Psalms 73:18 · Bible study
Psalms 73:18 Commentary: Slippery Places
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
How does God setting the wicked on slippery ground resolve the psalmist’s crisis of faith? Commentary, context, and pastoral application.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God places the prosperous wicked on unstable ground and will cause them to fall into ruin, solving the psalmist’s crisis of faith.
- Key words: ḥălāqôt (slippery places), maššû’ôt (destruction/deceptions), nāpal (to fall, Hiphil = cause to fall).
- Main debate: Whether the destruction is temporal (earthly ruin) or eternal (final judgment); both readings appear in the commentaries.
- Theological theme: Divine sovereignty over human fortune; the discrepancy between present appearance and final reality.
- Best use: Preaching on the problem of evil; teaching about God’s justice and the temporary nature of worldly success.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Surely you set them in slippery places. You throw them down to destruction.
KJV King James Version 1769
Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Surely thou settest them in slippery places: Thou castest them down to destruction.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Truly thou settest them in slippery places, thou castest them down in ruins.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Remember this, the enemy hath reproached the Lord: and a foolish people hath provoked thy name.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Ciertamente los has puesto en deslizaderos; en asolamientos los harás caer.
Certamente tu os fazes escorregarem, e os lança em assolações.
Oui, tu les places sur des voies glissantes,
Ja, du setzest sie aufs Schlüpfrige und stürzest sie zu Boden.
Immers zet Gij hen op gladde plaatsen; Gij doet hen vallen in verwoestingen.
Certo, tu li metti in luoghi sdrucciolevoli, tu li fai cadere in rovina.
Zprawdęś ich na miejscach śliskich postawił, a podajesz ich na spustoszenie.
Вспомни же: враг поносит Господа, и люди безумные хулят имя Твое.
你實在 把他們 安 在滑地，使他們掉 在沉淪之中。
You put their feet where there was danger of slipping, so that they go down into destruction.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 73:18
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Psalm 73:18 presents the turning point of the psalm. After entering the sanctuary (v.17), the psalmist sees what he could not see before: the wicked do not stand on solid ground. Barnes notes they are set ‘not in a solid and permanent position, but as on smooth and slippery rocks.’ Gill agrees: places of honour and riches are unstable. The verb tašît (‘you set’) is active, God himself appoints their precarious station. The second line, ‘you throw them down to destruction,’ uses hippaltām (Hiphil of nāpal, ‘cause to fall’) with lemaššû’ôt, a word that can mean both ‘ruins’ and ‘deceptions.’ Cambridge calls this a ‘word of rare occurrence, meaning desolations.’ The effect is a deliberate ambiguity: the wicked’s deceptive prosperity becomes the very path to their ruin. The psalmist’s former envy vanishes when he sees that prosperity is a trap, not a reward.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse declares that the wicked’s apparent security is an illusion — God will bring them to ruin, a reality that resolves the psalmist’s doubt and calls believers to trust in God’s final justice.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| God's role in judgment | God is the one who sets the wicked in slippery places and ultimately brings them down; he is sovereign over their fate. | Some traditions (Calvinist) emphasize God’s active decree, while others (Arminian) stress God’s permission and human responsibility. |
| Meaning of 'destruction' (maššû’ôt) | The word means ruin or desolation; the wicked end in disaster. | Does it refer primarily to sudden earthly calamity (Gill, Barnes) or to eschatological judgment in hell (Calvin, Matthew Henry)? Both are represented. |
| Resolution of theodicy | The sanctuary reveals the 'end' of the wicked, resolving the problem of their prosperity. | For some, this end is seen in history (e.g., the fall of nations); for others, it requires a final judgment beyond this life. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 73 is a wisdom poem attributed to Asaph, a Levitical musician. Its crisis is classic: the righteous suffer while the wicked flourish (vv.3, 14). The poet nearly renounces his faith until he ‘enters the sanctuary of God’ (v.17). This is not merely a building but the place of divine revelation, the temple precinct where God’s word and will were made known. There he ‘considers their latter end.’ That phrase, aḥărîtām, points to final outcome, not just the present moment.
Verse 18 draws on a familiar biblical image. Deuteronomy 32:35 speaks of the time ‘when their foot slides.’ Jeremiah 23:12 promises the wicked ‘a slippery way in the dark.’ The picture is of a high precipice: a place that looks strong but offers no secure footing. The Hebrew word ḥălāqôt (slippery places) appears only here and in Psalm 35:6, where the psalmist prays for the enemies’ path to be ‘dark and slippery.’ The image carries danger and divine agency, God himself sets them there.
The final word, maššû’ôt, is disputed. Lexically it can mean ‘desolations’ or ‘ruins’ (Strong's H4876), but the same root (nš’) can produce a word meaning ‘deceptions.’ The psalmist may be making a pun: the prosperity that deceived the wicked is itself the means of their fall. Calvin calls it ‘a just recompense, that they who have deceived themselves by their own flattering dreams should be overwhelmed with sudden destruction.’
Textual Notes
No significant textual variants are recorded for Psalm 73:18 in the consulted sources. The Masoretic Text is stable. The Douay-Rheims translation appears to render a different verse (Psalm 73:18 in the Vulgate numbering corresponds to a different text; for this verse, the standard Hebrew-English correspondence is consistent across the KJV, ASV, BSB, YLT and Darby).
Reception History
Christian interpreters have read Psalm 73:18 as a key text for understanding the problem of evil. The line ‘slippery places’ became a proverbial image for the precarious nature of worldly success. Early church fathers such as Augustine cited the psalm in their reflections on the prosperity of the ungodly and the need for patience. During the Reformation, commentators including Calvin and Luther used it to argue that God’s judgments, though hidden, are certain. Puritan preachers often quoted the verse in sermons on the sudden fall of the wicked, warning against envy of the rich. In modern hymnody, the image appears in songs that contrast the fate of the righteous and the wicked, though no specific hymn is grounded in the supplied data.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Perplexity of Prosperity (vv.1, 16): The psalmist admits he envied the wicked and nearly gave up faith. This sets up the tension every congregation feels when evil seems to win.
- The Sanctuary Revelation (vv.17, 20): The turning point is not a new argument but a new vantage point, seeing from God’s perspective, especially the end of the story.
- The Confident Conclusion (vv.21, 28): The psalmist shifts from envy to gratitude, from doubt to trust, anchored in God’s presence and counsel.
Five-point outline
- The crisis of faith (vv.1, 3)
- The prosperous wicked described (vv.4, 12)
- The nearly fatal doubt (vv.13, 16)
- The turn: sanctuary insight (vv.17, 22)
- The restored relationship with God (vv.23, 28)
Illustration hooks
- Standing on ice: A patch of ice that looks solid until weight shifts. The wicked appear secure, but God knows the surface is slick.
- A stock market crash: Wealth built on speculation can vanish overnight, reminding us that affluence is not the same as security.
- The cliff edge: A narrow path on a high cliff appears dramatic but is deadly. Pride and power often lead to a greater fall (Proverbs 29:1).
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why do bad things happen to good people while the wicked seem to get away with everything?
- If God is just, why does he wait so long to act?
- How can I know whether my own prosperity is a blessing or a trap?
Leading a Discussion
This passage tackles one of the oldest questions of faith: why does God allow the wicked to prosper? The psalmist’s answer does not come from logic but from encounter, seeing life from the sanctuary. Use these questions to guide your group from the text to their own lives.
Discussion questions
- Read Psalm 73:1, 18. What was the psalmist’s emotional state before verse 17? Why did he almost give up?
- What does the phrase ‘slippery places’ suggest about the security of the wicked? How does that image differ from the way they appear on the outside?
- Verse 18 says God sets them there. Does that make God responsible for their fall? How do you reconcile this with human free will?
- The Hebrew word for ‘destruction’ can also mean ‘deceptions.’ How might the wicked be deceived by their own prosperity? Are there ways Christians today can be similarly deceived?
- How does the sanctuary, the place of worship and God’s presence, change the psalmist’s perspective? What would a ‘sanctuary moment’ look like in your life this week?
- Compare this passage with Jesus’ parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13, 21). What similar warning do both passages give?
- In verse 28 the psalmist concludes it is good to draw near to God. What practical step can you take this week to draw near, especially when you feel confused or envious?
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)
| Deuteronomy 32:35 | Vengeance is mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot slides, for the day of their calamity is at hand. Their doom rushes at them.” |
| Psalms 35:6 | Let their way be dark and slippery, Yahweh’s angel pursuing them. |
| Psalms 37:20 | But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish— vanish like smoke. |
| Psalms 37:24 | Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand. |
| Psalms 37:35 | I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. |
| Psalms 37:38 | As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together. The future of the wicked shall be cut off. |
| Psalms 55:23 | But you, God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you. |
| Psalms 92:7 | though the wicked spring up as the grass, and all the evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever. |
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
Clarke warns that wealth creates a treacherous path; even devout Christians often lose their spiritual joy and peace when burdened by riches. He finds them so entangling that they can rob a believer of the comforts of the gospel.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that the wicked are set on slippery ground, not a solid foundation. Their prosperity offers no permanence or safety; ruin is certain. The real answer to the psalmist's confusion lies in waiting for the end, where God's justice will be clear.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that the psalmist nearly abandoned faith by judging only from present circumstances. The remedy is patience: we must let God's providence work in the hidden way He has determined, trusting that in the end the righteous will not lose their reward and the wicked will not escape judgment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
For this commentator, the wicked are set by God in slippery, dangerous places where they cannot help but stumble and fall. The word "s
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Surely thou hast set them in slipperie places, and castest them downe into desolation.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that honor and riches are slippery places God himself assigns, and the same God who sets people up can pull them down. The danger is twofold: temporal ruin that topples the proud from high station, and everlasting destruction from which there is no recovery.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes the sudden and terrible end of the wicked, comparing it to a waking person who despises an empty dream. God rising to judgment makes their fleeting happiness vanish, and they collapse like a building falling into ruin.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that the psalmist's victory over envy began with a simple act of restraint: he refused to voice his doubt. Henry draws a sharp line between thinking ill and speaking it, arguing that uttering such thoughts would offend God's people and spread corruption. Suppressing the evil thought, even while still wrestling with it, is itself a sign of repentance.