The Meaning of Psalms 37:35 Explained

Psalms 37:35

KJV: I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

YLT: I have seen the wicked terrible, And spreading as a green native plant,

Darby: I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading like a green tree in its native soil:

ASV: I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I have seen  the wicked  in great power,  and spreading  himself like a green  bay tree. 

What does Psalms 37:35 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 37:30-40 - Steps That Shall Not Slide
How dear this psalm has been to God's saints! It has been peculiarly prized by them in all ages. Gerhardt has paraphrased it in his noble hymn:
Give to the winds thy fears,
Hope, and be undismayed.
When banished from Berlin by the Elector, he turned into a small wayside hostelry, not knowing where to go. Seeing his wife greatly depressed, he turned to find comfort for them both in these verses, and the conception of his hymn broke upon him. That evening messengers arrived from the Duke of Mecklenburg, offering Gerhardt an honorable position in his kingdom. Among many others, Psalms 37:5 was frequently quoted by David Livingstone.
Bishop Coverdale's translation of Psalms 37:37 is noteworthy: "Keep innocency and take heed unto the thing that is right, for that shall bring a man peace at the last." But the psalmist repeatedly insists that the fulfillment of God's promises is conditioned by our faith, Psalms 37:40. The day may break stormily, but the storms expend themselves before nightfall and the sunset is golden. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 37

1  David persuades to patience and confidence in God,
12  by the different estate of the godly and the wicked

What do the individual words in Psalms 37:35 mean?

I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a native [tree] green
רָ֭אִיתִי רָשָׁ֣ע עָרִ֑יץ וּ֝מִתְעָרֶ֗ה כְּאֶזְרָ֥ח רַעֲנָֽן

רָ֭אִיתִי  I  have  seen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
רָשָׁ֣ע  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
עָרִ֑יץ  in  great  power 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָרִיץ  
Sense: awe-inspiring, terror-striking, awesome, terrifying, ruthless, mighty.
וּ֝מִתְעָרֶ֗ה  and  spreading  himself 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָרָה  
Sense: to be bare, be nude, uncover, leave destitute, discover, empty, raze, pour out.
כְּאֶזְרָ֥ח  like  a  native  [tree] 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶזְרָח  
Sense: a native (one rising from the soil).
רַעֲנָֽן  green 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָעַן 
Sense: (Palel) to be or grow luxuriant or fresh or green adj.