Salmos 37

VBL · Chapter 37/150

1Un salmo de David. No te angusties por la gente mala, ni sientas celos de aquellos que hacen el mal.

2Porque como el césped, se secarán rápidamente; como plantas, pronto se marchitarán.

3Confía en el Señor, y haz el bien. Vive en la tierra y alimenta tu fidelidad.

4Encuentra tu felicidad en el Señor, y él te dará lo que más deseas.

5Encomienda todo lo que haces al Señor. Deposita tu confianza en él y él te ayudará.

6Hará que tu defensa brille como una luz, y la justicia de tu causa como el sol del mediodía.

7Mantente en la presencia de Dios y espera pacientemente en él. No te angusties por la gente que prospera mientras hacen lo malo.

8¡Deja tu ira! ¡Deja ir tu enojo! ¡No te molestes, eso solo resultará en mal para ellos!

9Porque los malvados serán destruidos, y los que confían en el Señor tomarán posesión de la tierra prometida.

10Dentro de poco los malos no existirán más, y aunque los busques no los encontrarás.

11Los humildes heredarán la tierra; vivirán allí felizmente, en paz y prosperidad.

12Los malos conspiran contra los que hacen el mal, rechinando sus dientes sobre ellos.

13Pero el Señor se ríe de ellos, porque ve cercano su día de juicio.

14Los malos sacan sus espadas y tensan sus arcos para destruir a los pobres y necesitados, para matar a los que viven con rectitud.

15Pero las espadas de los malvados atravesarán sus propios corazones, y sus arcos se romperán.

16Es mejor hacer lo correcto y tener solo un poco, que hacer el mal y ser rico.

17Porque el poder de los malos se romperá, pero el Señor ayuda a los que viven en rectitud.

18El Señor ve lo que le sucede a los inocentes y les garantiza una herencia eterna.

19No serán humillados en los malos tiempos; incluso en días de hambruna tendrán mucho que comer.

20Pero los malos morirán. Los enemigos del Señor son como las flores en el que campo que se desvanecen como el humo.

21Los malvados prestan, pero no pagan; mientras que aquellos que son rectos dan generosamente.

22Aquellos que son bendecidos por el Señor heredarán la tierra prometida, pero a los que maldice morirán.

23El Señor les muestra el camino correcto a sus seguidores, y se alegra con su modo de vivir.

24Aunque tropiecen, no caerán al suelo, porque el Señor sostiene su mano.

25Fui joven, y ahora he envejecido, sin embargo nunca he visto a los rectos abandonados o a sus hijos rogando por pan.

26Ellos siempre son amables, y generosos con sus préstamos; sus hijos son una bendición.

27Rechaza el mal, haz el bien, y vivirás para siempre en la tierra prometida.

28Porque el Señor ama la justicia y nunca abandonará a los que son fieles a él. Él los protegerá por siempre. Pero los hijos de los malvados morirán.

29Aquellos que viven en rectitud heredarán la tierra y vivirán allí por siempre.

30Las personas que hacen lo correcto dan buenos consejos, explicando lo que es justo.

31La ley de Dios vive en sus corazones, de tal forma que nunca se apartarán de este camino.

32Los impíos acechan a los que hacen el bien, intentando matarlos.

33Pero el Señor no los dejará caer en sus manos, y no dejará que los justos sean condenados cuando vayan a juicio.

34Confía en el Señor, y permanece en su camino. Él te levantará y te dará la tierra que te ha prometido. Verás con tus propios ojos cuando los malos sean destruidos.

35He visto a los malos actuar de forma salvaje, extendiéndose como un gran árbol en su tierra.

36Pero cuando pasé por ese camino la siguiente vez, se habían ido. Los busqué, pero no pude encontrarlos.

37¡Observa al inocente, mira a los que hacen el bien! ¡Aquellos que aman la paz tienen futuro!

38Pero los rebeldes serán destruidos todos juntos. Los malvados no tienen futuro.

39El Señor salva a los que viven con rectitud; él es su protección en tiempos de aflicción.

40El Señor los ayuda y los rescata de los malvados. Él los salva, porque ellos van a él por protección.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

An acrostic wisdom psalm that advises against being upset by the apparent prosperity of the wicked, for they will wither like grass, while the meek will inherit the earth and be sustained by the Lord.

Explanation

This long acrostic poem (each pair of verses generally beginning with a successive Hebrew letter) deals with one of the oldest problems of faith: why do the wicked seem to prosper? The psalm's answer is neither immediate nor simplistic — it acknowledges that this prosperity is temporary ('they shall soon be cut down like the grass') and calls for confident patience rather than envy or anxiety. The phrase 'the meek shall inherit the earth' is quoted by Jesus almost word for word in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:5). Today's application: cultivate patience and long-term trust instead of comparing your own life to the apparent, fleeting success of those who act dishonestly.

Fun facts

  • Verse 11 ('the meek shall inherit the earth') is quoted almost verbatim by Jesus in Matthew 5:5, in the Beatitudes — one of the most direct Old Testament quotations in the Sermon on the Mount.
  • With 40 verses arranged in a 22-letter alphabetic acrostic (each letter generally covering two verses), this is one of the most structured wisdom poems in the entire Psalter.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Salmos 37:1Opens the psalm with direct advice against a common feeling: it isn’t worth getting upset or envying those who do evil, even if they seem to be doing well.
  2. Salmos 37:2Grass that springs up fast and withers fast in the heat was a common image for something that looks strong but doesn’t last, used here as a reminder that the wicked’s prosperity is fleeting, even when it looks solid.
  3. Salmos 37:3Instead of getting upset with evildoers, the advice is to trust in God and keep doing good, with the promise of living securely and being truly sustained.
  4. Salmos 37:4Promises that the desires of the heart will be granted, but the starting point is delight in God: when that relationship comes first, the right desires end up falling into place.
  5. Salmos 37:5Asks him to hand over his own path into God’s hands, like someone deliberately letting go of control, trusting that He Himself will act on his behalf.
  6. Salmos 37:6Promises that the righteousness of whoever trusts will come out clearly, compared to the light of midday, when there’s no shadow left to hide anything.
  7. Salmos 37:7Repeats the advice from the start, now with the word “rest”: instead of getting upset watching cunning people prosper through schemes, the response is an active rest in God.
  8. Salmos 37:8Warns that anger and stored-up wrath lead nowhere good, only ending up pushing the person toward the very evil they criticized in others.
  9. Salmos 37:9Explains the reason not to worry: evildoers will be cut off at the root, while whoever waits on God is the one who will truly inherit the land in the end.
  10. Salmos 37:10Guarantees that the wicked’s prosperity is fleeting: in a little while, looking at the place where he stood, there won’t even be a trace of him left.
  11. Salmos 37:11Jesus repeats almost this exact phrase in the Beatitudes, in Matthew 5. In the psalm, inheriting the land had a very concrete and immediate sense, keeping or getting back plots of land in Israel, and only later came to be read in a broader way.
  12. Salmos 37:12Describes the wicked man’s hostility toward the righteous, gnashing his teeth in rage, the same gesture of stored-up hatred used in other psalms.
  13. Salmos 37:13Contrasts this rage of the wicked with God’s reaction, who laughs, knowing the day of reckoning is coming, with no hurry at all.
  14. Salmos 37:14Describes the wicked armed with sword and bow, aiming specifically at the poor, the needy, or those who live uprightly, showing the chosen target of this violence.
  15. Salmos 37:15Repeats the poetic justice common in the psalms: the very sword prepared to attack ends up turning against the one who wielded it, and the bows break before they can shoot.
  16. Salmos 37:16Compares little with much and flips the expectation: the little the righteous has is worth more than the wealth piled up by many wicked people together.
  17. Salmos 37:17Continues the contrast: the strength of the wicked, represented by their arms, will be broken, while the righteous keeps standing because it’s God Himself who sustains him.
  18. Salmos 37:18Describes attentive care: God knows every day of the life of those who are upright, and the inheritance they receive isn’t fleeting, it lasts forever.
  19. Salmos 37:19Promises that, even in bad days and times of famine, whoever trusts in God won’t be put to shame nor go without food.
  20. Salmos 37:20Compares the end of the wicked to the fat of lambs in a sacrifice: it vanishes quickly in smoke, leaving no trace, an image of total disappearance.
  21. Salmos 37:21Draws a very practical everyday contrast: the wicked borrows and doesn’t pay back, while the righteous doesn’t even need to be asked, he gives freely on his own.
  22. Salmos 37:22Reinforces once more the theme of inheriting the land: whoever is blessed by God stays, whoever is cursed by Him is cut off at the root.
  23. Salmos 37:23Describes God closely tracking the steps of a good man, almost as if He Himself delights in watching that path being walked.
  24. Salmos 37:24Admits that even the righteous can stumble and fall, but guarantees that this fall isn’t final, because God’s hand holds him up before he’s completely laid low.
  25. Salmos 37:25This is an observation of wisdom based on life experience, the kind that appears in Proverbs; it describes a general pattern that tends to hold true, not an absolute guarantee without exception for every individual case.
  26. Salmos 37:26Continues describing the righteous man’s constant generosity, always willing to lend, and extends this blessing even to his own descendants.
  27. Salmos 37:27Repeats direct advice similar to that of Psalm 34: turning away from evil and doing good is the path to a security that lasts forever.
  28. Salmos 37:28Explains the reason for this advice: God loves justice and doesn’t abandon those who are faithful to Him, preserving them forever, while the offspring of the wicked are cut off.
  29. Salmos 37:29Repeats once more the central promise of the whole psalm: it is the righteous who inherit the land and remain in it forever, not the wicked.
  30. Salmos 37:30Describes what comes out of the righteous man’s mouth: wisdom and a sense of justice, the opposite of the malice and deceit attributed to the wicked in other psalms.
  31. Salmos 37:31Explains where this wisdom comes from: God’s law kept within the heart, which results in firm steps, without slipping.
  32. Salmos 37:32Describes the wicked lying in wait for the righteous, like a predator watching for the right chance to attack and even kill.
  33. Salmos 37:33Guarantees that God won’t let the righteous fall into the hands of the wicked, nor allow him to be unjustly condemned when judged.
  34. Salmos 37:34Repeats the advice to wait on God and keep to the right path, promising that the person will witness with his own eyes the end of the wicked.
  35. Salmos 37:35Shifts to a personal testimony: he has seen with his own eyes a powerful wicked man, growing like a green, strong tree in his own native soil.
  36. Salmos 37:36Continues the testimony: shortly after, that same wicked man had already vanished, and not even searching could any trace of him be found.
  37. Salmos 37:37Invites careful attention to whoever is sincere and upright, because that person’s end, unlike the wicked man who vanished, is peace.
  38. Salmos 37:38Draws the final contrast between the two destinies: transgressors will be destroyed together, with nothing left of the wicked’s line.
  39. Salmos 37:39Declares where the salvation of the righteous comes from: it isn’t their own achievement, it comes from the LORD, who serves as a fortress exactly in the time of trouble.
  40. Salmos 37:40Closes the psalm summing up the whole promise: help, deliverance, and salvation coming from God, the direct result of trusting Him instead of envying the fleeting success of the wicked.

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