What Does Psalm 36:8 Mean in the King James?

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
Psalm 36:8 · KJV
The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

The Hebrew word behind “abundantly satisfied” means saturated, so the verse moves from being filled to being given a river to drink.

The verse speaks of a life held in God’s abundance: you are filled from God’s house and given drink from a river of delight. Its picture joins fullness to refreshment that keeps flowing.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

This undoes the belief that real fullness is scarce or must be produced entirely by your own effort.

יִרְוְיֻן

yirweyun

GROWS FROM

רוה

To drink one’s fill; to be saturated.

“abundantly satisfied” in this verse is yirweyun. The word comes from ⁨רוה⁩, which can mean to drink one’s fill or to be saturated. Jeremiah uses the same root for “I will satiate,” so the image is of fullness that reaches through the whole person.

ALSO GROWS

hirvēti: I satiated; I gave drink abundantly.

הִרְוֵיתִי

Jeremiah 31:14 uses this form for God’s satiating action, showing the fullness here as saturation.

marveh: One who waters or gives drink.

מַרְוֶה

Proverbs 11:25 uses it for the one who waters others, extending the root’s image from receiving fullness to refreshment that flows onward.

דִּשְׁנֵי

dishnei

GROWS FROM

דשן

To become fat, rich, or luxuriant.

This root carries the sense of becoming rich or luxuriant, not merely containing a lot. “Fatness” is the nourishing fullness of a house, the kind of plenty in which life flourishes.

ALSO GROWS

deshen: Fatness; rich abundance.

דֶּשֶׁן

This noun names the rich plenty supplied by the house in the verse.

tedushan: Shall be made fat or enriched.

תְּדֻשָּׁן

In Proverbs 11:25 it describes a life being enriched, extending the root from richness to flourishing.

עֲדָנֶיךָ

ʿadāneikha

GROWS FROM

עדן

To delight; to be luxurious or rich in pleasure.

“pleasures” in this verse is ʿadāneikha. This word belongs to the family of ⁨עֵדֶן⁩ (ʿēden), delight, and ⁨מַעֲדָנִים⁩ (maʿadānîm), delicacies. The “river of your delights” is pleasure with substance and taste, flowing toward the one who drinks.

ALSO GROWS

ʿēden: Delight; also the name Eden.

עֵדֶן

The shared word family lets God’s “delights” echo Eden’s name, tying the river to the language of delight.

maʿadānîm: Delicacies; dainties.

מַעֲדָנִים

Genesis 49:20 uses this form for royal delicacies, giving the verse’s “pleasures” a concrete richness.

God’s provision is pictured as abundance that fills the thirsty and overflows into living streams.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psalm 23:5 · KJVThe overflowing cup gives the same picture of divine provision exceeding what can be contained.
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Isaiah 55:1 · KJVThirst is met with freely offered water, wine, and milk, making abundance something received.
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:38 · KJVThe river image becomes an inward flow of living water, carrying abundance outward.
And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:14 · KJV

The Hebrew verb translated “satiate” comes from ⁨רוה⁩, the same root behind “abundantly satisfied” here. Jeremiah also pairs that saturation with ⁨דֶּשֶׁן⁩, from the same root as “fatness,” repeating the image of fullness that nourishes.

Read the SDV Bible.

Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.

Get Selah Verse

The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.

Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us

Psalm 36:8 KJV Meaning