Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
1It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
2To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
3Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
6A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
7When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
8But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
9For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
11Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
12The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Understand This
Psalm 92, explained
What Psalm 92 is saying
The only psalm explicitly designated for the Sabbath day, Psalm 92 is a wisdom-oriented thanksgiving celebrating the works of God's hands. The psalm contrasts the temporary flourishing of the wicked (who sprout like grass) with the lasting fruitfulness of the righteous (who grow like cedars of Lebanon and palms). The senseless person (ba'ar) cannot comprehend this distinction, mistaking temporary prosperity for ultimate reality.
The background behind it
The Sabbath designation suggests liturgical use in temple worship on the seventh day. Rabbinic tradition interprets it eschatologically as a song for the ultimate Sabbath—the messianic age. The psalm's creation language and restful confidence align naturally with Sabbath theology.
Themes running underneath
The psalm integrates worship, wisdom, and creation theology. Musical praise (morning chesed, nighttime faithfulness) opens to meditation on God's deep designs, which the fool cannot perceive. The botanical metaphors—grass for the wicked, cedar and palm for the righteous—map moral choices onto natural imagery. The aged righteous 'still bearing fruit' in old age challenges assumptions about decline.
Why it still matters
Psalm 92 reframes Sabbath rest not as inactivity but as cultivated awareness of God's deep works. It encourages long-term faithfulness by promising that those rooted in God will remain fruitful even in advanced age.
Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.