Psalm 36:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

NIV: They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.

NASB: They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You allow them to drink from the river of Your delights.

CSB: They are filled from the abundance of your house. You let them drink from your refreshing stream.

NLT: You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights.

KJV: They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

NKJV: They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

There is nothing drab about God or His gifts. In Psalm 16:11 David writes: "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." False approaches to spirituality, or worldly pleasure, can only produce temporary and shallow satisfaction (2 Peter 3:10–11; Mark 8:36. These are different from true joy and delight. Those gifts are found only in a right relationship with the true God (Romans 5:10–11).

The river of God's delights is mentioned in Ezekiel 47. It provides life and refreshing to all it touches. The prior verse noted that God extends a measure of love and mercy to all people (Psalm 36:7; 145:18). The greatest of His gifts is the offer of salvation. Jesus promises in John 4:14: "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." This same idea is hinted at in the following verse (Psalm 36:9).

Priests were entitled to portions of sacrifices offered in the tabernacle (Leviticus 6:14–23; 7:14, 31–34; Deuteronomy 18:1–5). Rather than being given land, or other inheritance in Canaan, the priests were supported by the "abundance" of God's literal house (Deuteronomy 10:9).

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.