Psalms 37:2 · Bible study
Psalms 37:2 Commentary: The Meaning of 'Soon Cut Down Like Grass'
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the psalmist say the wicked will soon be cut down like grass?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The wicked may thrive now, but their prosperity is as brief and fragile as grass cut down at its peak.
- Key words: Meherah (H4120, “haste, speed”); yimmalu (H5243, “they will wither/be cut off”).
- Main debate: Whether “soon” refers to actual timing or to the suddenness of judgment when it finally comes, commentators agree on the suddenness but differ on the interval.
- Theological theme: Theodicy: God’s justice will ultimately vindicate the righteous and bring down the wicked, so trust in God rather than envy appearances.
- Best use: Pastoral counsel for those troubled by injustice, providing patient hope and a reoriented focus on God’s faithful character.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
KJV King James Version 1769
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For as grass speedily they are cut off, And as the greenness of the tender grass do fade.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and fade as the green herb.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thy indignation; nor chastise me in thy wrath.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque como hierba serán presto cortados, y decaerán como verdor de renuevo.
Porque assim como a erva, eles logo serão cortados; e como a verdura eles cairão.
Car ils sont fauchés aussi vite que l’ herbe,
Denn wie das Gras werden sie bald abgehauen, und wie das grüne Kraut werden sie verwelken.
Want als gras zullen zij haast worden afgesneden, en als de groene grasscheutjes zullen zij afvallen.
perché saran di subito falciati come il fieno, e appassiranno come l’erba verde.
Bo jako trawa prędko podcięci będą, a jako liście zielone opadną.
Господи! не в ярости Твоей обличай меня и не во гневе Твоем наказывай меня,
因為 他們如草 快 被割下，又如青 菜 快要枯乾。
For they will quickly be cut down like grass, and become dry like the green plants.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 37:2
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Psalm 37:2 uses the image of grass to assure the righteous that the prosperity of the wicked is fleeting. Barnes notes that “their prosperity is only temporary,” comparing them to grass “soon to fall under the scythe of the mower.” Gill describes the wicked as flourishing “for a while, and then they perish.” Calvin calls their felicity “transient and evanescent.” The Cambridge Bible sums it up: “The grass and the green herb are a common image for what is transient and perishable.” The verse therefore grounds the psalmist’s call not to fret (v.1) in the certainty that God will bring the wicked low, whether soon in time or suddenly when judgment arrives. This shared conviction supports the whole psalm’s structure: trust God, do good, and leave the outcome to Him.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The wicked’s prosperity is temporary and they will perish, and this truth is meant to calm the believer’s heart and redirect trust to God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'soon' (meherah) | The wicked’s prosperity will end with sudden swiftness when judgment comes. | Some read 'soon' as implying it will happen in a short time (Gill, Calvin), while Barnes argues the focus is on the speed of the event, not its nearness. |
| The verb yimmalu, 'wither' or 'cut down' | Both readings describe a decisive end to the wicked’s flourishing. | The Hebrew root allows both senses; translations like WEB, KJV favor 'cut down,' while BSB chooses 'wither.' The choice affects the vividness of the image but not the core meaning. |
| How this verse fits the psalm’s theology of retribution | God will ultimately judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous; the psalm encourages patience. | Some traditions (e.g., Reformed) see this as a general principle that plays out in history, while others (e.g., some Pentecostal) emphasize present-time fulfillment. Both agree God’s justice is certain. |
| The pastoral response to envy | Believers are called to trust God and not fret (v.1). | Different traditions stress different means: some emphasize prayer and worship (Psalm 73), others active obedience (doing good, v.3), and still others waiting in silence (v.7). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm of David, composed as instruction for believers tempted to envy the success of the wicked (v.1). In ancient Israel, grass and green herbs symbolized both beauty and fragility. The land’s seasonal cycle, lush grass after rain, then rapid withering under the Eastern sun, provided a vivid lesson that every listener would recognize. David contrasts the apparent stability of the wicked with their actual transience.
The Hebrew adverb meherah (H4120) carries the sense of “haste” or “speed,” not necessarily “soon” in our sense of the word. Barnes explains that the focus is on how quickly the end comes when it arrives, rather than on a specific short interval. The verb yimmalu (H5243) can mean “they will wither” or “they will be cut off”, both suggest a decisive, irreversible end. This imagery echoes Job 14:2 (“He grows up like a flower, and is cut down”), Job 20:5 (“the triumphing of the wicked is short”), and Psalm 90:5 (“You sweep them away as they sleep”).
Calvin notes that the psalm addresses the temptation to think the world is governed by chance or that God makes no difference between good and bad. The wisdom tradition of Israel consistently warns that the wicked cannot prosper indefinitely (Proverbs 24:19, 20). Psalm 37:2 stands as the backbone of the argument: because the wicked will not last, the righteous should trust God and not give way to anger or envy. The verse thus functions not as a promise of immediate judgment but as a perspective-shaping truth that reorients the believer’s heart.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 37:2. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The verb yimmalu (H5243) has been translated as either “wither” or “be cut down,” but this reflects ambiguity within the Hebrew root itself rather than a manuscript difference.
Reception History
This verse has been used throughout church history as a comfort for believers troubled by the success of the wicked. Early church fathers like Augustine referenced the grass imagery in their expositions of the Psalms to emphasize the transience of worldly glory. In the medieval period, the verse appeared in the Breviary as part of the Office of the Dead, reminding mourners that even powerful wrongdoers pass away. The verse also echoes in hymns and funeral liturgies across traditions. Its message has been a staple of pastoral care for those struggling with envy or despair over injustice, offering hope that God’s timing, though often unseen, is sure.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The wicked’s prosperity is deceptive, They flourish like green grass, but that growth is shallow and temporary (v.2).
- God’s judgment is certain and sudden, When it comes, it comes with the speed of a mower’s scythe. The Hebrew meherah highlights the swiftness of the end.
- Trust replaces fretting, This truth frees the believer to obey the commands of vv.3, 8: trust, do good, delight, commit, rest.
Five-point outline
- Observation: The wicked thrive like grass in spring.
- Reality: Their greenness is not security, grass is easily cut down.
- Timing: “Soon” (meherah) means suddenness more than a short wait.
- Contrast: The righteous “inherit the land” (v.9, 11, 22, 34), they have lasting life.
- Application: The preacher calls the congregation to patient trust, not envy or anger.
Illustration hooks
- A field of grass mowed down in minutes. In the morning it stood tall; by noon it lies flat. That is the wicked’s trajectory.
- A garden herb full of water and juice; cut at the stem, it wilts within hours. The stronger the apparent life, the more dramatic the collapse.
- Every sports fan knows the feeling of watching a team dominate early, only to lose in the final minutes. Apparent strength can vanish when the end matters most.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “If the wicked get away with things now, why should I keep trusting God?”
- “How long do I have to wait before I see justice?”
- “What does ‘soon’ mean when it hasn’t happened in my lifetime?”
Leading a Discussion
This small-group study focuses on Psalm 37:2 in its immediate context. The verse answers the unspoken question that rises when we see people who disregard God succeed: is it worth staying faithful? The psalmist says yes, because the wicked will not last. Discuss what that truth means for daily life.
Discussion questions
- Read Psalm 37:1, 2 aloud. What emotions does the psalmist address in verse 1? Why might those feelings arise naturally?
- The image of grass and green herb appears repeatedly in Scripture (Psalm 90:5, 6, Isaiah 40:6, 8). What qualities of grass make it an effective symbol for human life and for the wicked’s prosperity?
- The Hebrew word meherah (H4120) means “haste” or “speed.” Does the verse promise that the wicked will die soon, or that their end will come suddenly when it does? How does that difference affect how we wait?
- In verse 3, the psalmist says “Trust in Yahweh, and do good.” How is trust the practical alternative to fretting and envy? What does “do good” look like when we feel impatient with injustice?
- Consider Psalm 73:17, 20. The psalmist Asaph only understood the wicked’s end when he entered God’s sanctuary. How might worship and the community of faith help us grasp this truth?
- This psalm was written to be sung. What changes when we sing these words rather than just read them? How does the act of praise shape our perspective on injustice?
- What is one area of life where you are tempted to envy or fret over others’ success? How does verse 2 call you to respond differently this week?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 14:2 | He grows up like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn’t continue. |
| Job 20:5 | that the triumphing of the wicked is short, the joy of the godless but for a moment? |
| Job 20:9 | The eye which saw him will see him no more, neither will his place see him any more. |
| Psalms 37:35 | I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. |
| Psalms 37:36 | But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found. |
| Psalms 73:17 | until I entered God’s sanctuary, and considered their latter end. |
| Psalms 73:20 | As a dream when one wakes up, so, Lord, when you awake, you will despise their fantasies. |
| Psalms 90:5 | You sweep them away as they sleep. In the morning they sprout like new grass. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
For they shall soon be cut down - They have their portion in this life; and their enjoyment of it cannot be long, for their breath is but a vapor that speedily vanishes away. They fall before death, as the greensward does before the scythe of the mower.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on the Hebrew word for "soon," which means with speed when the time comes, not necessarily immediately. He observes that the sinner's prosperity is like lush grass full of sap, which withers all the faster when cut because of its very abundance.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists the wicked's fleeting success is actually misery, while the faithful remain truly happy even in suffering because God cares for them and will rescue them at the right time. This paradoxical truth, which defies human reason, is the Spirit's assurance against doubting
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible for Schools highlights that this stanza directly warns against envying the wicked, not because envy is wrong in itself, but because their prosperity is only temporary. The grass and green herb are cited as a standard biblical image for what is fleeting and perishable.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note emphasises the sudden and total end of those who prosper through evil. They will not last long; like fresh grass they are cut down, and like green plants they wither quickly. Their apparent strength is fragile and short-lived.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the brevity of the wicked's prosperity by comparing it to grass that looks fresh in the morning but is cut down and fades by evening. Their honor, riches, and wealth perish quickly, making their happiness so short-lived that it should not be envied or a cause for fretting.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that the psalmist is not promoting an outdated doctrine of retribution, as Olshausen claims. They hold that God's government is ultimately righteous, and the Old Testament theodicy seems inadequate only because the future adjusting present inconsistencies is not yet revealed. Even so, God's punitive justice often appears in this life.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that David first delivered this caution against envying the wicked to his own heart before writing it for others. The advice is plain, but the real work lies in living it, which is why David preached it to himself first. Preaching that begins with oneself carries the greatest weight.