Psalm 119:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,

NIV: Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—

NASB: Blessed are those who comply with His testimonies, And seek Him with all their heart.

CSB: Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart.

NLT: Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.

KJV: Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

NKJV: Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!

Psalm 119:1–8 begins each verse with the Hebrew letter aleph. The psalmist expresses his devotion to God's law. Those who order their lives according to God's Word are blessed. So, the writer commits to keeping that law diligently. Psalm 1, Joshua 1:7–8, and multiple Proverbs (Proverbs 3:5–8; 8:34–36) express similar benefits of devoting oneself to God's commands.

This song is composed of twenty-two stanzas, each corresponding to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each line in the stanza is an individual verse and each begins with the corresponding letter. The psalmist emphasizes study of God's Word in a variety of circumstances, including persecution, sadness, and rescue. Benefits of taking in the Word include a moral life, joy, wisdom, hope, peace, strength, and freedom. Those who interact with the Word of the Lord should respond with delight, careful study, and obedience.

This is the largest psalm in the book of Psalms. At 176 verses, Psalm 119 is longer than many books of the Old Testament and most books of the New Testament. The psalmist focuses on a proper relationship with God's Word and how those who follow the Lord face persecution. Ideas parallel those found in Psalm 1, 2 Timothy 3:14–17, Proverbs 3:5–8, Hebrews 12:6–11, and more. The psalm is arranged in twenty-two stanzas of eight lines each. Every stanza is associated with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet; each line in that stanza begins with that letter.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 12/18/2024 1:02:23 PM