The Meaning of Psalms 36:7 Explained

Psalms 36:7

KJV: How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

YLT: How precious is Thy kindness, O God, And the sons of men In the shadow of Thy wings do trust.

Darby: How precious is thy loving-kindness, O God! So the sons of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.

ASV: How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

How excellent  [is] thy lovingkindness,  O God!  therefore the children  of men  put their trust  under the shadow  of thy wings. 

What does Psalms 36:7 Mean?

Study Notes

trust
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Trust is the characteristic O.T. word for the N.T. "faith," "believe." It occurs 152 times in the O.T., and is the rendering of Heb. words signifying to take refuge (e.g. Ruth 2:12 "to lean on" (e.g.) Psalms 56:3 "to roll on" (e.g.) Psalms 22:8 "to stay upon" (e.g.) Job 35:14 .

Context Summary

Psalm 36:1-12 - God The Fountain Of Life
The servant of the Lord, as the superscription tells us, is speaking here. He is horror-stricken at the ways and thoughts of the ungodly. By a bold image, Psalms 36:1, r.v., margin; Transgression is personified as speaking in the heart of the ungodly, as the Delphic oracle in her dark cave; and the answer from that secret oracle is full of smooth but beguiling words. So our first parents found it.
What a blessed thing it is to turn from man to God! Notice God's attributes as here enumerated: "thy lovingkindness" (r.v.), "thy faithfulness," "thy righteousness," "thy judgments." The golden bracelet begins and ends with love. All nature speaks, to the heart that loves, of the love of God. But they who fly to God find Him even better than nature can proclaim. He is better than banquets for hungry men. Let His life arise in thee as a fountain, and ask for the illumination of His light. Serenely sheltered under the wing, or in the house, of God, the soul may look out, unmoved, on "the wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds." [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 36

1  The grievous state of the wicked
8  The excellence of God's mercy
10  David prays for favor to God's children

What do the individual words in Psalms 36:7 mean?

how precious [is] Your lovingkindness God therefore the sons of men under the shadow of Your wings put their trust
מַה־ יָּקָ֥ר חַסְדְּךָ֗ ! אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים וּבְנֵ֥י אָדָ֑ם בְּצֵ֥ל כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ יֶחֱסָיֽוּן

מַה־  how 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
יָּקָ֥ר  precious 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: יְקִפָּאֹון 
Sense: valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid.
חַסְדְּךָ֗  [is]  Your  lovingkindness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חֶסֶד 
Sense: goodness, kindness, faithfulness.
! אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וּבְנֵ֥י  therefore  the  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָ֑ם  of  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
בְּצֵ֥ל  under  the  shadow 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צֵל  
Sense: shadow, shade.
כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ  of  Your  wings 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
יֶחֱסָיֽוּן  put  their  trust 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: חָסָה  
Sense: (Qal) to seek refuge, flee for protection.