Psalm 1:6 kjv
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1:6 nkjv
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1:6 niv
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 1:6 esv
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:6 nlt
For the LORD watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 1 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 18:19 | "For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord..." | God chooses and guides the righteous way. |
| Deut 30:19 | "...choose life, that you and your offspring may live..." | Choosing God's way leads to life. |
| 1 Sam 2:9 | "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness..." | God preserves the faithful but not the wicked. |
| Ps 5:8 | "Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness... make your way straight before me." | Righteousness is equated with God's straight way. |
| Ps 31:7-8 | "You have known my soul in adversities... you have set my feet in a spacious place." | God knows the struggles of His own and grants freedom. |
| Ps 34:15-16 | "The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry... the face of the Lord is against those who do evil..." | God's watchful care over the righteous, judgment on wicked. |
| Ps 37:18 | "The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever." | God's knowledge ensures the security of the righteous. |
| Ps 37:23-24 | "The steps of a man are established by the Lord... though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong..." | God directs and supports the path of the righteous. |
| Ps 37:28 | "For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked shall be cut off." | God's justice protects saints and ends the wicked. |
| Ps 37:34-36 | "Wait for the Lord and keep his way... I have seen a wicked, ruthless man... passing away, and behold, he was no more..." | God exalts those who keep His way, the wicked vanish. |
| Ps 73:18-19 | "Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed!" | The unexpected ruin of the wicked. |
| Ps 92:7-8 | "Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O Lord, are on high forever." | The transient nature of wicked prosperity and their doom. |
| Ps 145:20 | "The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy." | A direct statement of God's two-fold action. |
| Prov 4:18-19 | "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn... The way of the wicked is like deep darkness..." | Contrasting outcomes based on the path. |
| Prov 10:29 | "The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but ruin to the evildoers." | God's way as protection for some, destruction for others. |
| Prov 11:5 | "The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked fall by his own wickedness." | The internal logic of the two ways. |
| Isa 3:10-11 | "Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them... Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him..." | Well-being for righteous, woe for wicked. |
| Matt 7:13-14 | "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." | The narrow path to life versus the wide path to destruction. |
| Matt 25:41, 46 | "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire...' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." | Final judgment, clear separation and destiny. |
| John 10:27-28 | "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life..." | Christ's knowledge of His own, giving eternal life. |
| 2 Tim 2:19 | "But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and 'Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.'" | God's active knowledge and ownership of His people. |
| Heb 10:39 | "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." | Contrasting those who are destroyed with those saved by faith. |
Psalm 1 verses
Psalm 1 6 Meaning
Psalm 1:6 concludes the contrast established throughout the chapter by articulating the distinct fates of the righteous and the wicked. It declares that the LORD intimately knows, approves, and watches over the path of the righteous, ensuring their security and ultimate flourishing. In stark contrast, the path of the wicked is destined for ruin and utter destruction, as it is a way rejected by God and leads to self-undoing.
Psalm 1 6 Context
Psalm chapter 1 serves as the gate-post or introduction to the entire Psalter, setting the foundational theme of the two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. It opens with a beatitude, describing the blessedness of the righteous individual (vv. 1-3), followed by a contrasting depiction of the unblessed nature and transient reality of the wicked (vv. 4-5). Verse 6 provides the theological underpinning and divine rationale for the destinies previously described. It establishes the Lord as the ultimate discerning judge, who actively oversees and acknowledges one path while disowning and condemning the other. This final verse underscores the divine justice and sovereignty inherent in the universe, emphasizing that God's approval and disapproval determine ultimate reality and outcome. Historically, this theme aligns with ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature, which often presented binary choices leading to prosperity or ruin, but Psalm 1 grounds these choices explicitly in the covenant relationship with Yahweh.
Psalm 1 6 Word analysis
For (כִּי, kî): This conjunction introduces the reason or basis for the preceding statements (the blessedness of the righteous and the perishable nature of the wicked). It implies divine certainty and ultimate accountability. It tells why these outcomes occur.
The LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): The covenant name of God, revealing Him as the personal, sovereign God who interacts with humanity, judges righteously, and fulfills His promises. It emphasizes His supreme authority and faithfulness in both blessing and judgment.
knows (יָדַע, yādaʿ): This is far more than intellectual apprehension. In Hebrew, yādaʿ signifies an intimate, relational knowledge, implying care, approval, and active recognition. When applied to God, it means He acknowledges, discerns, cares for, has a deep understanding of, and is intimately concerned with the way of the righteous. This active knowing implies divine oversight, guidance, and preservation (e.g., Gen 18:19, Amos 3:2, Nah 1:7). It implies a relationship.
the way (דֶּרֶךְ, dereḵ): Literally a path or road, but metaphorically, it refers to a course of life, lifestyle, conduct, moral choices, or an habitual pattern of behavior. It encompasses the entirety of a person's life orientation and choices (Prov 4:18-19).
of the righteous (צַדִּיקִים, ṣaddîqîm): Plural of ṣaddîq, meaning "just," "righteous," or "blameless." These are individuals whose character and conduct align with God's revealed will. They are "righteous" not solely by their own works but by their relationship with God, who is just, and their genuine endeavor to follow His instruction (torah), indicative of their faithful and covenantal life.
but (וְ, wĕ): A strong adversative conjunction, highlighting the sharp contrast and disjunction between the two destinies.
the way (דֶּרֶךְ, dereḵ): Again, refers to the path or course of life.
of the wicked (רְשָׁעִים, rəšāʿîm): Plural of rāshāʿ, meaning "guilty," "ungodly," "lawless," or "evil." These are individuals who willfully deviate from God’s revealed will, reject His instruction, and walk contrary to Him. They stand in opposition to the ṣaddîqim.
will perish (תֹּאבֵד, tōʾḇēḏ): From the verb ʾāḇad, meaning "to be lost," "to vanish," "to be destroyed," "to come to ruin," or "to utterly decay." This implies not mere disappearance but utter ruin, failure, or the complete cessation of significance and blessing. It is not necessarily annihilation of being, but a destruction of their hopes, their purpose, and their prospects of thriving in God's presence, leading to ultimate desolation (Job 8:13, Ps 37:20). It signifies their path has no enduring foundation, leading only to a void.
The LORD knows the way of the righteous: This phrase signifies God's active engagement and sovereign oversight over the lives of His faithful. His knowledge is not passive observation but includes care, approval, protection, and a declaration of ultimate vindication for those who follow His instruction (2 Tim 2:19). It secures their standing and destiny.
but the way of the wicked will perish: This powerfully contrasts the divine approval for the righteous with the inherent self-destructive nature of the wicked's path. Because their way is contrary to God's will and purpose, it carries its own seeds of ruin. God does not need to actively "destroy" their path in the same way He actively "knows" the righteous's; rather, their way, being cut off from divine favor and guidance, simply fails, crumbles, and leads to ruin (Prov 10:29). It suggests a natural consequence of choosing a path that is contrary to the source of life and truth.
Psalm 1 6 Bonus section
- Psalm 1:6 reinforces the theme of "accountability" woven throughout the Hebrew Bible, where choices have divinely appointed consequences. There are no neutral paths; every lifestyle choice positions one either under God's watchful approval or destined for futility.
- This verse encapsulates the very purpose of the Law and the Prophets: to teach people to walk in the "way" that God approves, which leads to life, and to shun the "way" that He condemns, which leads to death.
- The contrast highlights God's attribute as a discerning Judge who sees all things and deals with humanity according to His perfect justice, which means salvation for those found in His path and ruin for those who willfully oppose Him.
- The phrase "knows the way" in a relational sense underscores the active presence of God in the life of the righteous, which grants them not just recognition but sustenance and protection, making their way sturdy and enduring. This also stands in polemic against any belief in an impersonal, detached deity; the God of Israel is intimately involved in human affairs, specifically with the conduct and ultimate destiny of individuals.
Psalm 1 6 Commentary
Psalm 1:6 serves as the definitive statement on divine justice, concluding the introductory psalm with absolute certainty. It is a powerful summary of the two paths doctrine, directly linking the outcomes to God's disposition. The psalmist assures the audience that God's intimate knowledge of "the way of the righteous" signifies His providential care, protective oversight, and ultimate endorsement of their life choices. This ensures that their path, despite any temporary trials, is secure and leads to lasting well-being (spiritual and often material in a covenantal context). Conversely, the stark pronouncement that "the way of the wicked will perish" means it lacks divine approval, lacks lasting substance, and leads inevitably to self-destruction and ruin. Their path collapses not always by a direct, immediate divine striking down, but because it is fundamentally devoid of God's sustaining grace and operates against the very moral fabric of the universe He established. This verse emphasizes God’s justice and the ultimate vindication of the godly and the destruction of the ungodly, functioning as a filter for understanding all subsequent Psalms. It is a concise theological summary that resonates throughout biblical wisdom literature, providing clarity on the spiritual logic of blessing and curse.