Psalms 119:161

Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

Princes have persecuted me without a cause - as Saul did David (; ; ). Virtually Saul and his party were trying to drive David to transgress God's Word.

But my heart standeth in awe of thy word - I was more "in awe of thy word," lest I should in any way transgress, than I was in awe of the "princes" who persecuted me. Not slavish, but reverential fear. It was accompanied with faith and hope (; ), such as Josiah felt, his "heart being tender, so that he humbled himself before the Lord," when the words of God's book of promises and threatenings were read to him (2 Kings 22:10; ). He who fears God's Word need not fear the word of man (Isaiah 8:12; ; 1 Peter 3:14; ).