Blessed Is the Man
Psalm 1 summary: what it means
Psalm 1 describes two kinds of people and two paths. It opens with the person who is blessed, and defines them first by what they avoid: the counsel of the wicked, the path of sinners, the seat of scoffers. Then it says what they do instead. They delight in the LORD's law and meditate on it day and night. The psalm pictures that person as a tree planted by streams of water, fruitful and green.
The second half turns to the wicked, who are like chaff blown away by the wind. They will not stand in the judgment. The last verse gives the reason for both outcomes: the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. The psalm contains no prayer and no request. It is teaching from start to finish.
Psalm 1: Blessed Is the Man
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-1
Psalm 1 commentary: explained verse by verse
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked,nor stand on the path of sinners,nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
The blessed person is described first by three things they do not do. They do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers. The verbs move from walking to standing to sitting, each more settled than the last.
Also read Proverbs 2:12, John 13:17, Psalm 64:2, Proverbs 4:19
but his delight is in the LORD’s law.On his law he meditates day and night.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Now the positive side. The person's delight is in the LORD's law, and they meditate on it day and night. The verse describes something enjoyed, not a duty endured.
Also read 1 John 5:3, Psalm 119:47-48, Psalm 119:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:9
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water,that produces its fruit in its season,whose leaf also does not wither.Whatever he does shall prosper.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
This is the central picture of the psalm. The person is like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in its season, with leaves that do not wither. The phrase in its season points to fruit at the right time, and the verse ends with a plain promise: whatever he does shall prosper.
Also read Psalm 129:8, Ezekiel 47:12, Jeremiah 17:8, Psalm 92:14
The wicked are not so,but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
The wicked are the opposite picture. A planted tree stays where it is, but chaff is driven away by the wind. The contrast is between something rooted and something with no weight at all.
Also read Isaiah 17:13, Job 21:18, Isaiah 29:5, Hosea 13:3
Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Because of this, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, and sinners will have no place in the congregation of the righteous. The word stand echoes verse 1, where standing on the path of sinners was the thing to avoid.
Also read Psalm 9:7-8, Matthew 25:32, Psalm 26:9, Matthew 25:46
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked shall perish.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The closing verse gives the reason behind everything before it. The LORD knows the way of the righteous, while the way of the wicked will perish. The psalm ends on that word, perish, with no further comment.
Also read Psalm 142:3, 2 Timothy 2:19, Psalm 146:9, John 10:14
A prayer from Psalm 1
Lord, I do not want to walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers. Give me delight in your law, and let me think on it by day and by night. Make me like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in its season, with leaves that do not wither. Keep me from becoming like chaff that the wind drives away. You know the way of the righteous. Keep me on that way, and let me walk it with you. Amen.
Psalm 1 Bible study questions
- In verse 1, the blessed person does not walk, stand or sit with certain people; what do you notice about that sequence of three verbs?
- In verses 3 and 4, the righteous are compared to a tree and the wicked to chaff; what details does the psalm give for each picture?
- Verse 2 speaks of delight in the LORD's law rather than duty; what, if anything, fills your thinking day and night?
- The tree in verse 3 bears its fruit in its season, not all the time; how does that detail sit with your own experience of growth?
- Psalm 1:3 pictures the righteous as a tree, and Psalm 92:12 does the same; how do the two pictures compare?
Questions about Psalm 1
What does Psalm 1 mean?
It says there are two ways to live. The person who delights in the LORD's law is like a well watered tree, the wicked are like chaff, and only the way of the righteous is known by the LORD and lasts.
Who wrote Psalm 1?
The psalm has no heading and does not name its author.
What is a summary of Psalm 1?
Verses 1 to 3 describe the blessed person, who avoids the wicked and delights in God's law. Verses 4 to 6 describe the wicked as chaff and end with the contrast between a way the LORD knows and a way that perishes.
What does Psalm 1:1 mean?
It defines the blessed person by three refusals: not walking in the counsel of the wicked, not standing on the path of sinners, and not sitting in the seat of scoffers.
How does the King James Version word Psalm 1:3?
The KJV reads "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." The World English Bible has streams where the KJV has rivers.
Psalm 1 KJV: the King James Version
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.1
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.2
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.3
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.4
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.5
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.6
Psalm 1 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃
2 כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃
3 וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃
4 לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃
5 עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃
6 כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃
Psalm 1 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 1 there.
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1 Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.
2 But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.
4 Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.
5 Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.
6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.
Psalm 1 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 1.
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1 Beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum, et in via peccatorum non stetit, et in cathedra pestilentiæ non sedit;
2 sed in lege Domini voluntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditabitur die ac nocte.
3 Et erit tamquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum, quod fructum suum dabit in tempore suo: et folium ejus non defluet; et omnia quæcumque faciet prosperabuntur.
4 Non sic impii, non sic; sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terræ.
5 Ideo non resurgent impii in judicio, neque peccatores in concilio justorum:
6 quoniam novit Dominus viam justorum, et iter impiorum peribit.
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Psalm 1 at a glance
| Verses | 6 |
| Heading in the text | No heading |
| Attributed to | Not named in the text. Psalm 1 has no heading, so it names no author. |
| Type | Wisdom |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 1, the same |
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Psalm 1 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 1 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 1 belongs
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source