Psalms 37:36
Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Study Note
Study Note
The observation 'yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found' applies the transience metaphor to the wicked in Psalm 37's extended meditation on the apparent prosperity of evildoers. The psalm's acrostic structure (each stanza beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet) signals a didactic, wisdom-genre composition designed to counter the moral crisis posed by observed injustice. The verse develops the 'fading grass' and 'withering herb' imagery of 37:2, insisting that temporal observation must be suspended to encompass the longer arc of divine justice. Jesus cites Psalm 37:11 ('the meek shall inherit the earth') in Matthew 5:5, indicating that this psalm's theodicy shaped his Beatitudes directly.
Other Translations
But one passed by, and, lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
And he passeth away, and lo, he is not, And I seek him, and he is not found!
But he came to an end, and there was no sign of him; I made a search for him and he was not there.
Cross References
For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord …
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon …
This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.
That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall …
And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.
Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall …
And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten …