into smoke - The meaning here is not that they will vanish as the fat of lambs does in sacrifice, but simply that they will pass away as smoke entirely disappears. All that there was of them - their wealth, their splendor, their power - shall utterly vanish away. This is spoken in contrast with what would be the condition of the righteous.
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 While the wicked, however mighty, are destroyed, and that…
While the wicked, however mighty, are destroyed, and that utterly, as smoke which vanishes and leaves no trace.
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 20. The fat of lambs—The fat pieces of the…
20. The fat of lambs—The fat pieces of the lamb which were offered upon the altar in sacrifice, and which, being oily, were the more quickly consumed by the fire; herein lies the point of the comparison.
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 20. Stanza of Kaph. The end of the wicked.
20. Stanza of Kaph. The end of the wicked.
the enemies of the Lord] For His people’s enemies are His enemies. Cp. Psa_92:9.
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as the fat of lambs] A rendering derived from the Targum. But the consumption of the fat of the sacrifice upon the altar would be a strange simile for the evanescence of the wicked: and we must render as the excellency of the pastures, or, (R.V.) as the splendour of the meadows. The gay show of flowers, so quickly vanishing, is an apt emblem for the short-lived pomp of the wicked.
The force of the comparison is hardly realised in our moist northern climate, where verdure is perpetual. “But let a traveller ride over the downs of Bethlehem in February, one spangled carpet of brilliant flowers, and again in May, when all traces of verdure are gone; or let him push his horse through the deep solid growth of clovers and grasses in the valley of the Jordan in the early spring, and then return and gallop across a brown, hard-baked, gaping plain in June, … and the Scriptural imagery will come home to him with tenfold power.” Tristram’s Natural History of the Bible, p. 455. Cp. Psa_37:2; Mat_6:29-30; Jas_1:10-11.
they shall consume &c. Lit. they are consumed; in smoke (or, like smoke) are they consumed away. Smoke is in itself a natural figure of speedy and complete disappearance (Hos_13:3): possibly, however, the idea of the preceding line is continued, and we are to think of “the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven” (Mat_6:30). The perfect tense, as in Psa_36:12, forcibly expresses the realising certainty of faith.
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 (20) As the fat of lambs.—It is now generally…
(20) As the fat of lambs.—It is now generally allowed that this should be rendered as the glory of the meadows, recurring to the image of Psa_37:2. The next clause may then be either, they are consumed, with smoke they are consumed; or, they pass away, like smoke they pass away.
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 But the wicked shall perish (comp. vers. 2, 9,…
But the wicked shall perish (comp. vers. 2, 9, 10, 15, 36); literally, for the wicked shall perish. The happiness of the righteous cannot be complete until the wicked are removed out of their way; since, so long as they continue in the world, they will be ever vexing the righteous and troubling them. (Psa_56:1) And the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs. So, many of the old commentators, as Aquila, Kimchi, and others; and among moderns, Rosenmuller, and Professor Alexander. But the bulk of recent critics translate, as the excellency of the pastures (Hupfeld, Kay, Hengstenberg, Canon Cook, Cheyne, Revised Version); i.e. the rich herbage which is burnt up by the heat of summer (comp. ver. 2). Both translations seem to be tenable; but the latter is perhaps preferable, since the consumption of the fat of lambs upon the altar is connected with the idea, not of rejection, but of acceptance. Into smoke shall they consume away. (comp. Psa_102:3)
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. 20. But the wicked shall perish. Whatever phantom…
Ver. 20. But the wicked shall perish. Whatever phantom light may mock their present, their future is black with dark, substantial night. Judgment has been given against them, they are but reserved for execution. Let them flaunt their scarlet and fine linen, and fare sumptuously every day; the sword of Damocles is above their heads, and if their wits were a little more awake, their mirth would turn to misery. The enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs. As the sacrificial fat was all consumed upon the altar, so shall the ungodly utterly vanish from the place of their honour and pride. How can it be otherwise? If the stubble dares to contend with the flame, to what end can it hope to come? They shall consume. As dry wood, as heaps of leaves, as burning coals, they shall soon be gone, and gone altogether, for into smoke shall they consume away. Sic transit gloria mundi. A puff is the end of all their puffing. Their fuming ends in smoke. They made themselves fat, and perished in their own grease. Consumers of the good they tried to be, and consumed they shall be.
Ver. 20. As the fat of lambs. As the glory of fat sheep, which are at length slain. Targum.
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Ver. 20. Fat of lambs. As the fat of the sacrifices was consumed on the altar by the fire (which was a type of God's righteous vengeance upon sinners), till it vanished into smoke; so the wicked will be the sacrifices to God's justice, and be destroyed by the fire of his indignation. Thomas Scott.
Ver. 20. Into smoke shall they consume. "What hath pride profited us? or what hath our boasting of riches given us?" Such are the things, they shall speak who are in hell and who have sinned. For, the hope of the ungodly is like a dry thistle down, by the wind carried away, or the thin foam spread upon the billows, or as a smoke floated hither and thither by the wind, or as the remembrance of a wayfaring man for a day. Wouter of Stoelwyk, 1541.
None.
Psalms 37:21*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Yahweh's enemies will be like the glory of the…
Yahweh's enemies will be like the glory of the pastures
The writer compares Yahweh's enemies to the flowers blooming in the fields. (See: Simile)
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be consumed and disappear in the smoke
The writer speaks of the destruction of the wicked as if they were weeds or wilted flowers in the field that are burned off after the harvest. This can be stated in active form. AT: "Yahweh will destroy them as fire turns the weeds of the field into smoke" (See: Metaphor and Active or Passive)
is generous and gives
These mean the same thing and emphasize the generosity of the righteous. (See: Doublet)
translationWords
evil
perish
adversary
glory
consume
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 37:20 Smoke depicts the temporary nature of life (68:2;…
37:20 Smoke depicts the temporary nature of life (68:2; 102:3).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.