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There the evildoers lie fallen, thrown down and unable to rise.
Psalms 36:12 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB There the workers of iniquity are fallen. They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.
  • KJV There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
  • NKJV There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
  • NASB Those who do injustice have fallen there; They have been thrust down and cannot rise.
  • NLT Look! Those who do evil have fallen! They are thrown down, never to rise again.

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

David sees by faith the workers of iniquity already fallen, thrust down and unable to rise. Evil's final defeat is certain.

Overview

The psalm ends with a confident vision of the wicked cast down for good, 'not able to rise.' Though wickedness seems strong now, David speaks of its downfall as accomplished, resting in God's sure justice. This anticipates the gospel's assurance that sin, death, and evil are decisively defeated through the cross and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Ps 1:5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
  • 2 Th 1:8–9in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
  • Ps 55:23But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
  • Rev 19:1–6After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
  • Ps 64:7–9But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be wounded.
  • Rev 15:4Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
  • Jer 51:64Then you are to say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again, because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will grow weary.’” Here end the words of Jeremiah.
  • Ps 9:16The LORD is known by the justice He brings; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion Selah
  • Judg 5:31So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.
  • Ps 18:38I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
  • Ps 58:10–11The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
  • Ps 140:10May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 36:12YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 36:12 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.