Psalm 37 Academics
They will soon wither
Psalm 37
Academic Resources
Explore our academic Psalms resources for Psalm 37, including our Layer-by-Layer analysis, select Exegetical Issues, and Overview Videos.
Overview 
- This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 37 as a whole. It covers the message, structure, background and participants of the psalm.
Layer-by-Layer Analysis 
- The heart of our process is our layer-by-layer exegetical analysis, where we unfold the semantics, story behind, discourse, and poetics of each psalm.
Grammar & Semantics
Semantics is the study of how language is used to represent meaning. The goal of semantic analysis is to understand the meaning of words and how they relate to each other in context. Our Semantics analysis consists of the following sub-layers:
- Grammar & Textual Criticism
- Lexical Semantics
- Phrase-Level Semantics
- Verbal Semantics
Story Behind
The Story Behind the Psalm shows how each part of the psalm fits together into a single coherent whole. Here, we analyze the meaning of sentences and larger units of discourse, up to and including the entire psalm. This also include historical background and figurative imagery.
Discourse
Our Discourse Layer moves beyond semantic-level meaning, and analyzes features of the text dependent on the speaker, addressee, and macrosyntax.
Poetics
Exploring the Psalms as poetry is crucial for understanding and experiencing the psalms and thus for faithfully translating them into another language.
Verse-by-Verse Notes 
- Explore the psalm verse-by-verse and section-by-section.
Psalm 37 Exegetical Issues 
- These issues examine the top three tough questions for each psalm, explaining different scholarly interpretations, and offering our perspective.
- The text of Ps 37:20 is difficult to interpret, and this has resulted in a number of different translations. The main point of disagreement in the verse is the phrase כִּיקַר כָּרִים. The phrase could mean either "like the fat of lambs" (KJV) or "like the glory of the pastures" (ESV). The phrase could also represent a textual error, and the correct reading could be כִּיקֹד כֻּרִים ("like the burning of ovens", cf. REB).
- The difficulty in this verse centers around the words לְעוֹלָ֣ם נִשְׁמָ֑רוּ. The ESV (representative of most modern translations) translates these words as They are preserved forever. Other translations, however, choose to emend the text. The NJB, for example, adopts as its Hebrew text עַוָּלִים לְעוֹלָם נִשְׁמָדוּ, which it translates as Evil-doers will perish eternally. Other translations appear to adopt a slightly different Hebrew text: עַוָּלִים נִשְׁמָדוּ (or perhaps עַוָּלִים נִצְמָתוּ): Wrongdoers will be destroyed (cf. BDS, DHH94I).
- The second half of this verse (וּ֝מִתְעָרֶ֗ה כְּאֶזְרָ֥ח רַעֲנָֽן) is problematic. Several modern translations have notes saying that the Hebrew text is "difficult" (CEV, cf. NVS78P), "unclear" (GNT, cf. NBS) or "uncertain" (NRSV, ESV).
