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The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
Psalms 37:18 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yahweh knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever.
  • BSB The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will last forever.
  • NKJV The Lord knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.
  • NASB The Lord knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever.
  • NLT Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

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 Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance lasts forever. God intimately watches over His people and secures their eternal portion.

Overview

David affirms that God 'knows the days' of the upright, that is, He cares for and oversees their whole life, and grants them an everlasting inheritance. Their future is not fragile but eternal. This permanent inheritance, hinted under the old covenant, is fully revealed in the gospel as the imperishable inheritance kept in heaven for those in Christ (1 Peter 1:4).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 21

  • Ps 1:6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
  • Rom 6:23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • Ps 103:17But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
  • 2 Tim 2:19Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
  • Ps 49:5Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
  • 1 Pet 1:4–5To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
  • Ps 31:7I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
  • Ps 73:24Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
  • Rev 11:3–5And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
  • Deut 33:25Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
  • Ps 21:4He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
  • Isa 60:21Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
  • 1 Jn 2:25And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
  • Ps 16:11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
  • Ps 37:13The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
  • Matt 6:32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
  • 2 Tim 3:1–5This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
  • Rom 5:21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • 2 Tim 4:2–4Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
  • Matt 24:21–24For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
  • Ps 31:15My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 37:18YouTube · 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 37:18 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.