Psalms 140:13

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.

Psalms 140:13 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 140:13

Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name
The same with the poor and the afflicted; who, though traduced by men, and evil spoken of and ill used by them, are righteous in the sight of God; being justified by the righteousness of Christ, which is imputed to them, and received by faith, in consequence of which they live soberly and righteously: these the psalmist knew and was assured they would give thanks to the Lord, and praise his holy name, for the righteousness by which they are made righteous, and for every other blessing of grace and mercy of life; for maintaining their cause and their right, and for the ruin and destruction of their enemies; see ( Revelation 18:20 ) ( Revelation 19:1 Revelation 19:2 ) ; the upright shall dwell in thy presence;
under his care and protection; in his gracious presence, enjoying the light of his countenance here; and in his glorious presence hereafter, where is fulness of joy: these upright ones are such who are upright in heart; whose hearts are right with God, sincere in his service and worship, and walk uprightly according to the rule of his word. These, as some render it, "shall sit before [him]" F20 or "in his presence": as children before a father, in whom he delights; or as disciples before a master, to be taught and instructed. The Targum is,

``shall return to pray before thee:''
and so Aben Ezra interprets it of their dwelling, or sitting before God, in the house of prayer; and Kimchi adds, by way of explanation,
``to seek thee, and know thy ways.''
Jerom reads it, "shall dwell with thy countenance or face" F21; and understands it of dwelling with Christ, the face of God, ( Hebrews 1:3 ) ; with whom they shall dwell for evermore.
FOOTNOTES:

F20 (wbvy) "considebunt", Junius & Tremellius; "sedebunt", Cocceius; so Ainsworth and Syriac version.
F21 So Sept. V. L. Arabic version, and Pagninus.

Psalms 140:13 In-Context

11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent!
12 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.