Psalms 112:10
The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The wicked person's reaction isn't just frustration; it's a deep, consuming grief and envy at the blessedness of the righteous. Their "melting away" is a powerful image of their own internal destruction fueled by witnessing God's favor on others. Ultimately, their deepest longings, whether for the downfall of the godly or their own prosperity apart from God, will simply come to nothing.
Psalm 112 describes the blessedness of the righteous, contrasting their secure and fruitful lives with the fate of the wicked. This verse bursts in to show the wicked person's bitter reaction to the evident favor God shows to the godly, a reaction fueled by envy and a realization of their own impending doom. The psalm concludes by reiterating that the wicked's desires will ultimately fail, while the righteous will triumph.
Have you ever felt that sting of envy when seeing someone else's success, especially if you don't like them? This verse describes that raw emotion in the wicked.
The wicked person’s reaction to the blessedness of the righteous isn't just mild disapproval; it's a deep, consuming grief. This grief stems from multiple sources:
This envy and hatred leads to an outward display of rage – gnashing teeth and melting away in frustration. Their own desires for the downfall of the good are futile.
We all have desires. What happens when a wicked person's deepest longings are for destruction and ruin?
The psalm concludes with a powerful declaration: "the desire of the wicked will perish!" This refers to their deepest longings, which are often for:
However, these desires are ultimately doomed. They will "perish" – they will not come to fruition. Unlike the enduring blessedness of the righteous, the wicked’s aspirations are built on sand and will ultimately crumble to nothing, leaving them with nothing but their wasted rage.
Understand the original words
rasha · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
Refers to those who act in defiance of God’s law, characterized by rebellion, moral failure, and a lack of reverential fear. They stand in contrast to the righteous and are ultimately destined for judgment.
ta’avah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the deep, inner craving or ambition of a person. For the wicked, this represents their pursuit of selfish or godless outcomes, which is ultimately futile before God.
This passage echoes the same sentiment, describing how the wicked plot against the righteous and 'gnash their teeth' at their prosperity, showing a consistent theme of wicked opposition to God's people.
Job 16:9This verse uses the imagery of 'gnashing teeth' in intense anger and distress, highlighting the profound rage and frustration the wicked experience when confronted with the well-being of the righteous.
Luke 13:28Jesus uses the image of weeping and gnashing of teeth to describe the final state of those excluded from God's kingdom, a powerful parallel to the ultimate despair and perishing of the wicked's desires.
Acts 7:54The intense anger and fury of the crowd, who 'gnashed their teeth' at Stephen, vividly illustrates the violent opposition and deep hatred the wicked harbor towards those who faithfully serve God.
Galatians 5:17This verse speaks of the ongoing conflict between the desires of the flesh and the Spirit, showing that the 'desire of the wicked' is fundamentally rooted in opposition to God's will and thus destined to fail.
poolePsalms 112:10: "The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish."
Be grieved at the felicity of good men, partly, from envy at the happiness of others; partly, from his peculiar hatred of all godly men; and partly, because it is a plain testimony of God’s justice and providence, and therefore a certain presage of his own ruin. The desire; his desire either of the misery of good men, or of his own constant prosperity an…
ellicottPsalms 112:10: "The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish."
(10) Gnash. —See Psalm 35:16 . Melt away.—As we say, “Consume with vexation.”
The wicked person's reaction isn't just frustration; it's a deep, consuming grief and envy at the blessedness of the righteous. Their "melting away" is a powerful image of their own internal destruction fueled by witnessing God's favor on others. Ultimately, their deepest longings, whether for the downfall of the godly or their own prosperity apart from God, will simply come to nothing.
Psalm 112 describes the blessedness of the righteous, contrasting their secure and fruitful lives with the fate of the wicked. This verse bursts in to show the wicked person's bitter reaction to the evident favor God shows to the godly, a reaction fueled by envy and a realization of their own impending doom. The psalm concludes by reiterating that the wicked's desires will ultimately fail, while the righteous will triumph.
Psalm 112 describes the blessedness of the righteous, contrasting their secure and fruitful lives with the fate of the wicked. This verse bursts in to show the wicked person's bitter reaction to the evident favor God shows to the godly, a reaction fueled by envy and a realization of their own impending doom. The psalm concludes by reiterating that the wicked's desires will ultimately fail, while the righteous will triumph.
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"The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!" — The wicked person's reaction isn't just frustration; it's a deep, consuming grief and envy at the blessedness of the righteous. Their "melting away" is a powerful image of their own internal destruct…
