Psalm 37

This article is about Psalm 37 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 37 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 38.

Psalm 37
"Fret not thyself because of evildoers"
Manuscript of Psalm 37
Other name
  • Psalm 36
  • "Noli aemulari in malignantibus"
Textby David
LanguageHebrew (original)

Psalm 37 is the 37th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 36. In Latin, it is known as Noli aemulari in malignantibus. [1] The psalm has the form of an acrostic Hebrew poem,[2] and is thought to have been written by David in his old age.[3]

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has inspired hymns based on it, and has been set to music, by Baroque composers such as Heinrich Schütz as well as romantic composers such as Anton Bruckner.

  1. ^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter, Psalmus 36 (37) Archived 7 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine Medievalist.
  2. ^ New American Bible, Revised Edition, Note on Psalm 37, accessed 21 March 2021
  3. ^ Charles H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David (The Sword and the Trowel Magazine, 1885)