Bible Commentaries
Psalms 119

Verses 1-176

Psalms 119:0

Characteristics - Psalms 119:0 is an acrostic using the Hebrew alphabet. It consists of twenty-two stanzas for each of the twenty-two Hebrew letters. Each stanza has eight verses that each begins with the same Hebrew letter.

Theme - The theme of Psalms 119:0 is the Law, which each verse declaring a particular aspect of God’s divine Law. Other synonyms used for the Law are found in this Psalm, namely, “commandments, testimonies, statutes, precepts, judgments, word, ordinances, and way.”

Structure Psalms 119:0 is made up of twenty-two sections, matching the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first five sections reflect the five-fold plan of redemption: foreknowledge, justification, indoctrination, perseverance, and glorification

Psalms 119:1-8 Section 1 (Aleph) Psalms 119:1-8 begins each verse with a word that begins with “aleph” ( א ), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:1 ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

Psalms 119:1 “Blessed” - Comments - Psalms 119:0 opens with the word “blessed” as a way of tells us what obedience to God's Word will bring in our lives. We will be happy and blessed as we learn to walk in the Word of God.

Psalms 119:1 Comments - One qualification to living an undefiled life is to walk blameless (Joshua 2:17).

Joshua 2:17, “And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.”

Psalms 119:9-16 Section 2 (Beth) Psalms 119:9-16 begins each verse with a word that begins with “beth” ( ב ), the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalms 119:11 Comments - John Hagee says, “The Word I memorize is the Word I utilize.” He gives the example of how Jesus used the Word of God in the wilderness of temptation in order to defeat the Devil. [108]

[108] John Hagee, John Hagee Today (San Antonio, Texas: John Hagee Ministries), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program, 13 September 2001.

Psalms 119:17-24 Section 3 (Gimel) Psalms 119:17-24 begins each verse with a word that begins with “gimel” ( ג ), the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:17 GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.

Psalms 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Psalms 119:18 Comments - In Psalms 119:18 the Psalmist is asking God to open his eyes that he may behold wondrous things out of His Law. Now we know that David is not referring to his physical eyes, for his vision was normal. Rather, the eyes are often referred to figuratively as the spirit of a man. David was asking the Lord to open his heart, his spirit, so that he could see the marvelous riches of God’s Word. His heart bore witness that these rich truths were there, but his mind did not understand all that his heart told him was there. Paul speaks of on this same issue by saying that “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:13-14)

1 Corinthians 2:13-14, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Psalms 119:25-32 Section 4 (Daleth) Psalms 119:25-32 begins each verse with a word that begins with “daleth” ( ד ), the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:33-40 Section 5 (He) Psalms 119:33-40 begins each verse with a word that begins with “he” ( ה ), the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.

Psalms 119:36 Comments - Why should be incline our hearts to the Word of God? Because the world will pass away, but the Word of God will endure forever (1 John 2:17).

1 John 2:17, “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Psalms 119:41-48 Section 6 (Vau) Psalms 119:41-48 begins each verse with a word that begins with “vau” ( ו ), the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:49-56 Section 7 (Zain) Psalms 119:49-56 begins each verse with a word that begins with “zain” ( ז ), the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:57-64 Section 8 (Cheth) Psalms 119:57-64 begins each verse with a word that begins with “cheth” ( ח ), the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:65-72 Section 9 (Teth) Psalms 119:65-72 begins each verse with a word that begins with “teth” ( ט ), the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

Psalms 119:71 Comments - Psalms 119:71 refers to chastisement. Psalms 119:75 also refers to the Lord's chastening (Hebrews 12:5).

Hebrews 12:5, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:”

Psalms 119:72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.

Psalms 119:73-80 Section 10 (Jod) Psalms 119:73-80 begins each verse with a word that begins with “jod” ( י ), the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:73 JOD. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.

Psalms 119:74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.

Psalms 119:75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

Psalms 119:75 Comments - In Psalms 119:75 we see that David endured the chastening of the Lord, and he was not discouraged by it. Psalms 119:71 also refers to the Lord's chastening (see Hebrews 12:5).

Psalms 119:71, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”

Hebrews 12:5, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:”

Psalms 119:81-88 Section 11 (Caph) Psalms 119:81-88 begins each verse with a word that begins with “caph” ( כ ), the eleventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:89-96 Section 12 (Lamed) Psalms 119:89-96 begins each verse with a word that begins with “lamed” ( ל ), the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:89 Illustration - In heaven, saints of God sing the song of Moses (Revelation 15:3).

Revelation 15:3, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”

Psalms 119:97-104 Section 13 (Mem) Psalms 119:97-104 begins each verse with a word that begins with “mem” ( מ ), the thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:97 MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Psalms 119:105-112 Section 14 (Nun) Psalms 119:105-112 begins each verse with a word that begins with “nun” ( נ ), the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalms 119:105 Comments - Note this comment from Frances J. Roberts:

“I shall walk with thee through the valley, and thou shalt fear no shadow. Hold to My promises. They are given to thee as a chart is given to a ship, and a compass to the hunter. Ye may set thy course or find thy way by My promises. They will lead thee and guide thee in places where there is no trodden path. They will give thee direction and wisdom and will open thine own understanding….My people, heed My words; yea, walk not carelessly; neither lay out thine own paths on which to travel. Ye cannot know what lieth in the distance, nor what adversity ye may encounter tomorrow. So walk closely with Me, that ye may be able to draw quickly upon My aid.” [109]

[109] Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved (Ojai, California: King’s Farspan, Inc., 1973), 16-7.

God has already ordained and prepared a path for each of His children. We are to use God’s Word to guide us down that path prepared uniquely for us. Note these additional comments from Frances J. Roberts:

“O My beloved, ye do not need to make your path (like a snow plow), for lo, I say unto thee, I go before you. Yea, I shall engineer circumstances on thy behalf. I am thy husband, and I will protect thee and care for thee, and make full provision for thee. I know thy need, and I am concerned for thee: for thy peace, for thy health, for thy strength. I cannot use a tired body, and ye need to take time to renew thine energies, both spiritual and physical. I am the God of Battle, but I am also the One who said: They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. And Jesus said, Come ye apart and rest a little while.

“I will teach you, even as I taught Moses on the back side of the desert, and as I taught Paul in Arabia. So will I teach you. Thus it shall be a constructive period, and not in any sense wasted time. But as the summer course to the school teacher, it is vital to thee in order that ye be fully qualified for your ministry.” [110]

[110] Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved (Ojai, California: King’s Farspan, Inc., 1973), 145.

It is interesting to interpret Psalms 119:106 in light of the spiritual journey that God puts each of us on in our lives. We have been foreknown and elected by God the Father, justified by Jesus Christ His Son and sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit in order that we might one day be glorified with Them in Heaven. This is God’s plan of redemption for every human being. Yet, each one of us takes a slightly different spiritual journey. Thus, the Word of God has been structured like our spiritual journey in order to help us understand our plan and walk in it, as is stated in Psalms 119:106. For example, the Old Testament reveals God the Father’s foreknowledge; the Gospels reveal justification through Jesus His Son; the New Testament epistles reveal our sanctification through the Holy Spirit; and the book of Revelation reveals our future glorification and entrance into Heaven.

God the Father Used the Scriptures During Jesus Christ’s Childhood to Prepare Him for His Spiritual Journey Billy Brim was teaching in the early childhood of Jesus Christ as a guest on the Kenneth Copeland Ministries television Believer’s Voice of Victory. [111] She said that a woman by the name of Clara Grace, who was a prophetess, received a vision from the Lord. In this vision, she saw the Lord Jesus Christ as a young man building his last piece of furniture before entering into the ministry. As He finished His work that day and turned to put up His tools, He looked at Clara Grace. She was then brought within Jesus Christ’s body and spirit and received insight into the eighteen silent years of Jesus’ life from the age of twelve until He was baptized by John in the river Jordan. In this vision, Jesus Christ told her that He never laid his head to rest without first meditating about who He was and what He was in God’s divine plan. Billye Brim refers to Deuteronomy 6:7 where it tells us to speak and meditate on God’s Word when we lay down and when we awake as an example of how Jesus did the same.

[111] Billye Brim, interviewed by Gloria Copeland, Believer’s Voice of Victory (Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Fort Worth, Texas), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program, 22 May 2003.

Deuteronomy 6:7, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down , and when thou risest up.”

Billy Brim makes the point that the statement made by Jesus Christ in John 8:28 includes the teachings that the Father taught Him before He entered into the ministry as well as what the Father taught Him during His three-year ministry.

John 8:28, “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things .”

She gives other Scriptures that refer to the fact that the Father taught Jesus how to walk daily and to prepare for the ministry. She says that the passage in Psalms 119:97-102 is Messianic because He is the only one who ever refrained His feet from every evil way (Psalms 119:101). In this passage, the Psalmist says, “For thou hast taught me.”

Psalms 119:97-102, “MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me .”

The Lord would wake Jesus day by day and reveal to Him His plan for that day and season. This revelation would give Jesus Christ the tongue of the learned to speak a word to him who was weary.

Isaiah 50:4-5, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned . The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.”

This plan required obedience to His Heavenly Father, even when it included persecutions and death on the Cross.

Isaiah 50:6-7, “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”

To this plan the Lord was not rebellious (Isaiah 50:5). So, this is how Jesus Christ learned to wait on the Heavenly Father and hear from Him. Jesus laid down to sleep meditating on the Word of God and how He fit into God’s plan. Jesus awoke with God speaking to Him about His plan for Him that day.

Psalms 119:108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.

Psalms 119:108 “the freewill offerings of my mouth” Scripture Reference - Note:

Hebrews 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

Psalms 119:113-120 Section 15 (Samech) Psalms 119:113-120 begins each verse with a word that begins with “samech” ( ס ), the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:121-128 Section 16 (Ain) Psalms 119:121-128 begins each verse with a word that begins with “ain” ( ע ), the sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.

Psalms 119:127 “yea, above fine gold” - Comments - Fine gold would be refined gold, or pure gold.

Psalms 119:129-136 Section 17 (Pe) Psalms 119:129-136 begins each verse with a word that begins with “pe” ( פ ), the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Psalms 119:130 “The entrance of thy words giveth light” - Word Study on “entrance” Strong says the Hebrew word “entrance” ( פֵּתַח ) (H6608) means, “an opening,” and figuratively, “a disclosure.” This is a unique Old Testament use.

Comments - The word “light” is rephrased in the second half of this verse as “understanding.” Therefore, light is used figuratively in Psalms 119:130 to mean understanding.

Psalms 119:130 “it giveth understanding unto the simple” - Word Study on “simple” - Gesenius says the Hebrew word “simple” ( פְּתִי ) (H6612) means, “simplicity, folly, and used concretely, it means, “a silly person, one easily persuaded and enticed.” Strong says it means, “silly (i.e., seducible), foolish, simple.” Holladay says it means, “A young, naïve person, easily deceived.” Webster says the word “simple” means, “a. uneducated, ignorant, showing little sense or reasoning, or easily misled on deceived, stupid or foolish. b. pure, unadulterated, innocent, without guile or deceit.

Psalms 119:130 Comments - NASB, “The unfolding of thy words gives light.” RSV, “It imparts understanding to the simple”

Psalms 119:130 Comments - There are five sense gates in man’s body by which all information has entrance; the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and touch. The knowledge of God’s Word enters man primarily through the eyes and ears. In other words, we hear God’s Word being spoken and we see God’s divine principles taking place before our very eyes.

Psalms 119:130 Scripture References - Note a similar verse:

Psalms 19:7, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple .”

Psalms 119:131 I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.

Psalms 119:137-144 Section 18 (Tzaddi) Psalms 119:137-144 begins each verse with a word that begins with “tzaddi” ( צ ), the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.

Psalms 119:145-152 Section 19 (Koph) Psalms 119:145-152 begins each verse with a word that begins with “koph” ( ק ), the nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:145 KOPH. I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.

Psalms 119:153-160 Section 20 (Resh) Psalms 119:153-160 begins each verse with a word that begins with “resh” ( ר ), the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:161-168 Section 21 (Schin) Psalms 119:161-168 begins each verse with a word that begins with “schin” ( ש ), the twenty-first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms 119:161 SCHIN. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

Psalms 119:169-176 Section 22 (Tau) Psalms 119:169-176 begins each verse with a word that begins with “tau” ( ת ), the twenty-second letter of the Hebrew alphabet.