Psalm 119:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.

NIV: Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.

NASB: Establish Your word to Your servant As that which produces reverence for You.

CSB: Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you.

NLT: Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you.

KJV: Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.

NKJV: Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You.

Psalm 119:33–40 begins each verse with the Hebrew letter he. This expresses a strong commitment to following God's Word for a lifetime. The psalmist also pleads that the Lord would make Him even more committed. In the New Testament, Paul claimed to have demonstrated his commitment to Christ since from the moment of conversion (2 Timothy 4:6–8). The book of Revelation encourages all believers to be faithful to the very end, even under persecution (Revelation 2:10).

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 11/21/2024 11:03:54 AM