Psalms 37:22

My Notes

What Does Psalms 37:22 Mean?

This verse reinforces Psalm 37's central theme from another angle: the blessed inherit the earth; the cursed are cut off. The parallelism is precise — "blessed of him" and "cursed of him" both attribute the outcome to God's direct action. The blessing and the curse flow from the same source.

The verb "inherit" (yarash) has a specific resonance in Israel's vocabulary — it's the word used for possessing the Promised Land. To inherit the earth is to receive what God has designated for you, just as Israel received Canaan. The inheritance isn't earned through effort; it's received because of who gave it.

The symmetry of blessing and curse in this verse addresses a persistent human confusion: the wicked seem to prosper. David's insistent repetition throughout Psalm 37 — the wicked will fade, the righteous will flourish, wait, don't fret — suggests he's preaching to himself as much as to his audience. He knows the tension. He keeps answering it.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Why do you think David repeats the same truth so many times in this one psalm?
• 2.What truth about God's justice do you need to hear on repeat because your experience keeps contradicting it?
• 3.How does knowing the blessing and cursing come from God (not karma or luck) affect your trust?
• 4.Which is harder for you — believing the righteous will be blessed, or believing the wicked will be cut off?

Devotional

David keeps saying it because we keep forgetting it. The blessed inherit. The cursed are cut off. He's said it multiple ways throughout this psalm because the truth competes with what our eyes see every day: the wicked prosper, and the righteous struggle.

The repetition isn't bad writing — it's pastoral care. David knows that the truth about God's justice needs to be repeated because our experience constantly contradicts it. Every time you see injustice rewarded and integrity punished, you need another verse like this one. Not because it magically makes things fair, but because it anchors you to a longer story than the one you can currently see.

The word "blessed" here isn't generic — it's "blessed of him." God does the blessing. The word "cursed" is "cursed of him." God does the cursing. This isn't karma or fate or the universe balancing itself. It's God — personal, active, deliberate — determining outcomes. That's either terrifying or comforting, depending on whether you're willing to trust His timing.

David repeats this truth like a drumbeat through Psalm 37 because the alternative — fretting over the wicked (verse 1) — is always easier and always wrong. Don't fret. Wait. Inherit. The earth belongs to the blessed, not to the aggressive. But you might have to hear it twenty times before you believe it.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture