Psalm 37:4 - Delight Thyself Also in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 reads, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." The Hebrew "hithanag al-YHWH" uses the reflexive Hithpael form of "anag" (עָנַג), meaning to make oneself soft, pliable, and exquisitely pleased in God. The "desires" are "mishalot" (מִשְׁאֲלוֹת), literally "petitions" or "requests", from the root "sha'al" (שָׁאַל), the same verb behind the name Saul. Psalm 37 is an acrostic wisdom psalm attributed to David in his old age (v. 25), written in the tradition of Proverbs rather than lament. Its central theme answers the problem Job and Asaph wrestled with: why do the wicked prosper? David counsels the righteous not to fret but to trust, commit, rest, and delight. Verse 4 is one of a chain of imperatives (vv. 3-7) that trace a progression: trust, delight, commit, rest. It cross-references Isaiah 58:14, "Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD," and parallels Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." The promise is not a blank check for whatever the untransformed heart wants; it is the assurance that when the Lord Himself becomes our exquisite delight, He shapes and then fulfills the holy desires He has formed within us.

Chapter Context

Psalm 37 is a 40-verse alphabetic acrostic, with each section opening on the next Hebrew letter. David writes as an elderly saint who has observed a long life (v. 25) and concluded that the apparent prosperity of the wicked is brief. The psalm weaves wisdom, exhortation, and prophetic promise: the meek will inherit the earth (v. 11, cited by Jesus in Matthew 5:5), the righteous will never be forsaken (v. 25), and peace crowns the upright (v. 37). Verse 4 stands in a cluster of four imperatives (trust, delight, commit, rest) that form the spiritual posture the rest of the psalm unfolds. The setting is Israel under economic and social injustice, yet still covenant people.

How to Apply This Verse

1. Cultivate delight in God through worship, Scripture meditation, and unhurried prayer. The Hithpael form suggests an active pursuit of enjoyment in the Lord rather than a passive feeling; spiritual disciplines are the ordinary means.
2. Examine your desires in light of your delight. When God Himself becomes our supreme treasure, the petitions we bring align with His will, and the promise of verse 4 becomes self-authenticating rather than disappointing.
3. Refuse the fretting that dominates verses 1, 7, and 8 of the same psalm. Comparing oneself to the prosperous wicked erodes joy; anchoring the heart in the Lord produces the steadiness David commends after decades of observing God's faithfulness.