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Trust in the Lord and do good; Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Psalms 37:3 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
  • KJV Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
  • BSB Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
  • NKJV Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
  • NLT Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

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

Instead of fretting, David commands trust in the Lord and doing good, with the promise of secure dwelling and provision. Faith expresses itself in faithful action.

Overview

David replaces anxiety with active trust: rely on God and do good, and you will 'dwell in the land' enjoying His care. Genuine faith is not passive but works itself out in obedience. This pairing of trust and good works reflects the consistent biblical pattern fulfilled in the gospel, where faith in Christ bears the fruit of good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 17

  • Jer 17:7–8“Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose confidence is in Yahweh.
  • Matt 6:31–33“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
  • Ps 62:8Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.
  • 1 Cor 15:57–58But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Ps 34:9–10Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him.
  • Luke 22:35He said to them, “When I sent you out without purse, and wallet, and shoes, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.”
  • Ps 4:5Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in Yahweh.
  • Heb 6:10–12For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.
  • Deut 30:20to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
  • Isa 1:16–19Wash yourselves, make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil.
  • Ps 26:1By David. Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering.
  • Ps 33:19to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine.
  • Isa 50:10Who among you fears Yahweh, and obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness, and has no light, let him trust in Yahweh’s name, and rely on his God.
  • Gen 26:2Yahweh appeared to him, and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.
  • Heb 11:13–16These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
  • 1 Sam 26:19Now therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is so that Yahweh has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, they are cursed before Yahweh; for they have driven me out today that I shouldn’t cling to Yahweh’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’
  • Isa 40:11He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 37:3YouTube · 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 37:3 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.