Psalms 37:16

“I will delight myself in thy statutes, etc.] In looking over them; in meditating on them; in obeying them, and walking according to them; as every good man does delight in the law of the Lord, after the inward man, (<450722>Romans 7:22); (see <19B924>Psalm 119:24,92,97); I will not forget thy word: he took all proper methods to fix it in his memory; he laid it up in his mind; he meditated upon it in his heart, and he talked of it with his lips, (<19B911>Psalm 119:11,13,15).23873 g, GIMEL.--The Third Part.”

“riches--literally, "noise and tumult," as incidental to much wealth (compare Psa 39:6). Thus the contrast with the "little" of one man is more vivid.”

“A little that a righteous man hath - literally, “Good is a little to the righteous, more than,” etc. Our translation, however, has expressed the sense with sufficient accuracy. There are two things implied here: (a) that it happens not unfrequently that the righteous have little of the wealth of this world; and (b) that this little is to them of more real value, accompanied, as it is, with higher blessings, than the more abundant wealth which the wicked often possess. It is better to have but little of this world’s goods with righteousness, than it is to have the riches of many wicked men - or the wealth which is often found in the possession of wicked men - with their ungodliness. It is not…”

“37:16 Being wise with modest means is better than having prosperity and power and being wicked (Prov 15:16; 16:8, 19; 17:1; 28:6).”

“Pro 3:33, Pro 13:25, Pro 15:16, Pro 15:17, Pro 16:8, Pro 30:9; Ecc 2:26, Ecc 4:6; Mat 6:11; Ti1 6:6 Psalms 37:17”

“With Psa 37:16 accord Pro 15:16; Pro 16:8, cf. Tobit 12:8. The ל of לצּדּיק is a periphrastic indication of the genitive (Ges. 115). המון is a noisy multitude, here used of earthly possessions. רבּים is not per attract. (cf. Psa 38:11, הם for הוּא) equivalent to רב, but the one righteous man is contrasted with many unrighteous. The arms are here named instead of the bow in Psa 37:15. He whose arms are broken can neither injure others nor help himself. Whereas Jahve does for the righteous what earthly wealth and human power cannot do: He Himself upholds them. Psalms 37:18”