A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
What does Psalms 37:16 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 37:16
A little that a righteous man hath - literally, "Good is a little to the righteous, more than," etc. Our translation, however, has expressed the sense with sufficient accuracy. There are two things implied here: (a) that it happens not unfrequently that the righteous have little of the wealth of this world; and (b) that this little is to them of more real value, accompanied, as it is, with higher blessings, than the more abundant wealth which the wicked often possess.
Key words
- little
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A little that a righteous man hath,.
- righteous
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A little that a righteous man hath,.
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.
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