📖 Psalms — Chapter 73 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Psalms 73:1 TTruly RGod is good to Israel, even to such as are TTof a clean heart.
Psalms 73:2 But as for me, my Rfeet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
Psalms 73:3 For RI was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psalms 73:4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is Tfirm.
Psalms 73:5 RThey are not Tin trouble as other men; neither are they plagued Tlike other men.
Psalms 73:6 RTherefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
Psalms 73:7 Their Reyes stand out with fatness: they Thave more than heart could wish.
Psalms 73:8 They are Rcorrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
Psalms 73:9 They Rset their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
Psalms 73:10 Therefore his people return hither: and Rwaters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
Psalms 73:11 And they say, RHow doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
Psalms 73:12 Behold, Rthese are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Psalms 73:13 RVerily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
Psalms 73:14 RFor all the day long have I been plagued, and Tchastened every morning.
Psalms 73:15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should Roffend against the generation of thy children.
Psalms 73:16 RWhen I thought to know this, it was Ttoo painful for me;
Psalms 73:17 RUntil I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
Psalms 73:18 RSurely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.
Psalms 73:19 RHow are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
Psalms 73:20 RAs a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
Psalms 73:21 Thus Rmy heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.
Psalms 73:22 So foolish was I, and Tignorant: I was Ras a beast Tbefore thee.
Psalms 73:23 RNevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
Psalms 73:24 RThou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Psalms 73:25 RWhom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
Psalms 73:26 My Rflesh and my heart faileth: but God is the Tstrength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Psalms 73:27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them Rthat go a whoring from thee.
Psalms 73:28 RBut it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 73:1–12 — Envy at the prosperity of the wicked
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker confesses that his footing nearly failed when he envied apparently comfortable evildoers. Pride, violence, and arrogant speech coexist with their increasing wealth. This is his anguished perception, not proof that wicked people never suffer; the psalm will reconsider prosperity through a wider spiritual perspective.
Key Truth: Apparent success can tempt the heart into envy.
Check What You Remember
1. What almost slipped? (Psalms 73:2)
Find it in Psalms 73:2 (KJV).
2. At whose prosperity was he envious? (Psalms 73:3)
Find it in Psalms 73:3 (KJV).
3. What surrounds them like a chain? (Psalms 73:6)
Find it in Psalms 73:6 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 73:13–20 — A changed perspective in God's sanctuary
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker wonders whether faithful living has been in vain, but recognizes the harm of passing that conclusion to others. Entering God's sanctuary changes his understanding of the wicked person's end. Present appearances are unstable, and prosperity cannot provide protection from judgment or guarantee lasting security.
Key Truth: God's presence can reshape how we judge present appearances.
Check What You Remember
1. What does he fear he has cleansed in vain? (Psalms 73:13)
Find it in Psalms 73:13 (KJV).
2. Where does his understanding change? (Psalms 73:17)
Find it in Psalms 73:17 (KJV).
3. What places describe the wicked person's standing? (Psalms 73:18)
Find it in Psalms 73:18 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 73:21–28 — God as strength and lasting portion
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker acknowledges his foolishness yet finds that God has continued to hold and guide him. Even when flesh and heart fail, God is his strength and portion. Nearness to God becomes the good he seeks, answering envy with relational hope rather than a promise of competing wealth.
Key Truth: God is the heart's strength and enduring portion.
Check What You Remember
1. What hand has God held? (Psalms 73:23)
Find it in Psalms 73:23 (KJV).
2. What will guide him? (Psalms 73:24)
Find it in Psalms 73:24 (KJV).
3. What is good for him to do? (Psalms 73:28)
Find it in Psalms 73:28 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Psalms 16:5 — The Lord is described as the worshiper's portion and inheritance.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
What comparison is unsettling your heart, and how can drawing near to God reshape your measure of a good life?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does envy threaten the speaker’s own stability?
2. Why does he hesitate to broadcast the conclusion of futility?
3. How does entering the sanctuary change his judgment?
4. How does God’s grip answer the confessed foolishness?
5. What replaces competition for prosperity at the close?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
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