Tehillim 103:9

9 He will not strive l’netzach; neither will He keep His anger l’olam.

Tehillim 103:9 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 103:9

He will not always chide
He sometimes does chide his children, though never but when they have done a fault; always for their sins, in order to bring them to a sense and acknowledgment of them, and to depart from them; not for chiding sake, as some parents, to gratify their passion and ill humour, who correct for their own pleasure; but the Lord chides and corrects for the profit of his children, that they may be partakers of his holiness; he ever does it for their good, but he will not always chide, or continue it ever: or "he will not always contend" F5, strive with them, litigate a point with them, hold out a controversy, not being able to stand before him; he knows their frame, their weakness, and frailty; see ( Isaiah 57:16 ) ,

neither will he keep his anger for ever;
though he does with the wicked, yet not with his own people; that endures but for a moment, and is rather seeming than real; and what does appear is soon turned away; he does not retain it long, he is quickly pacified towards them for all they have done, and smiles again upon them, ( Micah 7:18 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F5 (byry) "contendet", Pagninus, Montanus; "litigat", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "litigabit", Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis.

Tehillim 103:9 In-Context

7 He made known His drakhim unto Moshe, His deeds unto the Bnei Yisroel.
8 Hashem is rachum and channun, slow to anger, and plenteous in chesed.
9 He will not strive l’netzach; neither will He keep His anger l’olam.
10 He hath not dealt with us according to chata’einu (our sins); nor repaid us according to avonoteinu (our iniquities).
11 For as Shomayim is high above ha’aretz, so great is His chesed toward them that fear Him.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.