Psalms 119:120

120 I shiver in awe before you; your decisions leave me speechless with reverence.

Psalms 119:120 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 119:120

My flesh trembleth for fear of thee
Not for fear of the wrath of God coming down upon himself, nor for fear of eternal damnation; but for fear of what was coming upon the wicked, for their sins and transgressions. The word F14 used signifies such a dread and horror, which seizes a man to such a degree, that it makes the hair of his flesh to stand up; as Jarchi and Kimchi observe; see ( Psalms 119:53 ) ( Job 4:14 Job 4:15 ) ;

and I am afraid of thy judgments;
not of their coming down upon him, but upon the wicked; the thought of which is more awful to good men than to the wicked themselves; and especially when under any darkness, doubts, and fears; lest, being conscious to themselves of their own weakness, they should be left to join with the wicked in their sins, and so be partakers of their plagues.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 (rmo) (oryotricei) , Symmachus in Drusius; "horripilavit", Cajetanus apud Gejerum.

Psalms 119:120 In-Context

118 Expose all who drift away from your sayings; their casual idolatry is lethal.
119 You reject earth's wicked as so much rubbish; therefore I lovingly embrace everything you say.
120 I shiver in awe before you; your decisions leave me speechless with reverence.
121 I stood up for justice and the right; don't leave me to the mercy of my oppressors.
122 Take the side of your servant, good God; don't let the godless take advantage of me.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.