Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
Parallel translations
- WEB But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.
- KJV Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
- BSB yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.
- NASB Then he passed away, and behold, he was no more; I searched for him, but he could not be found.
- NLT But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find 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
Yet the wicked man passed away and could not be found when sought. His seeming permanence vanished without a trace.
Overview
Continuing his testimony, David notes that the once-flourishing wicked man simply 'was not'; he disappeared so completely that he could not be located. The contrast with v.35 drives home the brevity of ungodly success. This sober reality assures the righteous that the apparent triumph of evil is temporary, and that lasting hope belongs to those rooted in God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 37:10For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.
- Acts 12:22–23The people shouted, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
- Exod 15:19For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.
- Isa 10:16–19Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.
- Isa 10:33–34Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.
- Job 20:5–29that the triumphing of the wicked is short, the joy of the godless but for a moment?
- Exod 15:9–10The enemy said, ‘I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy 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 37:36 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
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