“The wicked will see it and be vexed, He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish,” (Psalm 112:10).
Psalm 112 is about praising the Lord as well as the blessedness of fearing him. The godly who trust in him will find that the Lord is gracious and compassionate (v. 4) and that in his hands are truth and justice (v. 7). Also, it is an imprecatory Psalm. This means it contains curses against enemies. There are many imprecatory Psalms. Some of the references are as follows: Psalm 55:15; 59:5; 71:13; 79:6; 94:1-2; 109:6-9; 129:5-6; 137:9; 139:19; 140:10-11.
Below in Table 1 is an examination of Psalm 112. When individual verses are categorized as they relate to the timeframe, we find the following in Table 1 below.
- Present
- Psalm 112:1, 4, 8
Future
- Psalm 112:6
- Present and future
- Psalm 112:2, 3, 5, 7, 9-10
Categorizing the verses of Psalm 112 regarding their tense is to show a variety of timeframes being spoken of within it. Typically, the writers of the Psalm often spoke in the present tense because they are songs of praise and lament.
Psalm 112
This Psalm is a song of praise to God, but it also contains a curse upon the wicked. When it says that the wicked will melt away and that the desire of the wicked will perish (v. 10), it is not making a doctrinal statement made about the future state of the wicked, whether it be soul sleep or annihilation. Instead, it is proclaiming that the end of the wicked will come to nothing. To make this Psalm, one that supports conditionalism is to do so by reading into the text what is not there.
| Psalm 112 | |||
| Address | Verse | Commentary | Time Frame |
| Psalm 112:1 | Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. | Praise to God | Present |
| Psalm 112:2 | His descendants will be mighty on the earth. The generation of the upright will be blessed. | Blessing on the righteous | Present, Future |
| Psalm 112:3 | Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. | Blessing on the righteous | Present, Future |
| Psalm 112:4 | Light arises in the darkness for the upright. He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. | Blessing on the righteous | Present |
| Psalm 112:5 | It is well with the man who is gracious and lends. He will maintain his cause in judgment. | Blessing on the righteous | Present, Future |
| Psalm 112:6 | For he will never be shaken. The righteous will be remembered forever. | Blessing on the righteous | Future |
| Psalm 112:7 | He will not fear evil tidings. His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. | Trusting in the Lord | Present, Future |
| Psalm 112:8 | His heart is upheld, he will not fear until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries. | Trusting in the Lord | Present |
| Psalm 112:9 | He has given freely to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted in honor. | Blessing on the righteous | Present, Future |
| Psalm 112:10 | The wicked will see it and be vexed. He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish. | Condemnation of the wicked | Present, Future |
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