Psalms 119:33-64

He

33 Teach me, Lord, the meaning of Your statutes, and I will always keep them.^[a]

34 Help me understand Your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart.

35 Help me stay on the path of Your commands, for I take pleasure in it.

36 Turn my heart to Your decrees and not to material gain.

37 Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in Your ways.^[b]

38 Confirm what You said to Your servant, for it produces reverence for You.

39 Turn away the disgrace I dread; indeed, Your judgments are good.

40 How I long for Your precepts! Give me life through Your righteousness.

Vav

41 Let Your faithful love come to me, Lord, Your salvation, as You promised.

42 Then I can answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in Your word.

43 Never take the word of truth from my mouth, for I hope in Your judgments.

44 I will always keep Your law, forever and ever.

45 I will walk freely in an open place because I seek Your precepts.

46 I will speak of Your decrees before kings and not be ashamed.

47 I delight in Your commands, which I love.

48 I will lift up my hands^[c] to Your commands, which I love, and will meditate on Your statutes.

Zayin

49 Remember [Your] word to Your servant; You have given me hope through it.

50 This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life.

51 The arrogant constantly ridicule me, but I do not turn away from Your instruction.

52 Lord, I remember Your judgments from long ago and find comfort.

53 Rage seizes me because of the wicked who reject Your instruction.

54 Your statutes are [the theme of] my song during my earthly life.^[d]

55 I remember Your name in the night, Lord, and I keep Your law.

56 This is my [practice]: I obey Your precepts.

Khet

57 The Lord is my portion;^[e] I have promised to keep Your words.

58 I have sought Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise.

59 I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to Your decrees.

60 I hurried, not hesitating to keep Your commands.

61 Though the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me, I did not forget Your law.

62 I rise at midnight to thank You for Your righteous judgments.

63 I am a friend to all who fear You, to those who keep Your precepts.

64 Lord, the earth is filled with Your faithful love; teach me Your statutes.

Psalms 119:33-64 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 119

This psalm is generally thought to be written by David, but when is uncertain; very probably towards the decline of life; and, as some think, for the sake or his son Solomon. It seems to be a collection of observations on the word of God and its precepts, the usefulness and excellency of it, he had made in the course of his life; interspersed with various petitions for the grace of God, to enable him to observe it. The psalm is a very extraordinary one; partly on account of the unusual length of it, it being more than double the length of the longest psalm in the whole book; and partly on account of its curious composition. It consists of twenty two parts, according to the number of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet; the names of which letters stand between each part; and every part consists of eight verses, all of which begin with the same letter: thus, for instance, the first eight verses begin with the letter a, "aleph", and the second eight verses begin with the letter b, "beth", and so on throughout; hence the Masorah calls this psalm the Great Alphabet. This the psalmist did, perhaps to excite attention to what he said, and also to help the memory. And it is observable that there are very few verses in the whole, not more than one or two, but what has something in it concerning the word of God, and its precepts and ordinances; there are nine or ten different words used relative to it, which signify much one and the same thing; as laws, statutes, judgments, testimonies Luther {m} observes, that neither Cicero, nor Virgil, nor Demosthenes, are to be compared with David for eloquence, as we see in the hundred nineteenth Psalm, where he divideth one sense and meaning into twenty two sorts. And it may also be remarked, that there is nothing in it concerning the tabernacle worship, or the rites and ceremonies of the legal dispensation; so that it seems to be calculated for, and is suited to, the word of God, and the ordinances of it, as we now have them in their full perfection: and the design of the whole is to show the fervent affection the psalmist had for the word of God, and to stir up the same in others.

{m} Mensal. Colloqu. c. 32. p. 365.

a, \\ALEPH.--The First Part\\.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or will keep it as my reward
• [b]. Other Hb mss, Tg read word
• [c]. Ps 63:4
• [d]. Lit song in the house of my sojourning
• [e]. Lit You are my portion, Lord