Psalm 73

¹ Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

² But as for me, my feet were almost gone. My steps had nearly slipped.

³ For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ For there are no struggles in their death, but their strength is firm.

⁵ They are free from burdens of men, neither are they plagued like other men.

⁶ Therefore pride is like a chain around their neck. Violence covers them like a garment.

⁷ Their eyes bulge with fat. Their minds pass the limits of conceit.

⁸ They scoff and speak with malice. In arrogance, they threaten oppression.

⁹ They have set their mouth in the heavens. Their tongue walks through the earth.

¹⁰ Therefore their people return to them, and they drink up waters of abundance.

¹¹ They say, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

¹² Behold, these are the wicked. Being always at ease, they increase in riches.

¹³ Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence,

¹⁴ For all day long I have been plagued, and punished every morning.

¹⁵ If I had said, “I will speak thus”, behold, I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

¹⁶ When I tried to understand this, it was too painful for me—

¹⁷ until I entered God’s sanctuary, and considered their latter end.

¹⁸ Surely you set them in slippery places. You throw them down to destruction.

¹⁹ How they are suddenly destroyed! They are completely swept away with terrors.

²⁰ As a dream when one wakes up, so, Lord, when you awake, you will despise their fantasies.

²¹ For my soul was grieved. I was embittered in my heart.

²² I was so senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before you.

²³ Nevertheless, I am continually with you. You have held my right hand.

²⁴ You will guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

²⁵ Whom do I have in heaven? There is no one on earth whom I desire besides you.

²⁶ My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

²⁷ For, behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸ But it is good for me to come close to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Around Psalm 73

Book context

PsalmsEditorial draft

Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers used in Israel’s worship, written by several people over a long period. Headings name David most often, along with Asaph, the sons of Korah and others. The collection falls into five books, each ending with a short blessing of the LORD (41:13, 72:19, 89:52, 106:48), and it closes with a call for everything that has breath to praise the LORD (150:6). The psalms hold praise, lament, thanksgiving, confession and trust, so readers find words for nearly every season of life.

Why we say this

HisFullGlory editorial · broad consensus · not yet reviewed by a theological reader

From the text itself

Sources

Notes summarise their sources in our own words. Where Christians or scholars disagree, the note says so. Notes are not original-language evidence and do not replace the text.

AI explanation

About Psalms as a whole · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this book is about

“How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?” A prayer can begin like that, and in the Psalms it does. Four times the poet asks how long, and then, in the same short song, comes the turn: “But I trust in your loving kindness.”

That honesty runs through the whole book. Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers, and it holds praise, thanksgiving, lament, confession, songs for the king, and reflections on wisdom and on God's law. It is arranged in five books and moves, on the whole, from many laments at the start to pure praise at the end.

Joy, fear, anger, guilt and doubt are all spoken to God directly.

Background

The psalms were written and gathered over several centuries. Their headings link about half of them with David and others with Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and Moses. They were sung in the worship of the temple and later in synagogues and churches.

How Christians read it

Jews and Christians have prayed the Psalms daily for well over two thousand years. The New Testament quotes them more than any other book and reads many as speaking of Christ, among them Psalms 2, 22 and 110. The psalms that call for judgment on enemies are hard to read. Many understand them as handing vengeance over to God instead of taking it oneself.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

Report a mistake