Psalm 73 explained: Why Do Bad People Do So Well?

The ending first (vv. 1-3)

The writer opens with the conclusion he finally reached: God is good to those whose hearts are sincere. Then he confesses he nearly lost his footing, because he envied proud people who were doing well.

Portrait of the comfortable (vv. 4-12)

He describes people who seem healthy, rich and carefree, who wear pride like jewelry and violence like clothing, and who talk as if God never notices. Some lines here are hard to translate, especially verse 10, so scholars are unsure of their exact sense.

Was it all for nothing? (vv. 13-16)

He wonders if keeping his hands clean has been pointless, since his own life feels like daily punishment. He kept this to himself so he would not let down others who trusted God, but trying to make sense of it wore him out.

The turning point (vv. 17-20)

In God's temple he began to see where such lives end up: on slippery ground, able to collapse in a moment. To God, he says, their grandeur is like a dream that fades when one wakes.

Honest about bitterness (vv. 21-22)

Looking back, he admits his resentment made him like an animal, reacting without understanding. He does not excuse himself.

God as his share (vv. 23-28)

Even while he was bitter, he says, God was holding his hand, and nothing in heaven or on earth matters to him as much as God. Calling God his portion borrows the language of an inherited share of land, and Christians have often read the promise of being brought into glory as hope of life with God after death.

Key verse: Psalm 73:26

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether the promise that God will afterward bring the writer into glory (v. 24) clearly points to life after death or to God restoring his honor in this life, and that choice shapes how the psalm answers its own complaint.

Something to think about

Have you ever watched someone who cut corners do better than you, and what did that do to how you saw your own choices?