This passage highlights God’s faithfulness to reward His people with a secure inheritance while warning against the peril of ignoring His ways.
“For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off” (v.22) portrays a sharp contrast between God’s favor and the absence of His blessing in Psalm 37. This promise of inheritance, “will inherit the land” (v.22), invokes the idea of a secure future granted to those who align themselves with God’s ways. In the broader context of ancient Israel, “the land” often pointed to the physical territory of Canaan, which had been promised to the descendants of Abraham centuries before, around 2000 BC. The Psalmist emphasizes that to enjoy God’s blessing means to anticipate both spiritual and material security, echoing the overarching biblical principle that faithfulness to the Lord leads to life and wholeness (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
When the Psalmist writes, “But those cursed by Him will be cut off” (v.22), it underscores that God’s judgment is the consequence of choosing a path of wickedness or rebellion. In ancient Israel’s history—such as the period of the exile in 586 BC—those who persistently turned away from God suffered displacement and loss, illustrating the sobering reality of being “cut off.” The verse reveals a divine moral order rather than mere coincidence. Just as Jesus reaffirmed in Matthew 7:13-14 that there is a narrow way leading to life and a broad way leading to destruction, Psalm 37:22 resonates with the idea that our decisions have long-term repercussions under God’s sovereign oversight.
This verse further reassures believers that God’s blessing entails a cherished belonging in God’s kingdom. While ancient Israelites understood this in the immediate sense of their land, the New Testament amplifies the promise by speaking of a heavenly inheritance for those who believe in Christ (1 Peter 1:4). In Psalm 37:22, therefore, the promise of inheritance in “the land” not only conveys physical stability but symbolizes the lasting rewards of living in covenant relationship with God—rewards that ripple through history and continue into eternity.
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Psalms 37:22 meaning
“For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off” (v.22) portrays a sharp contrast between God’s favor and the absence of His blessing in Psalm 37. This promise of inheritance, “will inherit the land” (v.22), invokes the idea of a secure future granted to those who align themselves with God’s ways. In the broader context of ancient Israel, “the land” often pointed to the physical territory of Canaan, which had been promised to the descendants of Abraham centuries before, around 2000 BC. The Psalmist emphasizes that to enjoy God’s blessing means to anticipate both spiritual and material security, echoing the overarching biblical principle that faithfulness to the Lord leads to life and wholeness (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
When the Psalmist writes, “But those cursed by Him will be cut off” (v.22), it underscores that God’s judgment is the consequence of choosing a path of wickedness or rebellion. In ancient Israel’s history—such as the period of the exile in 586 BC—those who persistently turned away from God suffered displacement and loss, illustrating the sobering reality of being “cut off.” The verse reveals a divine moral order rather than mere coincidence. Just as Jesus reaffirmed in Matthew 7:13-14 that there is a narrow way leading to life and a broad way leading to destruction, Psalm 37:22 resonates with the idea that our decisions have long-term repercussions under God’s sovereign oversight.
This verse further reassures believers that God’s blessing entails a cherished belonging in God’s kingdom. While ancient Israelites understood this in the immediate sense of their land, the New Testament amplifies the promise by speaking of a heavenly inheritance for those who believe in Christ (1 Peter 1:4). In Psalm 37:22, therefore, the promise of inheritance in “the land” not only conveys physical stability but symbolizes the lasting rewards of living in covenant relationship with God—rewards that ripple through history and continue into eternity.