Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Psalms 37:38 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 38. 38But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 37:38: The opening contrast in “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together” turns the argument of “Alphabetic counsel when wrongdoers prosper: Watch the end of two ways.”
Read It With
- Psalms 37:32–40
- Psalms 37:1–40
Read Psalms 37:38 with 37:32–40 and 37:1–40. Read alone, “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together” could lose the individual voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 37:32–40, the individual voice carries the movement “Watch the end of two ways” as part of “Alphabetic counsel when wrongdoers prosper.” Its acrostic-wisdom form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 37:32–40 brings to a close “Generosity, guidance, and Torah in the heart” within Psalm 37 by carrying “Watch the end of two ways.” The turn from “The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide” to “The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him” explains why this movement occurs here. Within that relationship, Psalm 37:38 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together.”
What Remains True
In “Alphabetic counsel when wrongdoers prosper: Watch the end of two ways,” Psalm 37:38 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together.” The resulting truth stays bounded by this movement: Wisdom is formed through sustained attention to the LORD's instruction and embodied choices, not through a formula that guarantees ease or status. The local movement is “Watch the end of two ways.” The unit's reviewed limit is: The repeated future of the righteous is wisdom-shaped hope, not a prosperity formula, land entitlement for modern nationalism, or blame for victims.
How It Can Shape Life
- Keep the movement “Alphabetic counsel when wrongdoers prosper: Watch the end of two ways” in view. Return to “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together” slowly, identify the concrete choice it commends, and practice that choice without turning wisdom into a prosperity contract. The textual reason is this verse's role: Psalm 37:38 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together.”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Psalms 37:32–40 — Alphabetic counsel when wrongdoers prosper: Watch the end of two waysSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 37:32–40, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 37:32–40
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 37:32–40.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 37 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 37:32–40
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗