Psalms 73:20

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 73:20 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “As a dream when one awaketh, So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their image.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

As a dream when one awaketh, So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their image.
Psalms 73:20 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 73

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
20As a dream when one awaketh, So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their image.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“As a dream when one awaketh, etc.] So will be all the temporal felicity of wicked men, all an illusion, all a dream; when they lift up their eyes in hell, and awake in the resurrection, they will find themselves destitute of all their riches and honours, and it will be as if they had only dreamed of them, and never enjoyed them; (see <182006>Job 20:6-8 <232908>Isaiah 29:8) so, “O Lord, when thou awakest”; to judgment, to take vengeance on wicked men, and vindicate his own people; and who seems sometimes to be as it were asleep, and to take no notice of things, when the judgment of the ungodly, and their damnation, seem to slumber, though it does not; (see <190706>Psalm 7:6 <610203>2 Peter…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“As a dream when one awaketh - Their prosperity is like the visions of a dream; the reality is seen when one awakes. A man in a dream may imagine that he is a king; that he dwells in a palace; that he is surrounded by flatterers and courtiers; that he walks in pleasant groves, listens to the sounds of sweet music, sits down at a table loaded with the luxuries of all climes, and lies upon a bed of down. He may awake only to find that he is encompassed with poverty, or that he is on a bed of languishing, or that he is the miserable tenant of a hovel or a dungeon. The reality is when he awakes. So it is in regard to our present condition on earth. The reality is seen when the dream - the…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“They awake - Out of the pleasant dream of this vain life. Despise - Thou shalt make them despicable both to themselves and to all others; raise them to shame, and everlasting contempt. Image - All their felicity and glory, which shall be evidently discerned to be, no real or substantial thing, but a mere image or shadow. Psalms 73:21”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“As a: Psa 90:5; Job 20:8; Isa 29:7, Isa 29:8 when: Psa 7:6, Psa 78:65 their: Psa 39:6 Psalms 73:21”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification