Psalm 37:1-40 is about security for those who trust in God and how the wicked will be destroyed. It is not speaking about soul-sleep or some future Day of Judgment annihilation.  Following are extractions from the Psalm.

• Psalm 37:2, “For they [evildoers] will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb.”
• Psalm 37:9, “For evildoers will be cut off.“
• Psalm 37:10, “Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.”
• Psalm 37:20, “But the wicked will perish, and the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures. They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.”
• Psalm 37:36, “Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.”
• Psalm 37:38, “But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.”

Is this Psalm referring only to present destruction or does it include future annihilation?

• “It may be that no passage of Scripture declares annihilationism (the ultimate destruction of wicked unbelievers) with clearer language than Psalm 37.”¹rethinkinghell.com/2018/05/psalm-37-a-song-of-annihilation/
• “There’s no question that Psalm 37 describes the annihilation of the ungodly. This is so obvious that traditionalists don’t really deny it. Instead, they say that this annihilation is only referring to what happens on this earth and is not the final fate of the unrighteous.”²rethinkinghell.com/2018/05/psalm-37-a-song-of-annihilation/

I can see why conditionalists use Psalm 37 in support of their position. It says that the wicked will fade away like the grass (Psalm 37:2), that they will be cut off (v. 9), will be no more (v. 10), will perish as the smoke fades away (v. 20), that they will be cut off (v. 22, 34), will not be there no more (v. 36), and be destroyed (v. 38). With this kind of language, no wonder the conditionalist gravitate to this Psalm. But, is the Psalm talking about God’s final condemnation upon the wicked at the Judgment Seat with the result being annihilation? Or, is the psalmist using vivid imagery to convey the destruction of the wicked in their present time as well as describing their ultimate end in vivid terms? Is David speaking precisely about annihilation, or is he speaking from the perspective that the wicked will be no more in this age, not that they won’t exist in the future age? We know the wicked will be destroyed. The Bible tells us that in many places. But, the nature of that destruction is not specified. Now, some conditionalist might object and say that the nature of the destruction is specified and that Psalm 37 is clear. After all, it says, “they will be no more,” (v. 10), that they will perish as the smoke fades away (v. 20), that he was no more (v. 36), and that he will be destroyed (v. 38). But, do those verses necessitate the conditionalist interpretation? No, they don’t. Let’s take a look at these four verses (10, 20, 36, 38) in context and see if they support the conditionalist position as they so often like to assert.

At the end of this article, in Table 1, I’ve taken every verse of the Psalm, placed it in a table, and looked at it from the perspective of a timeframe as well as adding commentary. This is important because we need to determine if the Psalm necessitates soul sleep, final annihilation, or if it is speaking of the destruction of the wicked from the human perspective, that they will be no more and will not be found.

When categorized by individual verses as they relate to time, we find the following in Table 1 below.

1. Age to come, 2 verses
   1. Psalm 37:13, 33
2. Present age, 28 verses
   1. Pslam 37:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40
3. Present Age or Age to Come, 10 verses
   1. Psalm 37:6, 15, 18, 19, 20, 27, 28, 29, 31, 38

The point of the summary about This Present Age and the Age to Come is to provide an analysis to see if the Psalm is speaking primarily about the present age or the age to come. After my verse by verse analysis, two verses clearly speak of the age to come. 28 verses speak of This Present Age, and 10 verses can be understood to be either the This Present Age or The Age to Come. Therefore the verses that can be interpreted to be speaking of the age to come totals 12. Those speaking of This Present Age are 28. Of course, we don’t interpret something by the number of verses that side with one or the other position. We have to analyze context, flow, meaning, etc. to understand the position better. The point is simply this. The Psalm speaks a great deal about the situation of the present age and therefore, it lends credence to the idea that the psalmist is speaking from the human perspective and is not intending to address either soul sleep or the final day of judgment and the annihilation/extinction of the wicked.

Psalm 37:10

“Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there,” (Psalm 37:10).

David is saying that the wicked person will soon die and be no more. He says that they will be looked for but will not be there. The verse implies that David is speaking from the perspective of this age, in this world. This is why he says, “you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.” Furthermore, the previous verse 9 and the next verse 11 speak of how God’s people will inherit the land. It seems that David is speaking about the righteous being patient, and they are to realize that the wicked will soon be gone. This would be speaking of the physical death of the wicked from their present perspective, not about final annihilation.

If conditionalists want to assume the position of soul sleep from this verse, we have to ask if their interpretation fits the context. It does not seem so.  Furthermore, there are problems with soul sleep.  See, In conditionalism, there is a logical problem with the soul ceasing to exist then being resurrected, And, Problems with anthropological physicalism/materialism, And Examining soul sleep and its problems.

Psalm 37:20

“But the wicked will perish.  And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures. They vanish – like smoke they vanish away,” (Psalm 37:20).

So, the wicked will perish; they will be like smoke that vanishes away. If the perspective spoken of is from this present viewpoint, then, like the smoke that vanishes away, the wicked will disappear. It wouldn’t be a commentary on their eschatological extinction on the Day of Judgment. Rather, it would be a commentary on how they will be removed from this world. On the other hand, a conditionalist would point out that as smoke ceases to exist, so too the wicked will cease to exist. But is the Psalm a didactic exposition on the future condition of the wicked, or is it speaking of the present perspective on earth and using common imagery to describe what will happen to the wicked; namely, that they will disappear, like smoke, they will vanish away?

The context in verse 20 says that the Lord sustains the righteous (v. 17), that the inheritance of the blameless will be forever (v. 18), and that the righteous will have abundance during famine (v. 19). Then the blessing-theme is contrasted with the statement that the wicked will vanish away. To say that this verse necessitates the conditionalist position is to read into it more than is there. While I certainly can understand why the conditionalist would appeal to this verse, it does not mean their perspective is correct. When we look at the context, it appears that the psalmist is speaking from a human perspective.

Psalm 37:35-36

“I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. “36 Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found,” (Psalm 37:35–36).

The psalmist is speaking of what he has seen at the present time where the wicked prosper (v. 35). He then says that the wicked who have flourished in their wickedness has passed away. He looked for them, but they were no more (v. 36). This is statement is dealing with the present age and is not speaking of the future eschatological judgment with the assumption of annihilation. “They were no more” is in the context of living on earth since they could not be found. This “looking for them” is not referring to soul sleep or in the spiritual realm. It is dealing with the present time. This is not a statement of the condition of the wicked being nonexistent.

Psalm 37:38

“But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off,” (Psalm 37:38).

Some conditionalists will use this verse to support their annihilationist view because it says that “transgressors will be altogether destroyed.” But does this destruction mean nonexistence, or does it suggest, from the context, that they will be removed from the earth? In the previous analysis of Psalm 37:35-36, where David says that he looked for the wicked, but they were no more, we see that he was speaking of the present age and not of the future eschatological judgment. Verse 37 says that the blameless man will have posterity. The NASB says, “for the man of peace will have a posterity.” The ESV says that “there is a future for the man of peace.” The KJV says, “the end of that man is peace.” It appears that the context is speaking of the present time, not a future eschatological judgment. So when the next verse occurs, and it says the transgressors will be destroyed, it appears that the context is speaking, once again, of the human perspective as seen from this world.

Conclusion

Psalm 37 certainly has language that can be used to support annihilationism. However, when we examine the context of the verses within that Psalm focused on by annihilationists (v. 10, 20, 36, 38) we can see that there is strong, contextual evidence to support the idea that the psalmist is speaking from a human perspective and not proclaiming the doctrine of soul sleep or final extinction. Psalm 37:35-36 is particularly important in this sense because it says that the psalmist looked for the wicked, but they were no more. He is clearly speaking from the human perspective and clarifies what is meant by “they were no more.” So, Psalm 37 is far from proving annihilationism is true.

Table 1
Address	Verse	Commentary	Time Frame
Psalm 37:1	Do not fret because of evildoers. Be not envious toward wrongdoers.	David opens the Psalm with an admonition for the rightists and not fret over the wrongdoers.	Present Age
Psalm 37:2	“For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb.”	David is using present imagery about how grass fades away. He relates us to the wicked. They too will fade away. But this is speaking in the present age. In these people’s lifetimes, the wicked will fade away.	Present Age
Psalm 37:3	Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.	The righteous are to trust in God.	Present Age
Psalm 37:4	Delight yourself in the LORD. And He will give you the desires of your heart.	The righteous are to delight in the Lord.	Present Age
Psalm 37:5	Commit your way to the LORD.  Trust also in Him, and He will do it.	The righteous are to commit their ways to the Lord.	Present Age
Psalm 37:6	He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.	God will vindicate the righteous.	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:7	Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.	The righteous are to wait patiently for the Lord. This verse can be used to support the idea that the righteous are not to fret even though the wicked prosper.	Present Age
Psalm 37:8	Cease from anger and forsake wrath. Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.	The righteous are to cease from their anger.	Present Age
Psalm 37:9	For evildoers will be cut off.  But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.	The implication is that the evildoers will be cut off in this present age since it says in the context that the good will inherit the land.  If the “cut off” means final annihilation or nonexistence in the intermediate state, then does the phrase that the righteous “will inherit the land” also speak of a final judgment for the righteous to whom David is speaking?  It does not seem so.  Therefore, the cutting off of the evildoers seems to be dealing with this present age only.	Present Age/Possible future age judgment
Psalm 37:10	Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more, and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.	David is saying that the wicked person will soon die and be no more. But, does this mean that they will cease to exist in some future judgment or that they cease to exist at physical death?  Could it be that David is talking about the wicked perishing in this age since it speaks of looking carefully for his place?  It would probable considering the previous verse 9 and the following verse 10 speak of how the righteous and the humble will inherit the land. It seems that David is speaking about the righteous being patient and they are to realize that the wicked will soon be gone. Therefore, this would be speaking of the physical death of the wicked from their present perspective. But the annihilationist must assume it means either nonexistence, soul sleep, or nonexistence in the final judgment.  Does that fit the context?  It doesn’t seem so.	Present Age
Psalm 37:11	But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.	The future tense “will inherit the land” is taken in meaning the present age regarding the righteous.  Is David speaking of the final judgment and is stating that in it, the righteous inherit the land?	Present Age
Psalm 37:12	The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth.	Present reality	Present Age
Psalm 37:13	The Lord laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming.	The judgment of the wicked is coming	Age to Come
Psalm 37:14	The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to cast down the afflicted and the needy, to slay those who are upright in conduct.	Present reality	Present Age
Psalm 37:15	Their sword will enter their own heart, and their bows will be broken.	The judgment of the wicked is coming	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:16	Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked.	Proverbial statement	Present Age
Psalm 37:17	For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD sustains the righteous.	The wicked’s arms will be broken.  The righteous are sustained by the Lord.	Present Age
Psalm 37:18	The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever.	The righteous will inherit the land forever	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:19	They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine, they will have an abundance.	The wicked will be ashamed	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:20	But the wicked will perish, and the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, they vanish – like smoke, they vanish away.	The Psalmist is speaking about the present condition of things and how the wicked will get what’s coming to them. In the immediate previous 6 verses, the present age is the context. Though it’s possible to interpret verses 15, 18, and 19 to also include the age to come, the consistent understanding would be the present age. It wouldn’t be a commentary on their eschatological extinction on the day of judgment. Rather, it would be a commentary on how they will be removed from this world.  The Psalm is not a didactic exposition on the future condition of the wicked.  It is speaking of the present perspective on earth and using common analogy to describe what will happen to the wicked; namely, that they will disappear, like smoke, they will vanish away?	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:21	The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.	Present reality	Present Age
Psalm 37:22	For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be cut off.	The righteous will inherit the land. The wicked will be cut off.	Present Age
Psalm 37:23	The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way.	Present reality	Present Age
Psalm 37:24	When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.	Present reality	Present Age
Psalm 37:25	I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.	The present reality with a statement of encouragement.	Present Age
Psalm 37:26	All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing.	Present reality	Present Age
Psalm 37:27	Depart from evil and do good, so you will abide forever.	The present reality with a statement of admonition.	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:28	For the LORD loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones. They are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.	The present reality with a statement of encouragement is tied to the future.	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:29	The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.	The present reality with a statement of encouragement is tied to the future.	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:30	The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.	Present reality	Present Age
Psalm 37:31	The law of his God is in his heart. His steps do not slip.	Present reality	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:32	The wicked spies upon the righteous and seeks to kill him.	Proverbial statement	Present Age
Psalm 37:33	The LORD will not leave him in his hand or let him be condemned when he is judged.	The present reality with a statement of encouragement is tied to the future.	Age to Come
Psalm 37:34	Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.	The psalmist tells the righteous to wait for the Lord. This necessitates the present age context. He says that the righteous will be exalted by inheriting the land. Another present-day statement. He then says that the righteous will see that the wicked are cut off. This is speaking of what the righteous will experience in their lifetime. However, a conditionalist must assume that when it says the wicked are cut off that it must mean a future judgment that results in nonexistence. That seems a lot to read into the text.	Present Age
Psalm 37:35	I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.	David is speaking about what he has seen in the present age. The wicked prosper.	Present Age
Psalm 37:36	Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more. I sought for him, but he could not be found.	David says that the wicked who have prospered in their wickedness have passed away and they were no more. He says that he sought for the wicked but could not find it. This is definitely a statement that deals with the present age, their present condition, and is not speaking of a future eschatological judgment of annihilation.	Present Age
Psalm 37:37	Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright. For the man of peace will have a posterity.	The present reality with a statement of encouragement is tied to the future in this present age.	Present Age
Psalm 37:38	But transgressors will be altogether destroyed. The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.	By contrast with the blameless man of v. 37, the wicked will be cut off, destroyed.  The present reality with a statement of encouragement is tied to the future.	Present Age, Age to Come
Psalm 37:39	But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD. He is their strength in time of trouble.	The present reality with a statement of encouragement is tied to the future.	Present Age
Psalm 37:40	The LORD helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in Him.	The present reality with a statement of encouragement is tied to the future.	Present Age