The Meaning of Psalms 37:30 Explained

Psalms 37:30

KJV: The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

YLT: The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh judgment.

Darby: The mouth of the righteous proffereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh judgment;

ASV: The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom, And his tongue speaketh justice.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The mouth  of the righteous  speaketh  wisdom,  and his tongue  talketh  of judgment. 

What does Psalms 37:30 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 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: Psalm 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 37:30 mean?

The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom and his tongue talks of justice
פִּֽי־ צַ֭דִּיק יֶהְגֶּ֣ה חָכְמָ֑ה וּ֝לְשׁוֹנ֗וֹ תְּדַבֵּ֥ר מִשְׁפָּֽט

פִּֽי־  The  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
צַ֭דִּיק  of  the  righteous 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
יֶהְגֶּ֣ה  speaks 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָגָה  
Sense: to moan, growl, utter, muse, mutter, meditate, devise, plot, speak.
חָכְמָ֑ה  wisdom 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חָכְמָה  
Sense: wisdom.
וּ֝לְשׁוֹנ֗וֹ  and  his  tongue 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
תְּדַבֵּ֥ר  talks 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
מִשְׁפָּֽט  of  justice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.