The Meaning of Psalms 50:18 Explained

Psalms 50:18

KJV: When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.

YLT: If thou hast seen a thief, Then thou art pleased with him, And with adulterers is thy portion.

Darby: When thou sawest a thief, thou didst take pleasure in him, and thy portion was with adulterers;

ASV: When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with him, And hast been partaker with adulterers.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When thou sawest  a thief,  then thou consentedst  with him, and hast been partaker  with adulterers. 

What does Psalms 50:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 50:16-23 - God's Warning To The Wicked
These searching words are for us all. We have no right to declare God's statutes, if our hearts hide wickedness in their secret chambers. We must not share ill-gotten money. Impurity, deceit, slander must be far from us, if we would have fellowship with God in prayer or service. God's silence must not be taken as indifference, for He is carefully watching each word and act; and if we persist, He will arise and set out all these unforgiven sins in order before the quickened vision of the soul.
Notice the two final conditions of a blessed life, Psalms 50:23. First, we must offer the sacrifice of praise, for we are priests and must not be slack in presenting the fruit of our lips. See Hebrews 13:15. But in addition we must order our behavior, or way, aright. It is a solemn thing to be entrusted with the great opportunity of living. Every passing moment should have something committed to it to keep in store. We dare not live by haphazard or chance. We must order our ways with prayerful deliberation. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 50

1  The majesty of God in the church
5  His order to gather his saints
7  The pleasure of God is not in ceremonies
14  but in sincerity of obedience

What do the individual words in Psalms 50:18 mean?

When you saw a thief and you consented with him and with adulterers have been a partaker
אִם־ רָאִ֣יתָ גַ֭נָּב וַתִּ֣רֶץ עִמּ֑וֹ וְעִ֖ם מְנָאֲפִ֣ים חֶלְקֶֽךָ

רָאִ֣יתָ  you  saw 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
גַ֭נָּב  a  thief 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גַּנָּב  
Sense: thief.
וַתִּ֣רֶץ  and  you  consented 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: רָצָא 
Sense: to be pleased with, be favourable to, accept favourably.
עִמּ֑וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
וְעִ֖ם  and  with 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
מְנָאֲפִ֣ים  adulterers 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: נָאַף  
Sense: to commit adultery.
חֶלְקֶֽךָ  have  been  a  partaker 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חֵלֶק 
Sense: portion, share, part, territory.