Psalms 119:61

61 The wicked hemmed me in - there was no way out - but not for a minute did I forget your plan for me.

Psalms 119:61 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 119:61

The bands of the wicked have robbed me
Very probably Saul and his ministers seized on his effects, when he fled from him; and the Amalekites plundered him of all his substance, when they took Ziklag; and Absalom and the conspirators with him robbed him, when he was obliged, because of them, to flee from his palace and court, which they entered and took possession of. But Aben Ezra rejects this sense of the word, which Jarchi and Kimchi espouse, and we follow, and renders it, "took hold of me"; and so the Targum,

``the company of the wicked were gathered together against me:''

they surrounded him and put him into fear, great numbers of them encompassing him about; see ( Psalms 18:4 ) ;

[but] I have not forgotten thy law;
this was written in his heart; he kept it in his memory, and retained an affection for it; and could not be deterred from obedience to it by the numbers and violence of wicked men, who hated and persecuted him for his attachment to it.

Psalms 119:61 In-Context

59 When I took a long, careful look at your ways, I got my feet back on the trail you blazed.
60 I was up at once, didn't drag my feet, was quick to follow your orders.
61 The wicked hemmed me in - there was no way out - but not for a minute did I forget your plan for me.
62 I get up in the middle of the night to thank you; your decisions are so right, so true - I can't wait till morning!
63 I'm a friend and companion of all who fear you, of those committed to living by your rules.
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.