The Meaning of Psalms 37:37 Explained

Psalms 37:37

KJV: Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

YLT: Observe the perfect, and see the upright, For the latter end of each is peace.

Darby: Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace;

ASV: Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; For there is a happy end to the man of peace.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Mark  the perfect  [man], and behold  the upright:  for the end  of [that] man  [is] peace. 

What does Psalms 37:37 Mean?

Study Notes

perfect man
.
perfect
The word implies whole-heartedness for God, single-mindedness, sincerity -- not sinless perfection.

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 37:37 mean?

Mark the blameless [man] and observe the upright for the future of [that] man [is] peace
שְׁמָר־ תָּ֭ם וּרְאֵ֣ה יָשָׁ֑ר כִּֽי־ אַחֲרִ֖ית לְאִ֣ישׁ שָׁלֽוֹם

שְׁמָר־  Mark 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
תָּ֭ם  the  blameless  [man] 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: תָּם  
Sense: perfect, complete.
וּרְאֵ֣ה  and  observe 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
יָשָׁ֑ר  the  upright 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: יָשָׁר 
Sense: straight, upright, correct, right.
אַחֲרִ֖ית  the  future 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַחֲרִית  
Sense: after part, end.
לְאִ֣ישׁ  of  [that]  man 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
שָׁלֽוֹם  [is]  peace 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.