Psalms 37:20

Good News Translation

But the wicked will die; the enemies of the Lord will vanish like wild flowers; they will disappear like smoke.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But the wicked will perish;the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,will fade away—they will fade away like smoke.

Hebrew Names Version
But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of the LORD shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish -- Vanish like smoke.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

New Century Version
But the wicked will die. The Lord 's enemies will be like the flowers of the fields; they will disappear like smoke.

New English Translation
But evil men will die; the Lord 's enemies will be incinerated— they will go up in smoke.

Amplified Bible
But the wicked (ungodly) will perish, And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures and like the fat of lambs [that is consumed in smoke], They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

New American Standard Bible
But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

World English Bible
But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish -- Vanish like smoke.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be consumed as the fatte of lambes: euen with the smoke shall they consume away.

Legacy Standard Bible
But the wicked will perish;And the enemies of Yahweh will be like the glory of the pastures,They vanish—in smoke they vanish away.

Berean Standard Bible
But the wicked and enemies of the LORD will perish like the glory of the fields. They will vanish; like smoke they will fade away.

Contemporary English Version
Wicked people are enemies of the Lord and will vanish like smoke from a field on fire.

Complete Jewish Bible
For the wicked will perish; Adonai 's enemies will be like sheep fat, ending up as smoke, finished.

Darby Translation
For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume, like smoke shall they consume away.

Easy-to-Read Version
But evil people are the Lord 's enemies, and they will be destroyed. Their valleys will dry up and burn. They will be destroyed completely.

George Lamsa Translation
For the wicked shall perish, and the rich who are enemies of the LORD shall be consumed; they shall vanish like smoke.

Lexham English Bible
But the wicked will perish, and the enemies of Yahweh will be like the splendor of the pastures. They vanish; in smoke they vanish.

Literal Translation
But the wicked shall perish; yea, the enemies of Jehovah shall be like the beauty of pastures; they are consumed; like smoke, they vanish.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
As for ye vngodly, they shall perishe: & whe ye enemies of ye LORDE are in their floures, they shal cosume, yee euen as the smoke shal they cosume awaye.

American Standard Version
But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away.

Bible in Basic English
But the wrongdoers will come to destruction, and the haters of the Lord will be like the fat of lambs, they will be burned up; they will go up in smoke, and never again be seen.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.

King James Version (1611)
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambes: they shall consume: into smoke shall they consume away.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
As for the vngodly they shall perishe, and the enemies of God shall consume as the fat of lambes: yea, euen with the smoke they shall vanishe away.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For the sinners shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord at the moment of their being honoured and exalted have utterly vanished like smoke.

English Revised Version
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the excellency of the pastures: they shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for synneris schulen perische. Forsothe anoon as the enemyes of the Lord ben onourid, and enhaunsid; thei failynge schulen faile as smoke.

Update Bible Version
But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Yahweh shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; In smoke they shall consume away.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

New King James Version
But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

New Living Translation
But the wicked will die. The Lord 's enemies are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke.

New Life Bible
But the sinful will be lost forever. Those who hate the Lord will be like the beauty of the fields. They will be gone. Like smoke they will be gone.

New Revised Standard
But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, the lawless, shall perish, and, the foes of Yahweh, be like the glory of the meadows, They have vanished! In smoke, have they vanished!

Douay-Rheims Bible
(36-20) Because the wicked shall perish. And the enemies of the Lord, presently after they shall be honoured and exalted, shall come to nothing and vanish like smoke.

Revised Standard Version
But the wicked perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures, they vanish--like smoke they vanish away.

Young's Literal Translation
But the wicked perish, and the enemies of Jehovah, As the preciousness of lambs, Have been consumed, In smoke they have been consumed.

THE MESSAGE
God-despisers have had it; God 's enemies are finished— Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time, vanished like smoke in thin air.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

Contextual Overview

⁷ Be patient and wait for the Lord to act; don't be worried about those who prosper or those who succeed in their evil plans. ⁸ Don't give in to worry or anger; it only leads to trouble. ⁹ Those who trust in the Lord will possess the land, but the wicked will be driven out. ¹⁰ Soon the wicked will disappear; you may look for them, but you won't find them; ¹¹ but the humble will possess the land and enjoy prosperity and peace. ¹² The wicked plot against good people and glare at them with hate. ¹³ But the Lord laughs at wicked people, because he knows they will soon be destroyed. ¹⁴ The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows to kill the poor and needy, to slaughter those who do what is right; ¹⁵ but they will be killed by their own swords, and their bows will be smashed. ¹⁶ The little that a good person owns is worth more than the wealth of all the wicked,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

But the: Psalms 68:2, Psalms 92:9, Judges 5:31, Luke 13:3, Luke 13:5, 2 Peter 2:12

as the fat of lambs: Heb. preciousness, That is, as the fat was wholly consumed in sacrifices, by the fire on the altar, so the wicked shall consume away in the fire of God's anger. Deuteronomy 33:14-16

smoke: Psalms 102:3, Genesis 19:28, Leviticus 3:3-11, Leviticus 3:16, Deuteronomy 29:20, Hebrews 12:29

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:7 - I will Leviticus 6:10 - consumed Psalms 73:18 - thou castedst Proverbs 2:22 - the wicked Proverbs 10:29 - but Isaiah 9:18 - mount Isaiah 65:13 - my servants shall eat Jeremiah 51:40 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 37:2
and this is the story of Jacob's family. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, took care of the sheep and goats with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's concubines. He brought bad reports to his father about what his brothers were doing.

Genesis 37:10
He also told the dream to his father, and his father scolded him: "What kind of a dream is that? Do you think that your mother, your brothers, and I are going to come and bow down to you?"

Genesis 37:11
Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept thinking about the whole matter.

Genesis 37:12
One day when Joseph's brothers had gone to Shechem to take care of their father's flock,

Genesis 37:16
"I am looking for my brothers, who are taking care of their flock," he answered. "Can you tell me where they are?"

Genesis 37:18
They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted against him and decided to kill him.

Genesis 37:29
When Reuben came back to the well and found that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes in sorrow.

Genesis 37:32
They took the robe to their father and said, "We found this. Does it belong to your son?"

1 Samuel 24:20
Now I am sure that you will be king of Israel and that the kingdom will continue under your rule.

1 Samuel 26:2
Saul went at once with three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel to the wilderness of Ziph to look for David,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But the wicked shall perish,.... In a time of famine, in an evil day, and particularly at the day of judgment: for this is to be understood, not merely of being in bodily distress and want; nor of perishing by death, common to the righteous and the wicked; nor of being in a lost perishing condition, as all men by nature are, but of eternal perdition in hell;

and the enemies of the Lord [shall be] as the fat of lambs, they shall consume; that is, either they shall consume away as the fat of lambs burnt upon the altar, which evaporates, or as lambs fattened on purpose to be killed, and so prepared for the day of slaughter; in like manner the wicked, who have waxed fat and kicked, will be destroyed; they being the enemies of God, yea, enmity to him, to Father, Son, and Spirit, to the Gospel and ordinances of Christ, and to his people, and will be treated as such. Some render the word, "like the excellency of pastures" s; the grass of the field, which is cut down and withers presently; see Psalms 37:2;

into smoke shall they consume away, or "with" t it; that is, as it; see Psalms 68:1; or "in smoke" u; in the smoke of eternal torments, or hell, as the Targum.

s כיקר כרים "sicut pretiosum pratorum", Muis; so some in Piscator; "vel gloria", Michaelis. t בעשן "cum fumo", Gejerus, Tigurine version; so Ainsworth. u "In fumo", Montanus, Musculus, Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But the wicked shall perish - The general sentiment here is the same as in Psalms 1:1-6, that the righteous shall be prospered and saved, and that the wicked shall perish. See the notes at Psalms 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 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Matthew 25:46.

And the enemies of the Lord - All the enemies of God; all who can properly be regarded as his foes.

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. Psalms 65:13 : “the “pastures” - כרים kariym - are clothed with flocks.” Isaiah 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: Matthew 6:30; Psalms 90:5-6; Isaiah 40:6-8; Jam 1:10; 1 Peter 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, Lamentations 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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 37:20. 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.