“As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 73:20 Mean?
"As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image." The wicked's prosperity is compared to a dream — vivid while sleeping but instantly dissolved upon waking. When God 'awakens' (metaphor for divine action after apparent inactivity), the wicked's impressive image will be despised — their substance was always illusory.
The dream comparison is precise: a dream feels completely real during the dreaming. The emotions are genuine, the experiences are vivid, the world seems solid. But the moment you wake up, the entire structure vanishes. Nothing remains. The reality that felt absolute was actually nothing. The wicked's prosperity has exactly this quality — real while the 'sleeping' lasts, gone when the waking comes.
The "despise their image" (tsalmam tivzeh — You will hold their image in contempt) means God will regard the wicked's impressive appearance — their wealth, status, power — as worthless. The image (tselem — form, likeness, shadow) that impressed everyone will be contemptible once the dreaming ends. The thing everyone admired was a shadow all along.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What seemingly solid prosperity are you envying — and does this verse reframe it as a dream?
- 2.How does the dream metaphor capture both the vividness and the impermanence of the wicked's success?
- 3.What does God 'despising their image' teach about divine assessment versus human impression?
- 4.When has something you envied turned out to be a shadow — dissolved upon closer inspection?
Devotional
A dream. That's what the wicked's prosperity is. Vivid while you're sleeping. Completely gone when you wake up. The wealth, the power, the success that seemed so real — it dissolves the moment God opens His eyes. Nothing survives the waking.
The dream metaphor captures what the sanctuary (verse 17) revealed: inside the dream, everything feels permanent. The wicked's prosperity looks solid, lasting, enviable. But it's a dream. The moment God acts — the moment the 'sleeping' ends and the 'waking' begins — the entire structure vanishes. The prosperity that seemed eternal was always temporary. The success that seemed real was always illusory.
The 'despise their image' is God's assessment upon waking: the impressive appearance the wicked cultivated — the image that made everyone envy them — is contemptible in God's sight. The thing that looked so solid to human eyes was always a shadow (tselem). The image everyone admired, God despises. The thing that generated envy generates contempt.
This verse demolishes envy of the wicked: you're envying a dream. You're coveting an image that God holds in contempt. The prosperity that's destroying your faith is as substantial as a sleeping fantasy. It feels real right now — dreams always feel real while you're in them. But the waking is coming. And when it does, nothing will remain.
What dream-like prosperity are you envying — and does knowing it dissolves upon waking change your envy?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
As a dream when one awaketh,.... So will be all the temporal felicity of wicked men, all an illusion, all a dream; when…
As a dream when one awaketh - Their prosperity is like the visions of a dream; the reality is seen when one awakes. A…
We have seen what a strong temptation the psalmist was in to envy prospering profaneness; now here we are told how he…
As a dream Cp. Job 20:8; Isa 29:7.
when thou awakest When thou arousest thyself, a different word from that in the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture