Psalm 119
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Summary
The Psalmist offers an acrostic psalm to teach various principles regarding the greatness of God’s law.
| KJV | JST |
| (15) I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. | (15) I will meditate upon thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways. |
| (20) My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. | (20) My heart breaketh, for my soul longeth after thy judgements at all times. |
| (21) Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. | (21) Thou hast rebuked the proud; they are cursed which do err from thy commandments. |
| (33) Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end | (33) Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it to the end. |
| (48) My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes. | (48) My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate upon thy statutes. |
| (78) Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts. | (78) Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause. But I will meditate upon thy precepts. |
| (109) My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law. | (109) My soul is continually in thy hand, and I do not forget thy law. |
| (126) It is time for thee,Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law. | (126) And the time, O Lord, for me to work: for they have made void thy law. |
| (128) Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. | (128) |
| (130) The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. | (130) The entrance of thy words giveth light. They give understanding unto the simple. |
Commentary
Bible Central Commentary
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Historical Commentaries
Many of the commentaries below are in the public domain and were authored over 100 years ago. In many cases, they do not reflect the findings of modern scholarship, but they may be helpful for understanding the history of biblical scholarship.
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Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- 979 BC
Further Reading
David J. Larsen, “From Dust to Exalted Crown: Royal and Temple Themes Common to the Psalms and the Dead Sea Scrolls,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 45 (2021): 251–262.
David J. Larsen, “Ascending into the Hill of the Lord: What the Psalms Can Tell Us About the Rituals of the First Temple,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 38 (2020): 15–34.
Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible
Matthew Henry (1706)
Commentary on the Bible
Adam Clarke (1831)
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable
Thomas Constable
Rashi’s Commentary
Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki)
Notes on the Bible
Albert Barnes (1834)
Exposition of the Entire Bible
John Gill (1746–63)
Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch (1857–78)
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible
John Wesley (1754–65)