1. Blest the man who does not walk in the counsel of wicked ones, and in the way of sinners does not stand, and in the seat of scoffers does not sit. 2. But in the law of Yahweh is his delight, And in his law will he meditate day and night. 3. And he is like a tree planted by channels of water That gives its fruit in its season. And its leaf will not wither, And everything he will do will prosper. 4. Not so are the wicked ones, But they are like chaff that wind will drive away. 5. Therefore wicked ones will not rise in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of righteous ones. 6. For Yahweh knows the way of righteous ones, And the way of wicked ones will perish.
Verse 1
Hebrew has two words that are close synonyms: asher and barak. Leah named her sixth son Asher, because, she said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed (Gen 30:13).” Both of the words “happy” and “blessed” come from the same root as the word used in Psalm 1:1 (asher). Modern translations often render “asher” as “happy,” but happy is a very weak word in modern English and doesn’t capture the full sense of the Hebrew. I have chosen instead to render “asher” as “blest” and “barak” as “blessed” wherever that is possible. In English, these are simply two different ways of spelling the past participle of “bless,” but they will serve to distinguish the two different words in Hebrew.
Many translations use the word “ungodly” but in almost every other place the KJV translates it as “wicked.”
Proverbs uses the word “scoffer” or “scorner” as a strong synonym for fool. The scoffer is not only a fool, but also one who laughs at sin and is too proud to heed rebuke.
Verse 2
Hebrew has two verb “tenses,” perfect and imperfect. They do not usually represent time in the same way that English past, present and future tenses do. Unless the context demands something else, I will render the ordinary imperfect either as future or past tense, and the perfect as present or past perfect.
Verse 5
Most translations use “stand,” but the Hebrew word is not the same word that verse 1 uses. The word here means to rise. The wicked will not rise from judgment as vindicated but will fall as condemned.
Verse 6
The word “know” here is first of all God’s eternal foreknowledge of the way of the righteous because he has determined it (Ps 139:13–16). Secondly, it is the intimate knowledge of love. The love of God accompanies every step of the way of the righteous.
Christology
Christ is the perfectly righteous man, the one who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked but delighted in Yahweh’s law. By faith in him, we will become like him and will stand in the congregation of the righteous with him.