Almost Stumbled
Behold, these are the wicked— always carefree as they increase their wealth. Psalm 73:12 · Berean Standard Bible
And yet this is the reality: these are the wicked, and they're living carefree lives while continuously getting richer.
Asaph is crystallizing his torment. He's identified who these people are—the wicked, those opposing God. And they're not suffering for it; they're literally in a state of ease, wealth steadily increasing. From every earthly measure, their wickedness is working perfectly.
Asaph, summing up the injustice as he sees it.
This is the breaking point in the psalm—the moment where faith and observation seem to collide irreconcilably. Asaph is about to tell you what nearly broke him.
Behold the paradigmatic case: these wicked individuals remain perpetually undisturbed, experiencing carefree contentment while their wealth continually increases.
The word שַׁלְוִים (šal'wîm)—carefree, at ease—appears in prophetic denunciations of those who refuse to acknowledge coming judgment (Amos 6:1, Isaiah 32:9). The redundancy of 'wicked' paired with 'always carefree as they increase wealth' rhetorically emphasizes the paradox: wickedness correlates with comfort, not consequence.
Asaph summarizing the observable reality that constitutes his faith crisis—the consistent pattern of the unrighteous thriving.
The psalmist distills his argument to its essential scandal: the wicked demonstrate that covenant obedience appears unnecessary for flourishing, directly contradicting Deuteronomic theology.
10So their people return to this place and drink up waters in abundance.
11The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12Behold, these are the wicked— always carefree as they increase their wealth.
13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands.
14For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.
Read all of Psalm 73 — Asaph nearly lost his faith watching the wicked prosper — until he entered the sanctuary and saw the end of the story.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad