Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,
Parallel translations
- WEB The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to kill him.
- KJV The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
- NKJV The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him.
- NASB The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him.
- NLT The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them.
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 watches the righteous and seeks to kill him. The godly are often the targets of deadly hostility.
Overview
David again voices the danger faced by the just: the wicked spies on him with murderous intent. This realism balances the psalm's promises, acknowledging that faithfulness invites opposition. The pattern reaches its climax in Christ, watched and plotted against by His enemies, yet not abandoned by the Father, assuring His followers that God sees and defends them.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Jer 20:10For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.”
- Luke 14:1One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat in the home of a leading Pharisee, and those in attendance were watching Him closely.
- Luke 20:20So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor.
- Luke 19:47–48Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him.
- Ps 10:8–10He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
- Luke 6:7Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.
- Acts 9:24but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.
- Luke 11:54waiting to catch Him in something He might say.
- Ps 37:12The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,
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 37:32 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.