Psalm 1
BOOK I
Psalms 1–41
The Two Paths
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or set foot on the path of sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,
and on His law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in season,
whose leaf does not wither,
and who prospers in all he does.
4 Not so the wicked!
For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD guards the path of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
About this passage
Psalm 1 is the first psalm in the Book of Psalms and works as a doorway into the whole collection. It contrasts two ways of living: the person who delights in the law of the LORD and the wicked, who are like chaff blown away.
The famous image is a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season. The psalm names no author in the Hebrew text. Some ancient manuscripts and traditions treat Psalms 1 and 2 as one unit, and scholars see it as a later introduction to the Psalter.
Jewish tradition reads the law as the Torah, and meditating on it day and night became a model of devotion. Christians have read it as an invitation to live by Scripture and as a picture of a righteous life. Its ideas are wisdom, choice and consequence, closely related to the Book of Proverbs.
- Two ways
- Meditating on Scripture
- Wisdom
- Righteous and wicked
Questions
What is the main message of Psalm 1?
It sets two paths side by side, the way of those who follow God's teaching and the way of those who reject it, and says the first is stable and fruitful. It frames the whole Psalter as a book of guidance.
Who wrote Psalm 1?
The psalm has no heading naming an author. Tradition sometimes credits David, as for much of the Psalter, but many scholars think it was placed as an introduction by a later editor.
What does the tree by the water represent?
It stands for a person rooted in God's teaching and so steady and fruitful. The contrast is with chaff, which has no roots and is blown away. Most interpreters read it as a wisdom image rather than a literal promise.