Psalms 37:3
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Study Note
Study Note
The threefold command 'Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land: and verily thou shalt be fed' connects trust, ethical action, dwelling, and sustenance in a chain that defines covenantal prosperity in organic rather than transactional terms. Psalm 37 is an acrostic wisdom psalm addressing the problem of the prosperous wicked versus the righteous sufferer — one of the persistent theodicy questions of the Hebrew Bible alongside Job and Psalm 73. The command not to 'fret because of evildoers' (verse 1) sets the motivational context: trust is the counter to anxiety-driven moral compromise. The Beatitude 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' (Matthew 5:5) almost certainly draws on Psalm 37:11 ('the meek shall inherit the earth'), placing the wisdom tradition's counsel within the eschatological frame of kingdom promise.
Other Translations
Trust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed onhisfaithfulness.
Trust in Jehovah, and do good, Dwell <FI>in<Fi> the land, and enjoy faithfulness,
Have faith in the Lord, and do good; be at rest in the land, and go after righteousness.
Cross References
Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and …
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in …
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, …
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know …
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.