Psalms 37:4
37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. verily: Heb. in truth, or, stablenessDelight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
KJV
Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Delight yourself also in the LORD: and he shall give you the desires of your heart.
What does Psalms 37:4 mean?
As we make the LORD our delight, our very desires are reshaped around him — and he gives us the heart's true longings.
"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." This promise is often quoted, and best understood by its surrounding verses.
Context
Psalm 37 counsels the believer not to fret over evildoers who seem to prosper (Psalm 37:1-2). Instead come a series of commands: "trust... do good... delight... commit... rest in the LORD" (Psalm 37:3-7). Verse 4 sits in this chain — delight leads to receiving the heart's desires.
Key words
"Delight" means to take exquisite pleasure in God himself, not merely his gifts. "The desires of thine heart" are not a blank check for our wishes; when God is our delight, he increasingly becomes the desire, and he grants what a God-delighting heart truly wants.
How it has been read
Christians have read this not as a formula for getting what we crave, but as a promise that joy in God transforms our wanting. Paired with "commit thy way unto the LORD" (Psalm 37:5), it describes a life that finds its treasure in God and is satisfied in him.
Hebrew interlinear
Full chapter interlinear →Commentary on Psalms 37:4
HENRY_FULL · Psalms 37:4
Cross-references
Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
Job 31:31If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.
Psalms 3:7Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Psalms 14:4Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
Psalms 18:4The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. ungodly men: Heb. Belial
Psalms 18:38I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
Psalms 22:16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Psalms 53:4Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
Psalms 62:3How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.
Psalms 62:4They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. inwardly: Heb. in their inward parts
Isaiah 8:15And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
John 18:3Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
Topics
Verses like this
Other verses that share key original-language words with Psalms 37:4.
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. every: or, the whole imagination: the Hebrew word signifieth not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires continually: Heb. every day
Genesis 6:6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Genesis 8:21And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. a sweet: Heb. a savour of rest or, satisfaction for the imagination: or, through the imagination
Frequently asked questions
What does Psalms 37:4 say?
Psalms 37:4 (King James Version) reads: "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Is Psalms 37:4 in the Old or New Testament?
Psalms 37:4 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Psalms.
Reflect
As you read Psalms 37:4, what is one truth here you can carry into today?
Plan a sermon or study on Psalms 37:4 →