Berean Standard Bible · Public domain

Psalm 1

Israel’s prayers give language for praise, grief, repentance, and trust. Poetry uses imagery and parallel lines; each psalm should be read as a whole rather than as a detached promise.

Historical context & book outline

1Blessed 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.

2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

3He 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.

4Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Read closely

  1. What repeated words, contrasts, or actions stand out in this chapter?
  2. How does this chapter fit the surrounding chapters and the book’s purpose?
  3. What did it communicate to its first hearers, before applying it to your life?