What does Psalm 37:9 mean?

According to this verse evildoers will not continue to live in the Promised Land. They will be excommunicated from Israel and from the covenant promises God gave to His people. As a general statement, this is part of the Bible's warning about generational sin and how a righteous culture tends to lead to more prosperity and stability (Psalm 25:13; Proverbs 2:21; Isaiah 57:13). Early in the psalm, David made a related comment about the eventual fate of those who reject God (Psalm 37:1–2).

There is also a prophetic element to these statements. The Bible teaches that someday Jesus will return to earth and establish His kingdom. The redeemed of the Lord among the tribes of Israel will return to their homeland and settle there (Isaiah 43:4–7; 44:1–5, 21–28; Zechariah 13:6—14:21). But being a member of Israel is an insufficient credential for membership in the Lord's future kingdom. Jesus told Nicodemus, a highly religious ruler of the Jews, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

According to this verse, those who trust in the Lord and wait on Him will be part of this blessed future (Isaiah 12:2; Ephesians 1:13). They will inherit Messiah's kingdom. When Jesus places His sheep on His right, He will say to them, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).