Psalms / Question
The image explains the outcome of delighting in the LORD’s instruction: the person is “like a tree planted by streams of water” that yields fruit in season and does not wither Psalm 1:3. The comparison emphasizes steady life and enduring productivity.
Psalm 1:3 (Psalm 1:3) pictures the thriving life of the person described in the previous lines by comparing him to a well-placed tree. The tree is intentionally set beside steady water, so it reliably produces fruit at the right time and keeps healthy leaves. Psalm 1 opens the Psalter by contrasting two paths and two kinds of people: the one who avoids harmful influence and instead centers life on the LORD’s instruction (verses 1–2), and the one who does not (verses 4–6).
Psalm 1:3 continues the portrait of the “blessed” person from Psalm 1:1–2 by using a stability-and-growth picture: a tree intentionally planted where water is reliably available. The image is meant to be concrete: steady water leads to steady life. The verse links inner supply to outward results.
A good comparison lets each passage speak in its own setting before drawing a theological conclusion. That keeps application from flattening the text.
Start with Psalms 1:3, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
3He shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.