_A.M. 2987. B.C. 1017._ This Psalm is supposed to have been written by David, under the reign of Saul, in which he was frequently persecuted, but in which also he had some quiet intervals, (see Psalms 119:54,) when he had leisure to write so long a composition, and one laboured with so much art. Fo... [ Continue Reading ]
_ALEPH._ Psalms 119:1. _Blessed are the undefiled_ Hebrew, תמימי, _temimee_, the _perfect_, or _sincere_, as the word properly and most frequently signifies; namely, those whose hearts and lives agree with their profession; _in the way_ The way of the Lord, as it is explained by the next clause; _w... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hast commanded us_, &c. Nor is it strange that thy people do so exactly and diligently observe thy precepts, because they are commanded so to do by thee, their sovereign Lord. _O that my ways were directed_ Hebrew, יכנו, _established_, namely, by thy grace and Holy Spirit, for the direction of... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will praise thee_ That is, worship and serve thee; _with uprightness of heart_ With a single eye to thy glory, and with a sincere desire to know and do thy will; _when I shall have learned_, &c. When, by thy good Spirit, I shall be more fully instructed in the meaning of thy word. _I will keep th... [ Continue Reading ]
_BETH._ Psalms 119:9. _Wherewith shall a young man_ Or, any man. But he names the _young man_, because such are commonly void of wisdom and experience, and exposed to many and great temptations. _Cleanse his way_ Reform his life, or purge himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. _By taking... [ Continue Reading ]
_With my whole heart have I sought thee_ Deny me not that aid of thy grace which I have so sincerely and earnestly desired and laboured to obtain. _O let me not wander_ Hebrew, אל תשׁגני, _do not make me to wander_, namely, by leading me into temptation, or by withdrawing thy grace, which is necessa... [ Continue Reading ]
_With my lips have I declared_, &c. If thou wilt teach me, I will teach others, as I have already done. _I have rejoiced in thy testimonies_ In the study and practice of them. _I will meditate_, &c. Will seriously consider the nature, and design, and extent of thy precepts, and especially so far as... [ Continue Reading ]
_GIMEL._ Psalms 119:17. _Deal bountifully with thy servant_ I plead no merit, but only thy free grace and rich mercy; _that I may live_ Safely and comfortably; _and keep thy word_ For I do not desire life that I may satisfy my own lusts, but that I may spend it in thy service. _Open thou mine eyes_... [ Continue Reading ]
_I am a stranger in the earth_ Or, _a sojourner._ I am not here as in my home, but as a pilgrim travelling homeward in a strange land: a condition which calls for thy pity and help: see note on Psalms 39:12. _Hide not thy commandments from me_ Which are my chief support and guide in my pilgrimage, _... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hast rebuked_ Or, _dost rebuke_, that is, reprove and punish, _the proud_ Obstinate and presumptuous sinners, who sin with a high hand; _that are cursed_ That are under the wrath and curse of God, and have his curse upon them in all that they do or possess, Deuteronomy 28:16. _Which, do err_ H... [ Continue Reading ]
_Remove from me reproach_ Which I suffer, and that unjustly, for thy sake; _for I have kept thy testimonies_ And therefore I am innocent of those things for which they censure and reproach me: or, and therefore thou wilt maintain mine honour and interest, according to thy promise made to such as kee... [ Continue Reading ]
_DALETH._ Psalms 119:25. _My soul cleaveth unto the dust_ That is, as some understand it, I am in danger of present death: I am like one laid in the grave; so this phrase is used Psalms 22:15. _Quicken thou me_ Preserve my life, or raise me out of the dust; _according to thy word_ According to thy p... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have declared my ways_ My manner of life, my sins, my temptations, my sorrows, my wants, dangers, fears, cares, and concerns; my designs, undertakings, and pursuits: I have spread them all before thee, by way of sincere confession, humble supplication, or solemn appeal. _And thou heardest me_ Hea... [ Continue Reading ]
_My soul melteth_ Like wax before the fire, through godly sorrow for sin; or sinks under the weight of my affliction. _Strengthen thou me_ That so I may bear my burdens patiently and cheerfully, and may vanquish all temptations, and may not bring fresh trouble and distress upon myself by relapsing i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Remove from me the way of lying_ Hebrew, דרךְ שׁקר, _dereech sheker_, the way of _falsehood_ or _deceit_, of guile or dissimulation. Let me neither practise it myself, nor countenance, nor be deceived by it in others. The LXX. render it, οδον αδικιας, _the way of unrighteousness._ “It is plain,” sa... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have stuck_, &c. I have resolutely persisted in the practice of thy precepts, in spite of all temptations to the contrary, whether from prosperity or adversity, from honour or dishonour, from health or sickness, from pleasure or pain; whether from visible or invisible foes. “The psalmist does not... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will run the way of thy commandments_ I will obey thy precepts with all readiness, fervency, and diligence; _when thou shalt enlarge my heart_ When thou shalt replenish my heart with more knowledge of, love to, and delight in, thy law: when thou shalt knock off those fetters of remaining corrupti... [ Continue Reading ]
_HE._ Psalms 119:33. _Teach me, &c., and I will keep it_ Or, _that I may keep it;_ that I may persevere; for apostacy proceeds from the want of wisdom and understanding; _unto the end_ Hebrew, עקב, _to the heel_, that is, _quite through_, from head to foot. _Make me to go, &c., in thy commandments_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Incline my heart_, &c. As the wisdom of man may conceive, and his tongue utter, great things of God and holiness, while his heart is averse from both; therefore David saith, not only, _Give me understanding_, but, _incline_ my heart _unto thy testimonies_ To the love and practice of them; _and not... [ Continue Reading ]
_Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity_ The vain things of this world, such as riches, honours, pleasures; _from beholding_ them with desire or affection. _Quicken thou me in thy way_ Make me lively, vigorous, and fervent in thy service. _Establish thy word_ Confirm and perform thy promises; _un... [ Continue Reading ]
_Turn away my reproach which I fear_ For my instability in thy ways; which, in respect to my own weakness, I have great cause to fear; _I have longed after thy precepts_ After a more solid knowledge and constant performance of them. _Quicken me_ Do thou preserve and maintain both my natural and spir... [ Continue Reading ]
_VAU._ Psalms 119:41. _Let thy mercies_, &c. Let thy promised mercies be performed to me. _So shall I answer him that reproacheth me_ That chargeth me with folly for my piety and trust in thy promises. _And take not the truth_, &c. Deal not so with me, that I shall be altogether ashamed to mention t... [ Continue Reading ]
_And I will walk at liberty_ Having then no such encumbrances upon me as I now have in these straits and difficulties which beset and burden me, I shall enjoy great freedom and comfort in thy ways, and will do my duty with cheerfulness and joy. _I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings_ Who... [ Continue Reading ]
_ZAIN._ Psalms 119:49. _Remember the word_ That is, thy promises; _upon which thou hast caused me to hope_ By thy command requiring it of me, and by thy grace working it in me. _This_ Namely, thy word, as is evident both from the foregoing and following words; _is my comfort in my affliction_ Being... [ Continue Reading ]
_The proud have had me in derision_ For my fear of thee and trust in thy word; _yet have I not declined from thy law_ From faith in, or obedience to, thy revealed will, in order to avoid that derision. _I remembered thy judgments of old_ Thy former and ancient dispensations to the children of men, i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Horror hath taken hold upon me_ A mixed passion, made up of abhorrence of their sins, and dread and sorrow at the consideration of the judgments of God coming upon them; _because of the wicked_, &c. For the dishonour which they bring to God, the scandal and mischief to others, and their own certain... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy statutes have been my songs_ The matter of my songs, my delight and recreation; _in the house of my pilgrimage_ In this present world, wherein I am a pilgrim, as all my fathers were. _I have remembered thy name_ Thy holy nature and attributes; thy blessed word and thy wonderful works; _in the n... [ Continue Reading ]
_CHETH._ Psalms 119:57. _Thou art my portion, O Lord_ Whereas other men place their portion and happiness in worldly things, I have chosen thee for my portion and chief treasure: and thou art an all-sufficient and excellent portion for me: see notes on Psalms 16:5; Psalms 73:26. _I have said that I... [ Continue Reading ]
_I thought on my ways_ I seriously considered both my former conduct, and my duty in all my future actions; _and turned my feet unto thy testimonies_ And finding my feet had too often swerved from the rule thou hast given us to walk by, I turned them to it. And although the ways of sinful pleasure a... [ Continue Reading ]
_At midnight I will rise_ To praise thee in a solemn manner; not being contented with those short ejaculations he might have used lying in his bed; _because of thy righteous judgments_ That is, thy laws, which are so useful to direct and comfort me. _I am a companion of all that fear thee_ Not excep... [ Continue Reading ]
_TETH._ Psalms 119:66. _Teach me good judgment_ Whereby I may rightly discern between truth and falsehood, good and evil; that so I may be kept from those errors in which many are involved, and may clearly understand what thy law requires or permits, and what it forbids. The Hebrew, שׂוב שׂעם, prop... [ Continue Reading ]
_Before I was afflicted I went astray_ As men too generally do in their prosperity. _Thou art good_ Gracious and bountiful in thy nature; _and dost good_ To all men, both good and bad, (Matthew 5:45,) and in all things, yea, even when thou afflictest. _Teach me thy statutes_ Which is the good I chie... [ Continue Reading ]
_The proud have forged a lie against me_ A slander, charging me with hypocrisy toward God, and other sins. _But I will keep thy precepts_ My practice shall confute their calumnies. “Every disciple of Christ, who, like his Master, goeth contrary to the ways of the world, and condemneth them, must exp... [ Continue Reading ]
_It is good for me_ Necessary and very beneficial; _that I have been afflicted_ He repeats what, in effect, he said before, (Psalms 119:67,) partly to intimate the certainty and importance of this truth, and partly because it is a great paradox to worldly men, who generally esteem afflictions to be... [ Continue Reading ]
_JOD._ Psalms 119:73. _Thy hands have made me_, &c. Desert not then thy own workmanship, that neither has nor hopes for any thing but from thy almighty power. Being thy creature, I know that, as such, I am obliged to serve and obey thee with all my might: which that I may do aright, give me the und... [ Continue Reading ]
_They that fear thee will be glad_, &c. This verse is thus paraphrased by Bishop Patrick: “It will be a very great comfort and encouragement to all good men, when they see me delivered out of all these troubles; for thereby they will be confirmed in their belief of thy faithfulness to thy promises,... [ Continue Reading ]
_I know, O Lord_ By the convictions of my own conscience, and by experience; _that thy judgments are right_ That thy corrections, as the next clause explains this, are just and proper, and that _thou, in faithfulness, hast afflicted me_ That is, in order to the accomplishment of thy faithful promise... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let the proud be ashamed_ Confound all the proud contemners of thy law; let them be brought either to repentance or to shame; for they have dealt perversely with me, either by their calumnies, putting false and perverse constructions on my words and actions, or endeavouring to overthrow and destroy... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let my heart be sound in thy statutes_ Hebrew, _perfect_, or _entire;_ that I may love and obey them sincerely, constantly, and universally. _That I be not ashamed_ Namely, for my sins, which are the only just causes of shame, and for the disappointment of my hopes following upon them. “This is a p... [ Continue Reading ]
_CAPH._ Psalms 119:81. _My soul fainteth for thy salvation_ With longing desire, earnest expectation, and hope deferred. _Mine eyes fail_ With looking hither and thither, and to thee for help. _I am become like a bottle in the smoke_ A bottle of skin or leather, (the only ones then in use,) which,... [ Continue Reading ]
_The proud have digged pits for me_ Have sought to destroy me by deceit and treachery, as well as by violence; _which are not after thy law_ Which pits, that is, which insidious designs against an innocent person, are not agreeable to thy law, but directly contrary to it. Or the meaning may be, Whic... [ Continue Reading ]
_LAMED._ Psalms 119:89. _For ever, O Lord, thy word_, &c. The Hebrew may be rendered, _thou art for ever, O Lord, thy word_, &c. Or, _thy word, O Lord_, _is for ever; firmly fixed in heaven._ God's truth or faithfulness, upon which his laws are founded, is as fixed as the heaven and the earth; for t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Unless thy law had been my delight_ Unless I had known, believed, and delighted in it, as the subject of my meditation; _I should then _ At the very instant; _have perished in mine affliction_ My heart would have failed me, and I should have been undone; I could not have outlived one stroke of thin... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have seen an end of all perfection_ I have observed that all human things, how complete soever they may seem, such as wisdom and power, glory and riches, and the greatest and most perfect accomplishments and enjoyments in this world, are exceeding frail, and soon come to an end. _But thy commandm... [ Continue Reading ]
_MEM._ Psalms 119:97. _O how I love thy law!_ O Lord, thou knowest my love to it is inexpressible: to then I appeal herein against all the censures and calumnies of my enemies to the contrary. _It is my meditation all the day_ Because I desire to know and do thy will, which it declares in all things... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have refrained, &c., from every evil way_ Every way which either is evil, or leads to evil; sin, and the temptations or occasions of sin; _that I might keep thy word_ Not for any worldly or carnal reasons, as some men abstain from divers sins for their credit or advantage: but out of pure respect... [ Continue Reading ]
_How sweet are thy words to my taste!_ Observe, reader, there is such a thing as a spiritual taste, an inward savour and relish of divine things; such an evidence of them to ourselves, by experience, as we cannot give to others. To this taste the word of God is sweet; yea, sweeter than any of the gr... [ Continue Reading ]
_NUN._ Psalms 119:105. _Thy word is a lamp unto my feet_ To direct me in all my doubts and difficulties, and to comfort me in all my fears and distresses. _I have sworn, and will perform it_ I have solemnly vowed, and, by God's grace, will fulfil my vow; _that I will keep thy righteous judgments_ T... [ Continue Reading ]
_My soul is continually in my hand_ Exposed to perpetual and extreme danger, as any precious and frail thing is which a man carries openly in his hand, and which he may easily let fall, or be deprived of by violence. This is true of us all: we stand in jeopardy every hour, and there is but a step be... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy testimonies have I taken_, &c. I have chosen them for my portion, a portion which I will never relinquish. _I have inclined my heart_ That is, I have complied with the motions of thy Spirit, inclining my heart _to perform thy statutes_ Though “the inclination of the heart to good, is the work o... [ Continue Reading ]
_SAMECH._ Psalms 119:113. _I hate vain thoughts_ Or, _wild imaginations_, as some render סעפים, a word which signifies the shootings, or branchings of the mind; namely, all wild, roving fancies, in opposition to the truth and solidity of God's word. _Thou art my hiding-place_ See on Psalms 32:7. _D... [ Continue Reading ]
_Uphold me according to thy word_ Or hold me up, as he says in the next verse, seeing himself to be not only unable to go on in his duty, by his own strength, but in danger of falling into sin, unless he were prevented by divine grace; _that I may live_ May be preserved in spiritual life, and retain... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hast trodden down all them that err_, &c. Thou hast brought them to ruin, utter and shameful ruin; thou hast made them thy footstool. He seems to speak of those proud persecutors who trampled upon God's people, and on whom he saw that sooner or later God would trample _; for their deceit is fa... [ Continue Reading ]
_AIN._ Psalms 119:121. _I have done judgment and justice_ That is, just judgment, Ecclesiastes 5:7, namely, toward mine oppressors, whom I have no way injured. _Be surety for thy servant for good_ For my safety and comfort. Do thou undertake and plead my cause against all my enemies, as a surety re... [ Continue Reading ]
_It is time_ It is high time, or a fit season; _for thee, Lord, to work_ To put forth thy power for the vindication of thy own name and cause, and for the restraint and punishment of evildoers. _For they_ Namely, mine oppressors, or the wicked; _have made void thy law_ Have abrogated it as far as wa... [ Continue Reading ]
_PE._ Psalms 119:129. _Thy testimonies are wonderful_ In regard of the deep mysteries, the most excellent counsels and directions, and the exceeding great and precious promises contained in them; the manner in which they are written, and the effects which they produce. “They contain the sublimest sp... [ Continue Reading ]
_The entrance of thy words_ Into the heart of man; that is, the receiving of them in faith, and love, and meekness; _giveth light_ To those that were before in darkness, even the light of true and saving knowledge. Hereby we learn our origin and our end, what we are by nature, and what we must be ma... [ Continue Reading ]
_I opened my mouth, and panted_, &c. I thirst after the truths and precepts of thy word, and pursue them eagerly, and, as it were, with open mouth, ready and greedy to receive them. “An eastern traveller, fatigued through toil and parched by heat, doth not with more vehement desire gasp for the cool... [ Continue Reading ]
_Look thou upon me_ Favourably, as the next clause explains it; _and be merciful unto me_ Let me taste the sweetness, and receive the gifts of thy mercy; let me have thy smiles, and the light of thy countenance; _as thou usest to do_, &c. As thou hast been wont to do unto thy people in all former ag... [ Continue Reading ]
_Rivers of water run down mine eyes_, &c. Plentiful and perpetual tears, witnesses of the deep sorrow I feel on account of the dishonour which sinners do to thee, thy displeasure against them, and the miseries which they bring on themselves and others by their sins. “Thus David, who, through this wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_TZADDI._ Psalms 119:137. _Righteous art thou, O Lord_ In thy nature and attributes, and therefore it is impossible that thou shouldest be unjust in any of thy laws or providences. _Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded_ Hebrew, צוית צדק עדתיךְ, _Thou hast commanded righteousness_, even _thy tes... [ Continue Reading ]
_My zeal hath consumed me_ My zeal toward thy law, which my enemies violate and contemn. “Zeal is a high degree of love; and when the object of that love is ill treated, it vents itself in a mixture of grief and indignation, which are sufficient to wear and _consume_ the heart. This will be the case... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness_ Constant and unchangeable, the same in all ages and places, and to all persons; of eternal truth and justice never to be dispensed with, nor to be made void. _And thy law is truth_ Nothing but truth, or as true as truth itself. _Trouble and anguish... [ Continue Reading ]
_KOPH._ Psalms 119:147. _I prevented the dawning of the morning_ Hebrew, בנשׁ Š, _the twilight_, namely, of the morning. In this sense this word is used 1 Samuel 30:17. _Mine eyes prevent the night-watches_ In the Hebrew it is only _the watches_, there being nothing for _night._ “The Jews,” the read... [ Continue Reading ]
_O Lord, quicken me_ Stir me up to love and serve thee, and make me vigorous, lively, and cheerful in thy work; _according to thy judgment_ According to thy word, which is often called God's judgment; or, according to thy manner of dealing with thy people. _They draw nigh_ To me. They are at hand, a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou art near, O Lord_ Namely, to me. Thou art as ready and present to succour me, as they are to molest me. _And all thy commandments are truth_ Considered with the promises and threatenings which belong to them, and are always either expressed or implied. _Concerning thy testimonies, I have known... [ Continue Reading ]
_RESH._ Psalms 119:155. _Salvation_ Which is nigh to the faithful, because they diligently and earnestly seek to know and do the will of God, revealed to them in his word; _is far from the wicked_ They cannot, upon any good grounds, promise themselves even temporal deliverance, when they are in any... [ Continue Reading ]
_Many are my persecutors_ David, being a public person, had many enemies. In this he was a type both of Christ and of his church. The enemies, the persecutors of both, are many, implacable and unwearied in their endeavours against them. _Yet do I not decline from thy testimonies_ Though they tempt m... [ Continue Reading ]
_SCHIN._ Psalms 119:161. _Princes_ The rulers and prime ministers of thy kingdom; _have persecuted me_ Whom they ought to have used their authority to protect, knowing me to be innocent and injured; _but my heart standeth in awe_, &c. I fear thy displeasure more than their wrath, and therefore do no... [ Continue Reading ]
_Great peace have they which love thy law_ Hebrew, _great peace is_, or _shall be, to the lovers of thy law_, that is, great inward peace, satisfaction, and tranquillity of mind, arising from the sense of thy love to them, and of thy watchful care over them. In other words: “amidst the storms and te... [ Continue Reading ]
_My soul hath kept thy testimonies_ I have not only obeyed thy commands outwardly, which a hypocrite may do for worldly ends, but I have done it from my very soul, and from a hearty love to them. _For all my ways are before thee_ I knew I was always in thy presence, and that all my tempers, words, a... [ Continue Reading ]
_TAU._ Psalms 119:172. _My tongue shall speak of_ Shall freely and abundantly, like a fountain, _pour forth_, as תען signifies; _thy word_ The truths, precepts, and other contents of it. _For all thy commandments are righteousness_ Even those which, to men of corrupt minds, seem severe and unjust. _... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have gone astray like a lost sheep_ I have too often swerved from the path of thy precepts, through my own infirmity, or the power of temptation. _Seek thy servant_ As the shepherd doth his wandering sheep, and bring me back into thy fold. Or, as some interpret the psalmist's meaning, _I have wan... [ Continue Reading ]