1Blessed 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.
2But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3And 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.
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
The psalm opens the book by contrasting two paths: the way of the righteous, who meditates on the law of the LORD and flourishes like a tree planted by streams of water, and the way of the wicked, who is like chaff blown away by the wind and cannot stand in the judgment.
Explanation
Psalms was Israel's hymnbook and prayer book, used in temple worship for centuries. Psalm 1 functions as a gateway: it sets the standard that will guide the reading of all 149 psalms that follow — there is a path that leads to life and one that leads to ruin. The image of a tree planted by streams of water describes someone deeply rooted, who withstands life's droughts because he is continually nourished by the Word, unlike chaff, which has no root and no weight of its own. Today this invites the question: is my life rooted in something stable, or am I carried along by opinion and the wind of the moment?
Fun facts
- The psalms were organized into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), mirroring the structure of the five books of the Torah — Psalm 1 opens 'Book I' as a kind of programmatic introduction.
- The image of a tree planted 'by the rivers of water' echoes the tree of life in Eden and reappears in Jeremiah 17:8, showing how the biblical writers reused the same figures of speech.