Psalm 37/Notes/Lexical.v. 9.498561

The land (אֶרֶץ) is a key theme in this psalm (cf. vv. 9, 11, 22, 29, 34). The word refers to the land of Canaan which YHWH promised to give to Abraham and his descendants (see Gen 12:7; 15:7, 18-21). In the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, YHWH fulfilled his promise (see Josh 21:43-45; Jdg 2:6; 1 Kgs 8:56), but Israel's continued possession of the land depended on their faithfulness to the covenant (see Lev 26; Deut 28; cf. Ezra 9:12; 1 Chron 28:8). In Ps 37, it is only the righteous who will possess the land in the end (cf. Isa 60:21), perhaps hinting at the idea that only the righteous—i.e., those who trust in YHWH and practice covenant faithfulness—are the true descendants of Abraham to whom the land has been given. On the land theme throughout the Bible, see Martin 2013. The following Venn diagram explores some of the similarities and differences between the English word "land" and the Hebrew word אֶרֶץ.