Psalm 37/Notes/Lexical.v. 24.509665

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"When he falls, he will not be thrown down," i.e., the fall will not be a devastating crash from which he does not recover (cf. LXX: "Should he fall [ὅταν πέσῃ], he will not crash [οὐ καταραχθήσεται]" [NETS]; cf. Origen, trans. Trigg 2020, 127, who compares it to a wrestler who falls in one round but emerges victorious in the end; Jerome iuxta Hebr.: cum ceciderit non adlidetur; so most modern translations, which they express in various ways: "fall... cast headlong" [ESV]; "trips... fall headlong" [NET]; "stumble... fall" [NIV, NLT, CEV]; "fall... stay down" [GNT]; cf. Radak: לא ישלך לארץ). Craigie expresses the idea well: "if he falls, he won't fall flat on his face" (1983, 295). As he writes, "The righteous retain their humanity and still may fall in the walk of life; the divine hand ensures that the fall will not be so grave as to prohibit them from ever rising again and continuing to walk life's road" (1983, 298). The thought is similar to Ps 34:20—"The hardships of the righteous are many, but YHWH rescues him from all of them" (CBC).

  • Another option: "When he falls, he will not be thrown off the path" (cf. Jer 22:28, where הוטל refers to being thrown out of the land; cf. hiphil in Jer 16:13; 22:26).
  • Another option: The subject of יִפּוֹל could also be impersonal: "when it falls", i.e., "When disaster falls, he will not be thrown down." Cf. Targum: "Though he may fall ill (ארום יפול מרע, lit.: "though sickness may fall"), he will not die (לא ימות)" (Stec 2004, 81; cf. DCH).