Psalms 119:56-92

56 I find my happiness in obeying your commands.

57 You are all I want, O Lord; I promise to obey your laws.

58 I ask you with all my heart to have mercy on me, as you have promised!

59 I have considered my conduct, and I promise to follow your instructions.

60 Without delay I hurry to obey your commands.

61 The wicked have laid a trap for me, but I do not forget your law.

62 In the middle of the night I wake up to praise you for your righteous judgments.

63 I am a friend of all who serve you, of all who obey your laws.

64 Lord, the earth is full of your constant love; teach me your commandments.

65 You have kept your promise, Lord, and you are good to me, your servant.

66 Give me wisdom and knowledge, because I trust in your commands.

67 Before you punished me, I used to go wrong, but now I obey your word.

68 How good you are - how kind! Teach me your commands.

69 The proud have told lies about me, but with all my heart I obey your instructions.

70 They have no understanding, but I find pleasure in your law.

71 My punishment was good for me, because it made me learn your commands.

72 The law that you gave means more to me than all the money in the world.

73 You created me, and you keep me safe; give me understanding, so that I may learn your laws.

74 Those who honor you will be glad when they see me, because I trust in your promise.

75 I know that your judgments are righteous, Lord, and that you punished me because you are faithful.

76 Let your constant love comfort me, as you have promised me, your servant.

77 Have mercy on me, and I will live because I take pleasure in your law.

78 May the proud be ashamed for falsely accusing me; as for me, I will meditate on your instructions.

79 May those who honor you come to me - all those who know your commands.

80 May I perfectly obey your commandments and be spared the shame of defeat.

81 I am worn out, Lord, waiting for you to save me; I place my trust in your word.

82 My eyes are tired from watching for what you promised, while I ask, "When will you help me?"

83 I am as useless as a discarded wineskin; yet I have not forgotten your commands.

84 How much longer must I wait? When will you punish those who persecute me?

85 The proud, who do not obey your law, have dug pits to trap me.

86 Your commandments are all trustworthy; people persecute me with lies - help me!

87 They have almost succeeded in killing me, but I have not neglected your commands.

88 Because of your constant love be good to me, so that I may obey your laws.

89 Your word, O Lord, will last forever; it is eternal in heaven.

90 Your faithfulness endures through all the ages; you have set the earth in place, and it remains.

91 All things remain to this day because of your command, because they are all your servants.

92 If your law had not been the source of my joy, I would have died from my sufferings.

Psalms 119:56-92 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\\.