For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Parallel translations
- WEB For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.
- KJV For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
- NKJV For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
- NASB For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.
- NLT For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God intimately knows and watches over the path of the righteous, while the way of the wicked ends in ruin. The whole psalm rests on this contrast between two destinies.
Overview
To say the Lord 'knows' the way of the righteous means He cares for, approves, and preserves it, not merely that He is aware of it. The two ways of Psalm 1 frame the entire Psalter and echo through Scripture's call to choose life. Ultimately the righteous way is the way of Christ, the only path that leads to life (John 14:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 2 Tim 2:19Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
- John 10:14I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,
- Prov 15:9The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but He loves those who pursue righteousness.
- Nah 1:7The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
- Ps 37:18–24The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will last forever.
- John 10:27My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
- Prov 14:12There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
- Ps 146:9The LORD protects foreigners; He sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.
- Ps 139:1–2For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
- Matt 7:13Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
- Job 23:10Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
- Ps 142:3Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.
- 2 Pet 2:12These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed.
- Ps 112:10The wicked man will see and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the desires of the wicked will perish.
- Ps 9:6The enemy has come to eternal ruin, and You have uprooted their cities; the very memory of them has vanished.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 1:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.