Psalm 36:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.

NIV: Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.

NASB: Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep. Lord, You protect mankind and animals.

CSB: Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your judgments like the deepest sea. Lord, you preserve people and animals.

NLT: Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.

KJV: Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.

NKJV: Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

David began this section praising God for His amazing love (Psalm 36:5). Now he attributes firm, unmovable righteousness to God's character. Most deities of world religions are portrayed as fallible. They are changing, fickle, and sometimes must be convinced to keep their own word. A defining characteristic of the God of the Bible is His absolute, unchanging perfection. Unlike pagan idols, David's God—the true God— is righteous always and forever. He is worthy of praise and honor because He can always be trusted to do what is right. His "saving" of animals and men alike, as mentioned here, is in this general context (Psalm 104:14–15; 145:9; Nehemiah 9:6).

The phrase "mountains of God" seems to follow the same pattern as descriptions such as "trees of the Lord" (Psalm 104:16) or "the river of God" (Psalm 65:9): ideas or creations which exemplify His greatness. The connection between God's profound perspective and the idea of "depth" is also seen in other Scriptures (Psalm 71:19; 92:5).

Not one iota of sin stains God's righteous character. The character of Jesus, too, is perfectly righteous. The apostle Peter writes: "He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth" (1 Peter 2:22). The apostle Paul cites Jesus' sinlessness in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For our sake he made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Psalm 36:5–9 comes after a scathing description of the wicked person. David now focuses on the excellent characteristics of the Lord God. This positive focus on God's character offers deep peace and assurance. He knows he can trust the Lord to keep him safe from the evil schemes of the wicked.

David begins this psalm by reflecting on the deeply rooted sin which makes people rebel against God. This comes along with arrogance and an impulse to do evil all the time. In stark contrast, the Lord's character and conduct are flawless. His unfailing love is compared to the height of clouds and mountains and to the depth of the ocean. God's merciful love is praised. David concludes with a prayer that the Lord's unfailing love will continue to favor the upright in heart.

This psalm uses common themes from David's other writings which celebrate God's loyal love for those who honor Him (Psalm 3:3; 7:10; 40:9–10). The passage focuses on David's thoughts regarding evil in the world and the contrast such attitudes show to God's character. He concludes the psalm with a prayer that God would continue to extend love and righteousness to His people.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.