The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Parallel translations
- WEB The wicked will see it, and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.
- BSB The wicked man will see and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the desires of the wicked will perish.
- NKJV The wicked will see it and be grieved; He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked shall perish.
- NASB ¶The wicked will see it and be vexed, He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked will perish.
- NLT The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.
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
The wicked will see the righteous person's blessing, be grieved, and waste away as their desires perish. Evil's hopes come to nothing before God.
Overview
The psalm closes by contrasting the enduring blessing of the righteous with the frustration and ruin of the wicked, who gnash their teeth in impotent rage. The 'desire of the wicked' ultimately perishes, while the godly stand forever. This sober end warns all to fear the Lord and find life in Him, the way of blessing fulfilled in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 58:7–8Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
- Prov 10:28The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
- Prov 11:7When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.
- Job 8:13So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
- Ps 37:12The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
- Luke 13:28There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
- Ps 86:17Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
- Matt 22:13Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Rev 16:10–11And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
- Luke 16:23–26And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
- Matt 8:12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Isa 65:13–14Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:
- Esth 6:11–12Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
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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 112:10 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.