The Meaning of Psalms 112:10 Explained

Psalms 112:10

KJV: The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

YLT: The wicked seeth, and hath been angry, His teeth he gnasheth, and hath melted, The desire of the wicked doth perish!

Darby: The wicked man shall see it and be vexed; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

ASV: The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: The desire of the wicked shall perish.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The wicked  shall see  [it], and be grieved;  he shall gnash  with his teeth,  and melt away:  the desire  of the wicked  shall perish. 

What does Psalms 112:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

God"s goodness to the righteous fills the wicked with anxiety. Finally they perish.
God"s people need to remember God"s blessings to them and give God praise for these things-so that they won"t envy the wicked, whose lot is much worse.

Context Summary

Psalms 112:1-10 - Prosperity In Serving The Lord
Here are the two conditions of the blessed life: first, to fear the Lord; second, to delight greatly in His commandments. And then the blessed results: a mighty seed; a blessed generation; wealth and riches; enduring influence; light amid darkness; and many suchlike things. The psalm is replete with the beatitudes that alight on the heart of the man who lives for God alone.
Around us may be the encircling gloom, in which evil men and tidings lurk as savages in the shadow of the forest, but within there is the blessed sense of the presence of God, like the circle of fire within which the traveler is secure. The voice of God assures him that he shall never be moved, and the heart is so established that it cannot yield to fear. It is good to have that quiet, unperturbed confidence in God. Moses had it at the Red Sea, Exodus 14:13; Asa, before the overwhelming hosts that threatened to submerge his little army, 2 Chronicles 14:9-12; Jehoshaphat, when confronted by the hordes of Ammon, 2 Chronicles 20:12; and Hezekiah, when the Assyrian threatened to invade Judah, 2 Chronicles 32:6-8. Such a life is full of the "Hallelujah Chorus," in accord with the opening note of the psalm. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 112

1  Godliness has the promises of this life
4  And of the life to come
10  The prosperity of the godly shall be an eyesore to the wicked

What do the individual words in Psalms 112:10 mean?

The wicked will see [it] and be grieved his teeth He will gnash and melt away the desire of the wicked shall perish
רָ֘שָׁ֤ע יִרְאֶ֨ה ׀ וְכָעָ֗ס שִׁנָּ֣יו יַחֲרֹ֣ק וְנָמָ֑ס תַּאֲוַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד

רָ֘שָׁ֤ע  The  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
יִרְאֶ֨ה ׀  will  see  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וְכָעָ֗ס  and  be  grieved 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּעַס  
Sense: to be angry, be vexed, be indignant, be wroth, be grieved, provoke to anger and wrath.
שִׁנָּ֣יו  his  teeth 
Parse: Noun, cdc, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁן  
Sense: tooth, ivory.
יַחֲרֹ֣ק  He  will  gnash 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָרַק  
Sense: (Qal) to gnash, grind (the teeth).
וְנָמָ֑ס  and  melt  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָסַס  
Sense: to dissolve, melt.
תַּאֲוַ֖ת  the  desire 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תַּאֲוָה  
Sense: desire.
רְשָׁעִ֣ים  of  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
תֹּאבֵֽד  shall  perish 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.