Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 112:5

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 111-112 God and his godly people

Equal in length and similar in form, these two psalms can be read as a pair. Both are acrostics (see note preceding Psalms 9:0). The former considers the greatness of God, the latter the character of his godly people.

God’s wonderful works, both in creation and in history, are a cause for praise by all his worshipping people (111:1-3). In his sovereign power he took the agriculturally productive land of Canaan from its heathen inhabitants and gave it to the Israelite people according to the covenant he had made with them (4-6). His desire is that they rule themselves according to his just law (7-8). He is the mighty and holy covenant-redeemer of his people, and they should fear him, honour him, obey him and praise him (9-10).
When people respond to God in such a way, God blesses them with a respected, upright and prosperous line of descendants (112:1-3). God looks after those who are fair in their treatment of others and generous with their money (4-6). Their lives will be enriched with a sense of security and confidence, so that they fear nothing (7-8). The satisfaction that comes from such lives is in sharp contrast to the envy and hopelessness of the wicked (9-10).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness; He is gracious, and merciful, and righteous. Well is it with the man that dealeth graciously and lendeth; He shall maintain his cause in judgment. For he shall never be moved; The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance."

The character of the righteous man is here said to be, "Gracious, full of compassion, and righteous. These terms are also used in Psalms 111 in the author's description of God. This is an application of the eternal truth that a devout man becomes more and more like the object of his worship."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Old Testament, p. 537. Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of Little Ernest and the Great Stone Face is a literary development of the same truth.

"The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance" Mary's anointing the feet of Jesus and the widow's two mites are examples of the everlasting remembrance of the righteous, but far more than such earthly remembrance and honor is the remembrance of the righteous by the Father in Heaven. Christ himself has promised, "That not even a cup of cold water given to one because he is Christ's shall in no wise lose its reward" (Mark 9:41).

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

A good man showeth favor - He has the means to show favor to others, or to promote their welfare, and he is disposed to do this. It is the characteristic of a good man - of a heart that is truly pious - to do good to others; to promote their welfare here, and to assist them in their endeavor to secure happiness in the world to come.

And lendeth - The original word here - לוה lâvâh - means to join oneself to anyone; to cleave to him; then, to form the union which is constituted between debtor and creditor, borrower and lender. Here it is used in the latter sense, and it means that a good man will accommodate another - a neighbor - with money, or with articles to be used temporarily and returned again. A man who always “borrows” is not a desirable neighbor; but a man who never lends - who is never willing to accommodate - is a neighbor that no one would wish to live near - a crooked, perverse, bad man. True religion will always dispose a man to do acts of kindness in any and every way possible.

He will guide his affairs - The word used here means literally to hold, contain; to hold up, or sustain; to nourish, to furnish the means of living. Genesis 45:11; Genesis 47:12; Genesis 50:21. Here it means that he would uphold or manage his business.

With discretion - Margin, “judgment;” so the Hebrew. He would do it prudently, sensibly, economically, wisely. This is, or should be, one of the characteristics of a good man. Religion prompts to this; religion will aid a man in doing this; religion will tend to check everything of a contrary nature. A man who neglects his “affairs,” who pays no attention to his business, who is indifferent whether he is successful or fails, is a man who gives “just so evidence” that he is a stranger to true religion.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

5A good man This is the commonly received interpretation of the passage. I am disposed, however, to prefer another, That it shall be well with those who are gracious and communicative; because this is more in accordance with the purport of the prophet’s language. It is his intention to show how greatly the ungodly are deceived, when they aspire after happiness by nefarious and unlawful practices; seeing that the favor of God is the source and cause of all good things. Hence it becomes necessary to supply the relative who. He proceeds, therefore, to put us on our guard as to the deception which those practice upon themselves, who hasten to enrich themselves by sordid parsimony and oppressive extortion; inasmuch as the faithful, by their clemency and kindness, open up a channel, through which the favor of God flows to them: for the term טוב, tob, though in the masculine gender, signifying good, is often taken as if it were neuter, to denote that which is good. He puts lending as if it were the fruit of mercy; for the usurer also lends, but it is that, under the false pretense of assisting the distressed, he may plunder them. It is, then, the truly liberal, who, from compassion, and not with the design of ensnaring the poor, grant relief to them, that God makes prosperous. The term דבים , debarim, in the end of the verse, signifies words; but, along with David Kimchi, the most correct expositor among the Rabbins, I take it to mean affairs. Words is a very tame translation, ⁽³⁴⁷⁾ not to say, that, if this had been the prophet’s intention, he would have expressed himself in more simple terms. The translation which I have given is the proper one, that the righteous will manage their affairs with prudence and discernment; so that, in their domestic affairs, they will neither be too lavish nor sordidly parsimonious; but, in every thing, they will study to combine frugality with economy, without giving way to luxury. And, in all their mercantile transactions; they will always be guided by the principles of equity and morality.

(347) It is so translated in some of the ancient versions, and by several critics. In the Syriac it is, “will support his words in judgment;” i.e. , will never utter any thing but what is strictly true. In like manner, Cocceius. In the Arabic, which is followed by Castalio, it is, “will moderate his words in judgment;”i.e. , will speak as favourably of delinquents as he can consistently with truth, contrary to the practice of the wicked. — Psalms 94:21.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 112:1-10

Again, it begins with the Hebrew, Hallelujah.

Blessed is the man that reverences Jehovah ( Psalms 112:1 ).

Again, the man who reverences God. Not the man who reverences a guy standing in front, or a guy with a black robe, or whatever. But a guy who reverences God, that's the blessed man, that's the happy man.

that delights greatly in his commandments ( Psalms 112:1 ).

David said, "Whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate both day and night." David said, "O blessed or O happy is the man who delights in the law of the Lord, and in His law meditates day and night. For he'll be like a tree" ( Psalms 1:1-3 ). All right, now here again, "Happy is the man who delights greatly in His commandments." This man,

His children will be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house ( Psalms 112:2-3 ):

And I do not believe that that necessarily refers to physical, monetary wealth, but really, the really rich and wealthy people are those people, the really rich home and wealthy home is that home where God is honored. They are the people who have the true riches. The riches of the kingdom. Riches that don't corrupt. Riches that don't fade away. Riches that can't be ripped off. Those glorious true riches of God's kingdom. "Wealth and riches shall be in his house."

and his righteousness endureth for ever. Unto the upright he rises as a light in the darkness ( Psalms 112:3-4 ):

Would be a better translation.

for he is gracious, he's full of compassion, and righteous ( Psalms 112:4 ).

That is, our righteousness in Christ.

A good man shows favor, and he lends: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD ( Psalms 112:5-7 ).

We're living in days of evil tidings. At any day, you can pick up the newspaper and read of all the evil that is going on in the world. And there are some people who live in constant fear of the evil tidings that might come. But the man who has put his trust in the Lord will not fear in the day of evil tidings, because his heart is fixed.

There are some people whose hearts aren't really fixed. It isn't a true commitment. It isn't a full commitment. They've made a partial commitment of their lives to God. Part of them serves the Lord; part of them serves the flesh. They love the Lord partly. And because of that, they are very unstable in their walk and they're fearful. But the man who has fixed his heart, trusting in the Lord, I know that come what may, the Lord is with me. I know that come what may, the Lord is going to protect me.

I know that the Lord is watching out over me. I know the Lord loves me. I may not understand what's happening in the circumstances surrounding my life. But I know that God loves me and I know that God's going to see me through. I know that God has allowed it for a purpose. I know that it would not have happened unless God had allowed it to happen. And because He allowed it to happen, He has a purpose in its happening, and thus He's going to bring good out of it. Though I may not see it now. And because I've fixed my heart and commitment to God, come what may, you don't fear for calamity that may fall tomorrow. You don't fear for what may come, because you know that whatever comes is brought to you by the hand of God.

I belong to Him. Satan cannot get to me except he come through the Lord. And therefore, trusting in the Lord, my heart is fixed on Him. I have great confidence in life.

His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, he shall see his desire upon his enemies. He hath dispersed, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor ( Psalms 112:8-9 ).

Now in contrast to this righteous man,

The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; the wicked will gnash with his teeth, and melt away ( Psalms 112:10 ):

See, the righteous will endure forever. But the wicked will gnash and melt away.

the desire of the wicked [rather than being granted] will perish ( Psalms 112:10 ).

So you have a psalm that deals with God's blessed man and then the final verse being a contrast to it with the wicked man. Psalms 1:1-6 has the same contrast. "O how happy is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But whose delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law does he meditate day and night. He'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth his fruit in its season; his leaf also shall not wither; whatsoever he does shall prosper" ( Psalms 1:1-3 ). Now the wicked are not so. There's a contrast. "The wicked are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away" ( Psalms 1:4 ). Again, you have much said about the righteous but then the contrast with the wicked. And this is poetry in the mind of the Hebrew. The poetry comes in the contrasting of the thought.

Now in our minds, we're geared for poetry coming in rhyme and in rhythm. So you get a rhythm going and it rhymes. And I particularly like the Robert Service type of poetry where you rhyme two lines and every third line is in the rhyme. And there are others, the first line, the first and third, no, the first and fourth lines rhyme and the two in between rhyme.

Longfellow's Ode to Life,

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

'Life is but an empty dream!'

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

things are not what they seem.

No, it's every other one in his.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not thy goal;

'Dust thou art, to dust returneth,'

Was not spoken of thy soul.

But then Robert Service,

There are strange things done 'neath the midnight sun

By the men who toil for gold;

The arctic trails, all their secret tales

That make your blood run cold.

The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,

But the queerest they ever did see

Was the night in the marge of the Lake Lebarge

When I cremated Sam McGee.

So that constitutes poetry to us. There's the rhythm. There's the rhyme. But to the Hebrew, the poetry was in the thought. And it was either in a compounding of a thought or the contrasting of a thought. So you take a thought and you begin to compound it.

"The ways of the Lord are perfect. The ways of the Lord are to be sought out. The ways of the Lord." And you are compounding on the thought. Or, you take contrasting thought, "The way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked. The way of the godly, but the way of the ungodly." And so the contrasting of thought to the Hebrew mind is poetry. There's no rhyme, there's no rhythm. And so we wouldn't call it poetry ourselves. But to them, that is what constitutes poetry. Not the rhyming of a sentence or not the rhythm, but the thought itself. They find the beauty of poetry in the thought itself.

So after all of these things about the blessed man, then you get the contrast in the final verse, "But the wicked shall see it." And in contrast to the righteous, "he will be grieved. He'll gnash with his teeth; he'll melt away. He'll perish." "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 112

This wisdom psalm is also an acrostic. It focuses attention on the blessings those who fear God enjoy, especially their final exaltation.

"However, the psalm gives a realistic portrayal of wisdom as it brings out, not only the blessings of honor, children, and riches, but also the reality of adversities (’darkness,’ Psalms 112:4; ’bad news,’ Psalms 112:7; ’foes,’ Psalms 112:8)." [Note: VanGemeren, p. 706.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

2. The blessings the righteous enjoy 112:2-9

There are five blessings that normally come to the righteous. First, the righteous person (living under the Mosaic Covenant) receives physical and material prosperity (Psalms 112:2-3). Second, he obtains light in his darkness (Psalms 112:4). Third, goodness comes to him for his generosity and justice (Psalms 112:5). Fourth, he enjoys stability and confidence (Psalms 112:6-8). Fifth, he gets strength and honor from the Lord because he gives to the poor (Psalms 112:9).

"In a way this psalm can be taken as a calculating guide on how to be happy. But its claim goes well beyond that. It asserts that giving life resources away to others in the community is the way to real joy. This psalm is echoed in Jesus’ teaching, ’Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied’ (Matthew 5:6)." [Note: Brueggemann, p. 47.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

A good man showeth favour, and lendeth,.... Without usury, hoping for nothing again: he pities those that labour under difficulties, for want of a little money; and he generously lends it till they are able to pay him again; which oftentimes is of as much service as if it was given; see Psalms 37:21. A good man is not only a man that has the good work of grace in him, and is ready to every good work; but one that is munificent, bountiful, and liberal; in which sense the word is used in Romans 5:7 and so in Latin writers n.

He will guide his affairs with discretion; his civil and domestic affairs: he will act the part of a good economist; so that he may be able to support his family with credit and reputation, and have something to give to the relief of those in want. Some restrain this to his acts of charity. He lends to some, and gives to others: he takes care that they to whom he gives are proper objects of charity; he gives to persons seasonably, and in proportion to his own ability and their wants. It may be rendered, "he shall guide his words with judgment" o; take care of what he says, and before whom; and that it be at a proper time and place; and especially when speaking of spiritual and religious things.

n "Bonus est hic homo", Plauti Poenulus, Act. 5. Sc. 4. v. 42. "Vellet bonus atque benignus", Horat. Satyr. I. 1. Sat. 2. v. 51. "Piso bonus", Juvenal. Sat. 5. v. 109. o דבריו במשפט "verba sua in, vel cum, judicio", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Cocceius, Gejerus.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.   2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.   3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.   4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.   5 A good man showeth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

      The psalmist begins with a call to us to praise God, but immediately applies himself to praise the people of God; for whatever glory is acknowledged to be on them it comes from God, and must return to him; as he is their praise, so they are his. We have reason to praise the Lord that there are a people in the world who fear him and serve him, and that they are a happy people, both which are owing entirely to the grace of God. Now here we have,

      I. A description of those who are here pronounced blessed, and to whom these promises are made.

      1. They are well-principled with pious and devout affections. Those have the privileges of God's subjects, not who cry, Lord, Lord, but who are indeed well affected to his government. (1.) They are such as stand in awe of God and have a constant reverence for his majesty and deference to his will. The happy man is he that fears the Lord,Psalms 112:1; Psalms 112:1. (2.) They are such as take a pleasure in their duty. He that fears the Lord, as a Father, with the disposition of a child, not of a slave, delights greatly in his commandments, is well pleased with them and with the equity and goodness of them; they are written in his heart; it is his choice to be under them, and he calls them an easy, a pleasant, yoke; it is his delight to be searching into and conversing with God's commandments, by reading, hearing, and meditation, Psalms 1:2. He delights not only in God's promises, but in his precepts, and thinks himself happy under God's government as well as in his favour. It is a pleasure to him to be found in the way of his duty, and he is in his element when he is in the service of God. Herein he delights greatly, more than in any of the employments and enjoyments of this world. And what he does in religion is done from principle, because he sees amiableness in religion and advantage by it.

      2. They are honest and sincere in their professions and intentions. They are called the upright (Psalms 112:2; Psalms 112:4), who are really as good as they seem to be, and deal faithfully both with God and man. There is no true religion without sincerity; that is gospel-perfection.

      3. They are both just and kind in all their dealings: He is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous (Psalms 112:4; Psalms 112:4), dares not do any wrong to any man, but does to every man all the good he can, and that from a principle of compassion and kindness. It was said of God, in the foregoing psalm (Psalms 112:4; Psalms 112:4), He is gracious, and full of compassion; and here it is said of the good man that he is so; for herein we must be followers of God as dear children; be merciful as he is. He is full of compassion, and yet righteous; what he does good with is what he came honestly by. God hates robbery for burnt-offerings, and so does he. One instance is given of his beneficence (Psalms 112:5; Psalms 112:5): He shows favour and lends. Sometimes there is as much charity in lending as in giving, as it obliges the borrower both to industry and honesty. He is gracious and lends (Psalms 37:26); he does it from a right principle, not as the usurer lends for his own advantage, nor merely out of generosity, but out of pure charity; he does it in a right manner, not grudgingly, but pleasantly, and with a cheerful countenance.

      II. The blessedness that is here entailed upon those that answer to these characters. Happiness, all happiness, to the man that feareth the Lord. Whatever men think or say of them, God says that they are blessed; and his saying so makes them so.

      1. The posterity of good men shall fare the better for his goodness (Psalms 112:2; Psalms 112:2): His seed shall be mighty on earth. Perhaps he himself shall not be so great in the world, nor make such a figure, as his seed after him shall for his sake. Religion has been the raising of many a family, if not so as to advance it high, yet so as to fix it firmly. When good men themselves are happy in heaven their seed perhaps are considerable on earth, and will themselves own that it is by virtue of a blessing descending from them. The generation of the upright shall be blessed; if they tread in their steps, they shall be the more blessed for their relation to them, beloved for the Father's sake (Romans 11:28), for so runs the covenant--I will be a God to thee, and to thy seed; while the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned. Let the children of godly parents value themselves upon it, and take heed of doing any thing to forfeit the blessing entailed upon the generation of the upright.

      2. They shall prosper in the world, and especially their souls shall prosper, Psalms 112:3; Psalms 112:3. (1.) They shall be blessed with outward prosperity as far as is good for them: Wealth and riches shall be in the upright man's house, not in his heart (for he is none of those in whom the love of money reigns), perhaps not so much in his hand (for he only begins to raise the estate), but in his house; his family shall grow rich when he is gone. But, (2.) That which is much better is that they shall be blessed with spiritual blessings, which are the true riches. His wealth shall be in his house, for he must leave that to others; but his righteousness he himself shall have the comfort of to himself, it endures for ever. Grace is better than gold, for it will outlast it. He shall have wealth and riches, and yet shall keep up his religion, and in a prosperous condition shall still hold fast his integrity, which many, who kept it in the storm, throw off and let go in the sunshine. Then worldly prosperity is a blessing when it does not make men cool in their piety, but they still persevere in that; and when this endures in the family, and goes along with the wealth and riches, and the heirs of the father's estate inherit his virtues too, that is a happy family indeed. However, the good man's righteousness endures for ever in the crown of righteousness which fades not away.

      3. They shall have comfort in affliction (Psalms 112:4; Psalms 112:4): Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness. It is here implied that good men may be in affliction; the promise does not exempt them from that. They shall have their share in the common calamities of human life; but, when they sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light to them,Micah 7:8. They shall be supported and comforted under their troubles; their spirits shall be lightsome when their outward condition is clouded. Sat lucis intus--There is light enough within. During the Egyptian darkness the Israelites had light in their dwellings. They shall be in due time, and perhaps when they least expect it, delivered out of their troubles; when the night is darkest the day dawns; nay, at evening-time, when night was looked for, it shall be light.

      4. They shall have wisdom for the management of all their concerns, Psalms 112:5; Psalms 112:5. He that does good with his estate shall, through the providence of God, increase it, not by miracle, but by his prudence: He shall guide his affairs with discretion, and his God instructs him to discretion and teaches him,Isaiah 28:26. It is part of the character of a good man that he will use his discretion in managing his affairs, in getting and saving, that he may have to give. It may be understood of the affairs of his charity: He shows favour and lends; but then it is with discretion, that his charity may not be misplaced, that he may give to proper objects what is proper to be given and in due time and proportion. And it is part of the promise to him who thus uses discretion that God will give him more. Those who most use their wisdom see most of their need of it, and ask it of God, who has promised to give it liberally,James 1:5. He will guide his words with judgment (so it is in the original); and there is nothing in which we have more occasion for wisdom than in the government of the tongue; blessed is he to whom God gives that wisdom.