Verse

Psalm chapter 73

English Standard Version

1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 6Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. 7Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. 8They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. 10Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. 11And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?" 12Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. 13All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. 14For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. 15If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 16But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. 18Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! 20Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 21When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, 22I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. 23Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

1God certainly is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart! 2But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. 3For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4For there are no pains in their death, And their belly is fat. 5They are not in trouble like other people, Nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind. 6Therefore arrogance is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. 7Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart overflow. 8They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. 9They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth. 10Therefore his people return here, And abundant waters are drunk by them. 11They say, 'How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?' 12Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. 13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; 14For I have been stricken all day long, And punished every morning. 15If I had said, 'I will speak this way,' Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. 16When I thought of understanding this, It was troublesome in my sight 17Until I entered the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. 18You indeed put them on slippery ground; You dropped them into ruin. 19How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! 20Like a dream when one awakes, Lord, when stirred, You will despise their image. 21When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, 22Then I was stupid and ignorant; I was like an animal before You. 23Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. 24You will guide me with Your plan, And afterward receive me to glory. 25Whom do I have in heaven but You? And with You, I desire nothing on earth. 26My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. 28But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me; I have made the Lord God my refuge, So that I may tell of all Your works.
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

New King James Version

1{A Psalm of Asaph.} Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. 2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm. 5 They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men. 6Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment. 7 Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish. 8 They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; They speak loftily. 9They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth. 10Therefore his people return here, And waters of a full cup are drained by them. 11And they say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?” 12Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches. 13Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence. 14For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning. 15If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children. 16When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— 17Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. 18Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. 19Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. 20As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. 21Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. 22 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. 23Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. 24 You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. 28But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.

What does Psalm chapter 73 mean?

Asaph was a worship leader and prophet in the time of King David (1 Chronicles 6:31–32, 39), but he almost lost his faith in God. Bitterness and envy over what seemed to be an unfair situation led him to a spiritual crisis. Scripture does not say if some specific event, or person, inspired this psalm. By deeply considering the truth, Asaph was able to come to a firm conclusion: his faith in God was justified.

Though he saw God's faithfulness to Israel, Asaph struggled to understand why it seemed that wicked people were so prosperous and healthy. As the psalm continues, it becomes clear that these are somewhat exaggerated complaints, but they reflect a concern many Christians have felt. Job chapter 21 parallels many of the same themes as this psalm. Few emotions are as frustrating as experiencing hardship while seeing those who we think "deserve" to suffer escaping similar troubles (Psalm 73:1–3).

The psalm depicts godless people as free of pain, well fed, and trouble free. Books such as Proverbs make it clear that sin does indeed come with consequences (Proverbs 9:13–18). In the heat of the moment, however, a suffering believer can feel as if wicked people have nothing to worry about, at all. Bitterness sets in, and cynicism whispers that all wicked people have it easy. In fact, they seemingly have lives which are so comfortable they can afford to flaunt their status. Rather than being ashamed of their sin, they celebrate it (Psalm 73:4–7).

Even worse, for those who honor God, is how wicked people ridicule and mock believers. The modern era is overflowing with examples of faithful Christians being slandered, taunted, insulted, and sneered at by those who think they are above God. Asaph was pained to see this coming from those who, it seemed, suffered no consequences (Psalm 73:8–9).

For some, temptations and ridicule create unbearable pressure. Rather than oppose what God says is wrong, they turn away from faith and embrace the attitudes of these wicked people. They renounce their former beliefs. They claim that honoring God and obeying His Word is a waste of time. Worse, they claim it's a hindrance to their lives (Psalm 73:10–14).

Asaph recognized the impact of these errors. Especially as a spiritual leader, he knew how damaging his own fall from faith would be. Rather than embrace cynicism and bitterness, he sought to better understand God. From that humble perspective, he remembered that wickedness does, in fact, usually result in earthly troubles. Beyond that, no one will escape God's judgment, even if they seem to avoid punishment during their earthly lives. Asaph recognized that his bitterness was a sin, something he can confess (Psalm 73:15–22).

The psalm ends with a confirmation of faith in the Lord. Compared to everything the world may offer, God is far better. Not only can believers trust in God's plan during earthly life, they also look forward to eternity in His presence. Those who reject Him, on the other hand, face destruction. Asaph's appropriate response to this is a commitment to bring the Lord praise (Psalm 73:23–28).
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