Psalms / Question
Psalm 1 ends by saying, “the LORD knows the way of the righteous,” while “the way of the wicked will perish” Psalm 1:6. In the psalm’s closing contrast, God’s knowledge is tied to the enduring outcome of the righteous path.
In Psalm 1:5–6 the poem reaches its final outcome: the “wicked” and “sinners” will not endure when a decisive evaluation happens, and they will not belong among the community described as “the righteous.” The reason given is that Yahweh “knows” the path-pattern of the righteous, while the path-pattern of the wicked ends in collapse. Psalm 1 functions like an opening gateway to the Psalter, setting a basic contrast between two life paths. Earlier lines portray the blessed person as refusing corrupt social influence and instead delighting in Yahweh’s instruction, pictured as a well-watered tree that bears fruit (verses 1–3).
Psalm 1:5–6 closes the psalm’s two-path contrast with outcome language. It presents a decisive evaluation (“the judgment”) in which the “wicked”/“sinners” do not remain secure or accepted, and they are not counted among “the righteous” as a recognized community.
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with Psalms 1:6, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
6For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked shall perish. Psalm 2