The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
What does Psalms 37:14 mean?
Let us be satisfied that God will make all to work for good to us. Let us not discompose ourselves at what we see in this world.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside its immediate passage and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Psalms 37:14
The wicked have drawn out the sword - That is, they have prepared themselves with a full purpose to destroy the righteous. And have bent their bow - literally, "have trodden the bow," in allusion to the method by which the bow was bent: to wit, by placing the foot on it, and drawing the string back. To cast down the poor and needy - To cause them to fall. And to slay such as be of upright conversation - Margin, as in Hebrew: "the upright of way." That is, those who are upright in their manner of life, or in their conduct.
Key words
- wicked
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The wicked have drawn out the sword,.
- drawn
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The wicked have drawn out the sword,.
- sword
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The wicked have drawn out the sword,.
Context in Psalms 37
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Psalms 37 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book II. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Passages on asking, persistence, confession, dependence, and the way prayer shapes Christian life and attention.
Bible verses about justice and mercy
Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.
Bible verses about thankfulness and gratitude
Passages on thanksgiving to God, grateful worship, and the discipline of remembering God’s goodness in ordinary life.
Glossary
- Bow Tribe
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The bow was in use in early times both in war and in the chase ( Gen. 21:20 ; 27:3 ; 48:22 ). The tribe of Benjamin were famous for the use of the bow ( 1 Chr. 8:40 ; 12:2 ; 2 Chr. 14:8 ; 17:17 ); so also were the Elamites.