Psalm 37:2

ESV For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
NIV for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
NASB For they will wither quickly like the grass, And decay like the green plants.
CSB For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants.
NLT For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
KJV For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
NKJV For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.

What does Psalm 37:2 mean?

The prior verse instructed Christians not to be anxious—literally "heated up"—by the actions of evildoers. Their actions will eventually lead to disaster (Mark 8:36). In that sense, the wicked will not always be around. Soon they will fade away like the grass and wither like vegetation.

In the Middle East, where David lived, grass and vegetation thrives in the rainy season, but it disappears when rain no longer falls, and a hot sun scorches the earth. Isaiah 40:6–7 reminds us, "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades." The apostle James points out in James 4:14 that all life is temporal. He compares it to "a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." When the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness, they learned how brief life is. They saw a whole generation die there because they refused to believe God who commanded them to enter the Promised Land. Life is too brief to waste time being anxious over evildoers (Matthew 6:25–34).
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