One of my favorite chapters!
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the bible. It is an acrostic poem that goes through the Hebrew alphabet
Psalm 119 is an acrostic made of:
- 22 stanzas
- Each stanza corresponding to one letter of the Hebrew alphabet
- 8 verses per stanza, and each of those verses begins with that stanza’s Hebrew letter
No author is mentioned. Some attributed it to David, written over the course of his life. Many modern scholars: suggest a post-exilic author (Ezra/Nehemiah era).
Psalm 119 isn’t written like a normal chapter where one idea leads logically into the next. Each section is its own mini stanza.
Psalm 119 praises God’s written word which is included in almost every single verse.
Themes That Run Through the Psalm
1. Loving God’s Word: Not just respecting it. Loving it. Finding joy in it.
2. Guidance and Light: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
3. Purity and Holiness: “How can a young man keep his way pure?”
4. Affliction and Perseverance: The psalmist suffers, but these hardships push him deeper into God’s Word, not away from it.
5. Opposition and Vindication: He is mocked, slandered, and attacked, yet God’s Word stabilizes him.
6. Dependence and Prayer
“Teach me.”
“Give me understanding.”
“Revive me.”
“Strengthen me.”
“Deliver me.”
7. God’s Word as Life
From https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-119/
In this psalm there are eight basic words used to describe the Scriptures, God’s written revelation to us:
- Law (torah, used 25 times in Psalm 119): “Its parent verb means ‘teach’ or ‘direct’; therefore coming from God it means both ‘law’ and ‘revelation.’ It can be used of a single command or of a whole body of law.” (Derek Kidner)
- Word (dabar, used 24 times): The idea is of the spoken word, God’s revealed word to man. “Proceeding from his mouth and revealed by him to us…” (Matthew Poole)
- Judgments (mispatim, used 23 times): “…from shaphat, to judge, determine, regulate, order, and discern, because they judge concerning our words and works; show the rules by which they should be regulated; and cause us to discern what is right and wrong, and decide accordingly.” (Adam Clarke)
- Testimonies (edut/edot, used 23 times): This word is related to the word for witness. To obey His testimonies “…signifies loyalty to the terms of the covenant made between the Lord and Israel.” (Willem VanGemeren)
- Commandments (miswah/miswot, used 22 times): “This word emphasizes the straight authority of what is said…the right to give orders.” (Derek Kidner)
- Statutes (huqqim, used 21 times): The noun is derived from the root verb “engrave” or “inscribe”; the idea is the written word of God and the authority of His written word: “…declaring his authority and power of giving us laws.” (Matthew Poole)
- Precepts (piqqudim, used 21 times): “This is a word drawn from the sphere of an officer or overseer, a man who is responsible to look closely into a situation and take action…. So the word points to the particular instructions of the Lord, as of one who cares about detail.” (Derek Kidner)
- Word (imrah, used 19 times): Imrah is similar in meaning to dabar, yet a different term. “The ‘word’ may denote anything God has spoken, commanded, or promised.” (Willem VanGemeren)
Jo Reads The Bible 
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