Psalms 37:20

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.

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.

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

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 Quiet down before God , be prayerful before him. Don't bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top. ⁸Bridle your anger, trash your wrath, cool your pipes—it only makes things worse. Before long the crooks will be bankrupt; God -investors will soon own the store. ¹⁰Before you know it, the wicked will have had it; you'll stare at his once famous place and—nothing! Down-to-earth people will move in and take over, relishing a huge bonanza. ¹²Bad guys have it in for the good guys, obsessed with doing them in. But God isn't losing any sleep; to him they're a joke with no punch line. ¹⁴Bullies brandish their swords, pull back on their bows with a flourish. They're out to beat up on the harmless, or mug that nice man out walking his dog. A banana peel lands them flat on their faces— slapstick figures in a moral circus. ¹⁶Less is more and more is less. One righteous will outclass fifty wicked, For the wicked are moral weaklings but the righteous are God -strong. ¹⁸ God keeps track of the decent folk; what they do won't soon be forgotten. In hard times, they'll hold their heads high; when the shelves are bare, they'll be full. ²⁰ God-despisers have had it; God 's enemies are finished— Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time, vanished like smoke in thin air.

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
This is the story of Jacob. The story continues with Joseph, seventeen years old at the time, helping out his brothers in herding the flocks. These were his half brothers actually, the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought his father bad reports on them.

Genesis 37:10
When he told it to his father and brothers, his father reprimanded him: "What's with all this dreaming? Am I and your mother and your brothers all supposed to bow down to you?" Now his brothers were really jealous; but his father brooded over the whole business.

Genesis 37:12
His brothers had gone off to Shechem where they were pasturing their father's flocks. Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are with flocks in Shechem. Come, I want to send you to them." Joseph said, "I'm ready."

Genesis 37:16
"I'm trying to find my brothers. Do you have any idea where they are grazing their flocks?"

Genesis 37:18
They spotted him off in the distance. By the time he got to them they had cooked up a plot to kill him. The brothers were saying, "Here comes that dreamer. Let's kill him and throw him into one of these old cisterns; we can say that a vicious animal ate him up. We'll see what his dreams amount to."

Genesis 37:29
Later Reuben came back and went to the cistern—no Joseph! He ripped his clothes in despair. Beside himself, he went to his brothers. "The boy's gone! What am I going to do!"

2 Kings 2:24
Elisha turned, took one look at them, and cursed them in the name of God . Two bears charged out of the underbrush and knocked them about, ripping them limb from limb—forty-two children in all!

Proverbs 10:18
Liars secretly hoard hatred; fools openly spread slander.

Proverbs 27:4
We're blasted by anger and swamped by rage, but who can survive jealousy?

Proverbs 28:13
You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.

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.