Psalms 1:6

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous,.... The way in which he walks by faith, which is in Jesus Christ; the way in which he goes to the Father, and carries to him his sacrifices of prayer

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

For; he now gives a reason of this great difference between the righteous and the ungodly, expressed in the foregoing verses. The Lord knoweth; either, 1. Properly and speculatively; he searcheth and knoweth all their hearts and ways or actions; and therefore will preserve, prosper, and bless them; which may be gathered out of the following and opposite clause of this verse, and out of ,2. Or, 2. Practically and affectionately, as words of knowledge in Scripture do frequently imply affection, as 101:4 . He approveth, loveth, and delighteth in them, and in the course of their lives, and therefore will recompense them; or, he careth for and directeth their actions to a blessed issue. The way of the ungodly shall perish; all their wicked designs and courses shall come to nothing, and they shall perish with them.

Psalms 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.Ver. 6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous] Or, acknowledgeth, approveth, administereth, and ordereth all things to their eternal salvation; as may appear by the opposition, wherein there is a rhetorical aposiopesis. God’ s knowledge of men and their ways is not merely intuitive, but approbative of the good and vindictive of the evil; εχειθεοςεκδικονομμα. His providence (which is the carrying on of his decree) is that helm which turns about the whole ship of the universe with singular skill and justice. Dominus diligit, et dirigit viam, id est, vitam et omne institutum iustorum. See Psalms 37:18; Psalms 142:4 Nahum 1:7 Proverbs 2:8, with the notes there. God knows the righteous by name, Exodus 33:17, knows them for his own, looks upon them and their whole course with singular delight and complacency; they are his Hephzibah, Isaiah 62:4, the dearly beloved of his soul, Jeremiah 12:7. Verba notitiae apud Hebracos secum trahunt affectum. But the way of the ungodly shall perish] Their practices and persons shall perish together, be done away, be lost for ever. And why? because the Lord knoweth them not; unless it be for black sheep, as we say, or rather for reprobate goats, Matthew 25:32-46 Hence their souls are flung out, as out of the middle of a sling, when the souls of the saints are bound up in the bundle of life, with the Lord their God, 1 Samuel 25:29.

(6) Knoweth—i.e., recogniseth with discriminative discernment and appreciation. (Comp. Psalms 31:7; Psalms 144:3; Exodus 2:25; also John 10:14. So Shakespeare, As You Like It: “I know you are my eldest brother, and in the gentle condition of blood you should so know me.”) The way of the ungodly shall perish.—This is explained by Psalms 112:10, “the desire of the wicked shall perish;” all his plans and ambitions shall come to nought. The metaphor is illustrated by Job 6:18, where an unjust course is compared to a stream that suddenly dries up and disappears.

Verse 6. The Lord knoweth] יודע yodea, approveth the way, aloweth the way, Coverdale, of the righteous, צדיקים tsaddikim, from צדק tsadak, to give even weight; the men who give to all their due; opposed to רשעים reshaim, Psalms 1:1, they who withhold right from all; see above. Such holy men are under the continual eye of God's providence; he knows the way that they take; approves of their motives, purposes, and works, because they are all wrought through himself. He provides for them in all exigencies, and defends them both in body and soul. The way of the ungodly shall perish.] Their projects, designs and operations, shall perish; God's curse shall be on all that they have, do, and are. And in the day of judgment they shall be condemned to everlasting fire in the perdition of ungodly men. The wicked shall perish at the presence of the Lord. Reader take warning! ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST PSALM The τοκρινομενον in this Psalm is, Who is the happy man? or, What may make a man happy? I. This question the prophet resolves in the first two verses: 1. Negatively. It is he, 1. "That walks not in the counsel of the ungodly." 2. "That stands not in the way of sinners." 3. "That sits not in the seat of the scornful." 2. Positively. It is he. 1. "Whose delight is in the law of the Lord." 2. "Who doth meditate in the law day and night." II. This happiness of the good man is illustrated two ways: 1. By a similitude. 2. By comparing him with a wicked man. 1. The similitude he makes choice of is that of a tree; not every tree neither, but that which hath these eminences: 1. It is "planted; " it grows not of itself, neither is wild. 2. "Planted by the rivers of water," it wants not moisture to fructify. 3. It doth fructify; "it brings forth fruit;" it is no barren tree. 4. The fruit it brings is seasonable; "it brings forth fruit in its season." 5. It is always green, winter and summer; "the leaves wither not." Clearly, without any trope, Whatsoever this good man doth, or takes in hand, "it shall prosper." 2. He shows this good man's happiness by comparing him with a wicked man, in whom you shall find all the contrary. 1. In general. Not so. As for the ungodly, it is not so with them: not so in the plantation; in the place; in the seasonable fruit; in the greenness; in the prosperity. So far from being like a tree, that they are like, 1. Chaff, a light and empty thing. 2. Chaff which the wind whiffles up and down. 3. Chaff which the wind scatters or driveth away. 4. And never leaves scattering, till it has driven it from the face of the earth. So the Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic. 2. And that no man may think that their punishment shall extend only to this life; in plain terms he threatens to them, 1.

6. The teaching of the Psalm is grounded on the doctrine of divine Providence. Each clause of the verse implies the supplement of its antithesis to the other clause. ‘The lord knows the way of the righteous,’ and under His care it is a ‘way of life’ (Psalms 16:11; Proverbs 12:28); ‘a way of peace’ (Isaiah 59:8); ‘a way eternal’ (Psalms 139:24). Equally He knows the way of the wicked, and by the unalterable laws of His government it can lead only to destruction; it is a way of death (Proverbs 14:12). knoweth] Divine knowledge cannot be abstract or ineffectual. It involves approval, care, guidance; or abandonment, judgement. The righteous man’s course of life leads to God Himself; and He takes care that it does not fail of its end (Nahum 1:7; 2 Timothy 2:19).

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous - This is given as a reason why the wicked would not stand in the judgment with the righteous.

6. The Lord knoweth—Recognises its excellent nature and worthiness of approval and reward. Comp. note on “foreknow,” Romans 8:29. Shall perish—What is predicated of the way here applies to the ungodly.