Psalms 37:20 Commentary: The Vanishing Wicked

Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm attributed to David, written as an alphabet acrostic (each stanza begins with a successive Hebrew letter). The setting is the age-old trouble of seeing the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. The psalm repeatedly exhorts readers not to fret but to trust in the Lord’s final justice. Verse 20 forms the climax of the stanza for the letter Kaph, which focuses on the end of the wicked.

Two cultural realities give the verse its punch. First, in Israel’s sacrificial system, the fat of lambs was considered the Lord’s portion; it was burned completely on the altar until nothing remained but smoke (Leviticus 3:3, 16). To an ancient Israelite, “fat of lambs” would instantly recall the altar’s fire consuming the richest part, leaving no trace. Second, the land of Israel experiences a dramatic seasonal shift. In February the hillsides are carpeted with wildflowers; by May the same ground is brown and cracked. The image of the “beauty of the fields” (or “pastures”) is equally powerful: a glory that lasts only weeks.

The psalm uses the perfect tense (“they are consumed”) to express certainty, as though the destruction has already happened. This is the language of faith: what God will do is as sure as if it were done. The smoke that ends the verse echoes the burnt offerings that filled the temple courts, and also the complete disappearance of the wicked from the land God promised His people.

The supplied sources (commentaries and lexical data) note no significant textual variants for Psalm 37:20. The Masoretic Text is stable. The main variation is in how the phrase kikar karim is read (as noun phrases for “fat of lambs” or “splendor of pastures”), but this is a translational and interpretive difference, not a manuscript divergence. The Munach accent in the Hebrew appears to confirm the reading be'ashan (“in smoke”) rather than ke'ashan (like smoke), though both are possible.

Psalm 37:20 has been received in church history through two main traditions of interpretation. The earlier (reflected in the Targum and the KJV) takes “fat of lambs” as a sacrificial image: the wicked are wholly consumed by divine fire, as the altar consumed the richest portion of the offering. This was the reading of medieval Jewish exegesis and of Reformers like Calvin and the Geneva Bible, who focused on God’s righteous anger. In the 19th century, critical commentators (Gesenius, DeWette, the Cambridge Bible) argued for “splendour of the meadows,” appealing to the natural cycle of the land. The image then shifted from the altar to the field, from sacrifice to transience. Both interpretations have been preserved in modern translations: the WEB renders “like the beauty of the fields,” while the KJV and Darby retain “fat of lambs.” The verse has often been quoted in hymns and liturgies of judgment and hope, sung by Christians who trust God’s final justice even when it seems delayed.

Three-point outline

1. The certainty of the wicked’s end, the verbs “perish” and “consume” are not threats but settled promises.
2. The image of the wicked: like precious lambs’ fat on the altar (consumed) OR like the glory of meadow flowers (vanished). Whichever reading, the result is the same: total loss.
3. The righteous response: trust God’s timeline, not the current scene. The smoke clears; the wicked are not.

Five-point outline

1. The comparison’s ambiguity teaches humility, we don’t need to settle the Hebrew to grasp the point.
2. Sacrificial fat: wealth and privilege become fuel for judgment.
3. Pasture flowers: success and power bloom, then dry up overnight.
4. Smoke: the intermediate stage, visible for a moment, then gone. The wicked’s legacy: nothing.
5. Takeaway: invest in what will not vanish, righteous deeds, trust in God, eternal inheritance.

Illustration hooks

• A farmer watches a field of wildflowers bloom in spring, then turns to dust by July. The beauty was real but brief.
• A barbecue grill: fat drips on coals, flares up, and in seconds leaves only ash and smoke. The thing that seemed substantial is gone.
• The richest person in a community may die suddenly, and within a generation their name is forgotten. The “glory” does not last.

Questions your congregation is asking

• “Why do evil people seem to get away with everything?”, The psalm doesn’t deny their prosperity; it says wait for the end.
• “Is ‘perish’ here about this life or the next?”, Barnes notes the word covers both; the psalm emphasizes present and final judgment.
• “Which translation is right, ‘fat of lambs’ or ‘beauty of the fields’?”, Both are valid; the point is the quick, complete disappearance of the wicked.

Psalm 37 is a place to bring your doubts and disappointments. When the world seems upside down, the wicked prosper, the righteous struggle, this psalm doesn’t tell you to pretend everything is fine. It tells you to watch the end of the story. Verse 20 sums up that ending with an image you can almost see. Which one do you see: a lamb’s fat sizzling on the altar, a field of flowers turning brown, or smoke dissolving in the wind?

Discussion questions

1. Read Psalm 37:20 aloud. Which translation in the study page resonates most with you? Why?
2. The Hebrew phrase kikar karim can mean either “the fat of lambs” (sacrificial) or “the splendor of pastures” (meadow flowers). How does each image shape the way you think about God’s judgment?
3. Verse 20 says the wicked “perish.” Barnes says the word could include both death in this life and final judgment. Does that ambiguity bother you, or does it increase your trust in God’s justice?
4. How does the certainty of the wicked’s end change the way you respond when you see injustice today? Should it change anything?
5. If your congregation were to “inherit the land” (v.22), what might that look like practically in your community?
6. Verse 18 says “Yahweh knows the days of the perfect.” How does that comfort you in a season where life feels fragile or unfair?
7. What is one small step you can take this week to “rest in the Lord” (v.7) rather than fret about the success of evil?