Psalms 37:35 · Bible study
Psalms 37:35 Commentary: The Green Tree and the Wicked's Passing
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
How does the wicked flourishing like a green tree challenge assumptions? The psalmist's experience and the comfort of Psalm 37's full context.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The psalmist testifies that he has personally observed the wicked flourishing like a deeply rooted tree, but the context shows this flourishing is temporary.
- Key words: עָרִיץ (ruthless, terror-inspiring); אֶזְרָח (native, one rising from the soil); מִתְעָרֶה (spreading himself, with nuance of exposure).
- Main debate: Whether the wicked is a specific historical figure (Nebuchadnezzar, Haman) or a general type; the text allows both readings.
- Theological theme: The prosperity of the wicked is not a sign of God's favor; the righteous must wait on God's ultimate justice.
- Best use: Reading this verse in its full context (vv. 34, 40) as a pastoral comfort for those troubled by the apparent success of evil.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
WEB World English Bible 2000
I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
KJV King James Version 1769
I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
I have seen the wicked terrible, And spreading as a green native plant,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading like a green tree in its native soil:
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Vi yo al impío sumamente ensalzado, y que se extendía como un laurel verde.
Eu vi ao perverso violento crescer como a árvore verde, natural da terra.
J’ ai vu le méchant dans toute sa puissance;
Ich habe gesehen einen Gottlosen, der war trotzig und breitete sich aus und grünte wie ein Lorbeerbaum.
Resch. Ik heb gezien een gewelddrijvende goddeloze, die zich uitbreidde als een groene inlandse boom.
Io ho veduto l’empio potente, e distendersi come albero verde sul suolo natìo;
Widziałem niezbożnika nader wyniosłego, a rozłożonego jako drzewo zielone samorosłe;
我見過 惡人 大有勢力，好像一根青翠 樹 在本土生發。
I have seen the evil-doer in great power, covering the earth like a great tree.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 37:35
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse captures the psalmist's personal and hard-won observation of the wicked enjoying a season of spectacular success. Barnes notes that "I have seen" appeals to long experience, echoing Job 5:3. The word translated "great power" (עָרִיץ) carries a sense of terror and tyranny, not mere prosperity. The tree image, "like a green tree in its native soil" (אֶזְרָח רַעֲנָן), evokes a native oak that seems unshakeable, homegrown and vigorous. Keil and Delitzsch explain that it describes a tree that "has grown from time immemorial in its native soil." Yet the psalmist is not endorsing this sight. Rather, as Calvin and Matthew Henry argue, he uses it to expose the temptation that the wicked's good fortune poses to faith. The verse sets up the contrast that follows: the wicked flourishes like a native tree, but verse 36 declares he "passed away." The prosperity is real but temporary. The psalmist's own eyes have seen both the rise and the vanishing.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The psalmist testifies to personally observing the wicked's prosperity, which is real but not final.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation of the tree image | The tree symbolizes the wicked's apparent stability and vigor, deeply rooted in its native soil. | Some see it as a specific tree (bay tree, laurel, oak); others take it as a generic native tree, with no emphasis on the species. |
| Identity of the wicked | The wicked is powerful, ruthless, and a tyrant. | Some commentators (Clarke, Gill) suggest a specific historical figure (Nebuchadnezzar, Haman, Saul); others view it as a general type representing all oppressive wicked people. |
| Duration of the wicked's prosperity | The wicked's prosperity is temporary and will end. | Whether the end is always in this life (as the psalmist's personal experience suggests) or extends to final judgment beyond this life; both readings are present. |
| The psalm's function | The psalm is meant to comfort the righteous and dissuade envy. | Whether it functions as a theodicy (justifying God's ways) or as pastoral instruction; Lange argues it is not a theodicy but an exhortation. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The forty-fifth book of the Psalter, Psalm 37 is an alphabetic acrostic. Each stanza of two or three lines begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Lange calls it "a necklace of precious stones", pithy sayings designed for memory and meditation, not abstract argument. The psalm arises from the perennial crisis of faith: the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. David, named in the title, writes from the conviction of a man who has "been young and now is old" (v. 25).
The image of the tree rooted in its native soil draws on an ancient Near Eastern symbol of stability and blessing. A tree that grows from the soil where it was born was thought to have untouchable strength. But the Hebrew word for "spreading himself" (מִתְעָרֶה) is a reflexive participle from a root meaning "to bare or pour out", it carries an undertone of exposure, even nakedness. The wicked man pours himself out in display, but the very verb hints at vulnerability.
The psalm's historical home is likely the courts of Israel or Judah, where the righteous often saw the wicked in power, men like Saul, Doeg, or Ahithophel (Gill names Haman). Yet the psalm does not name names; it offers a timeless wisdom. The surrounding verses (34, 40) form the conclusion of the psalm, shifting from command ("Wait for Yahweh") to testimony ("I have seen") to final exhortation. This structure grounds the instruction in lived reality.
Textual Notes
The supplied excerpts note one textual variant: the Septuagint and Jerome read "like the cedars of Lebanon" instead of "like a green native tree" (Keil & Delitzsch). Additionally, K&D discuss the interpretation of וַיַּעֲבֹר in verse 36, arguing it means "one passed by" rather than "he vanished." These variants do not affect the main sense of the verse. No other significant textual issues are mentioned.
Reception History
Psalm 37:35 has been read across traditions as a key text for the problem of the prosperity of the wicked. Early church fathers used it to counsel patience under persecution. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther drew on it to encourage believers who saw the ungodly flourishing. The image of the green tree was often contrasted with the righteous as a tree planted by streams (Psalm 1). In sermon collections, this verse has frequently been paired with Job 5:3 and Psalm 73 to form a threefold witness: the wise see both the rise and fall of the wicked. The psalm's acrostic structure has also been noted as aiding memorization for believers facing temptation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Sight That Tempts (v. 35). The wicked flourish like an unshakeable native tree. This is what we see and what tests our trust.
- The Sight That Settles (v. 36). The same wicked vanish; the tree is cut off. The psalmist sought him but could not find him.
- The Sight That Strengthens (v. 37). Mark the perfect man; his end is peace. The righteous future outlasts the wicked's present.
Five-point outline
- The reality of wicked prosperity, it must not be denied or minimized.
- The danger of envy, the psalm was written to guard against this.
- The testimony of experience, age brings perspective (v. 25, 35).
- The certainty of judgment, the tree does not stand forever.
- The call to wait on the Lord, the righteous have a different future (v. 34, 37).
Illustration hooks
- A luxury skyscraper rises in a struggling neighborhood. It seems permanent, but in fifty years it may be gone. Faith sees the longer timeline.
- A business built on shady practices thrives for years, then a scandal or market shift brings it down. What looked unshakeable was not.
- A mighty old tree falls in a storm while smaller, less impressive trees survive. The wicked's apparent strength is not the final word.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God seem to bless people who cheat and lie?
- How long will the wicked prosper before God acts?
- Is it wrong to want the same success as the wicked?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 37:35 presents a snapshot many of us have seen: the wicked flourishing. The psalmist does not deny it. But he places that snapshot within a larger album, the witness of a long life and the promises of God. This discussion helps a group look squarely at the tension between what we see and what God says.
Discussion questions
- What does the psalmist claim to have seen, and how does he describe the wicked? (observation)
- How does the tree metaphor depict the wicked's apparent stability? (interpretation)
- What assumption about wealth or success does this verse challenge? (interpretation/application)
- Read verse 36. How does the psalmist's follow-up observation change the picture? (interpretation)
- Why is it important that the psalmist says "I have seen" rather than simply "God says"? (observation)
- In what situations do you find yourself most tempted to envy the wicked's prosperity? (application)
- How does the rest of Psalm 37 (especially vv. 34, 37, 40) call us to respond? (application)
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)
| Esther 5:11 | Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children, all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. |
| Job 5:3 | I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation. |
| Job 8:13 | So are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man will perish, |
| Job 8:19 | Behold, this is the joy of his way. Out of the earth, others will spring. |
| Job 21:7 | “Why do the wicked live, become old, yes, and grow mighty in power? |
| Job 21:17 | “How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, that their calamity comes on them, that God distributes sorrows in his anger? |
| Psalms 73:3 | For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. |
| Psalms 73:11 | They say, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” |
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
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke sees a specific historical reference in the image of the spreading green tree: he links it directly to Nebuchadnezzar's vision in Daniel of a great tree whose top reached heaven. For Clarke, the wicked man's temporary power mirrors that king's towering pride.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on the specific Hebrew words behind "great power" and "green bay tree." The power described is not mere prosperity but the terrifying force of a violent tyrant. The tree is properly a native tree growing undisturbed in its own soil, suggesting a wicked man who has enjoyed long, stable prosperity yet still faces ruin.
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
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
I haue seene the wicked strong, and spreading himselfe like a greene bay tree.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies a specific formidable figure like Haman or Doeg behind the psalmist's description of a wicked person in power. He interprets the image of the green bay tree as self-originating growth, rooted in native soil, symbolizing the wicked person's sudden increase in riches and honor and their proud boasting in such apparent stability.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that these verses present a picture under the image of a flourishing tree, which soon withers. The illustration captures the sudden and complete collapse of what once seemed strong and prosperous.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch corrects a common mistranslation: the wicked man is compared not to a cedar of Lebanon but to a native, long-rooted tree that has grown massive over centuries. The Hebrew describes a tree thriving in its own soil, and the phrase "one passed by" simply means people saw him and moved on, not that he vanished.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that this psalm is not a formal theodicy or a reasoned defense of God's justice. It is a series of practical, proverbial exhortations meant to calm the believer's agitation over the wicked's success and to encourage patient trust and good deeds, with the assurance of a sudden reversal.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry frames the psalm's final verses as the preacher's conclusion: duty belongs to us, but outcomes belong to God. If we make conscience of keeping his way, we may cheerfully wait on him, trusting that he is a good Master both to those who work for him and to those who wait on him.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley points out that the bay tree is an apt image because it stays green and flourishing even in winter. The wicked may appear to thrive in seasons when others wither, and this evergreen quality is what makes the comparison striking.