1 Praise ye Jah! O the happiness of one fearing Jehovah, In His commands he hath delighted greatly.
A Song of the Ascents. O the happiness of every one fearing Jehovah, Who is walking in His ways.
In Thy statutes I delight myself, I do not forget Thy word.
The desire of those fearing Him He doth, And their cry He heareth, and saveth them.
for the mind of the flesh `is' death, and the mind of the Spirit -- life and peace;
And His kindness `is' to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,
Who `is' among you, fearing Jehovah, Hearkening to the voice of His servant, That hath walked in dark places, And there is no brightness for him? Let him trust in the name of Jehovah, And lean upon his God.
Kings of earth, and all peoples, Chiefs, and all judges of earth, Young men, and also maidens, Aged men, with youths, They praise the name of Jehovah, For His name alone hath been set on high, His honour `is' above earth and heavens. And He exalteth the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints, Of the sons of Israel, a people near Him. Praise ye Jah!
Praise ye Jah! For `it is' good to praise our God, For pleasant -- comely `is' praise.
`Mem.' O how I have loved Thy law! All the day it `is' my meditation.
Insensate as fat hath been their heart, I -- in Thy law I have delighted. Good for me that I have been afflicted, That I might learn Thy statutes. Better to me `is' the law of Thy mouth Than thousands of gold and silver!
Cause me to tread in the path of Thy commands, For in it I have delighted.
In the way of Thy testimonies I have joyed, As over all wealth.
Their hands, but they handle not, Their feet, and they walk not; Nor do they mutter through their throat, Like them are their makers, Every one who is trusting in them. O Israel, trust in Jehovah, `Their help and their shield `is' He.' O house of Aaron, trust in Jehovah, `Their help and their shield `is' He.' Ye fearing Jehovah, trust in Jehovah, `Their help and their shield `is' He.' Jehovah hath remembered us, He blesseth, He blesseth the house of Israel, He blesseth the house of Aaron, He blesseth those fearing Jehovah, The small with the great.
To do Thy pleasure, my God, I have delighted, And Thy law `is' within my heart.
O the happiness of that one, who Hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked. And in the way of sinners hath not stood, And in the seat of scorners hath not sat; But -- in the law of Jehovah `is' his delight, And in His law he doth meditate by day and by night:
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 112
Commentary on Psalms 112 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Alphabetical Song in Praise of Those Who Fear God
The alphabetical Hallelujah Psalms 111:1-10, which celebrated the government of God, is now followed by another coinciding with it in structure ( CTYXOC KB , i.e., 22 στίχοι , as the Coptic version correctly counts), which celebrates the men whose conduct is ordered after the divine pattern.
As in the preceding Psalm. Psalms 112:1 here also sets forth the theme of that which follows. What is there said in Psalms 112:3 concerning the righteousness of God, Psalms 112:3 here says of the righteousness of him who fears God: this also standeth fast for ever, it is indeed the copy of the divine, it is the work and gift of God (Psalms 24:5), inasmuch as God's salutary action and behaviour, laid hold of in faith, works a like form of action and behaviour to it in man, which, as Psalms 112:9 says, is, according to its nature, love. The promise in Psalms 112:4 sounds like Isaiah 60:2. Hengstenberg renders: “There ariseth in the darkness light to the upright who is gracious and compassionate and just.” But this is impossible as a matter of style. The three adjectives (as in Psalms 111:4, pointing back to Exodus 34:6, cf. Psalms 145:8; Psalms 116:5) are a mention of God according to His attributes. חנּוּן and רחוּם never take the article in Biblical Hebrew, and צדּיק follows their examples here (cf. on the contrary, Exodus 9:27). God Himself is the light which arises in darkness for those who are sincere in their dealings with Him; He is the Sun of righteousness with wings of rays dispensing “grace” and “tender mercies,” Malachi 4:2. The fact that He arises for those who are compassionate as He is compassionate, is evident from Psalms 112:5. טוב being, as in Isaiah 3:10; Jeremiah 44:17, intended of well-being, prosperity, טּוב אישׁ is here equivalent to אשׁרי אישׁ , which is rendered טוּביהּ דּגברא in Targumic phrase. חונן signifies, as in Psalms 37:26, Psalms 37:21, one who charitably dispenses his gifts around. Psalms 112:5 is not an extension of the picture of virtue, but, as in Psalms 127:5 , a promissory prospect: he will uphold in integrity ( בּמשׁפּט , Psalms 72:2, Isaiah 9:7, and frequently), or rather (= בּמּשׁפּט ) in the cause (Psalms 143:2, Proverbs 24:23, and frequently), the things which depend upon him, or with which he has to do; for כּלכּל , sustinere , signifies to sustain, i.e., to nourish, to sustain, i.e., endure, and also to support, maintain, i.e., carry through. This is explanatorily confirmed in Psalms 112:6 : he stands, as a general thing, imperturbably fast. And when he dies he becomes the object of everlasting remembrance, his name is still blessed (Proverbs 10:7). Because he has a cheerful conscience, his heart too is not disconcerted by any evil tidings (Jeremiah 49:23): it remains נכון , erect, straight and firm, without suffering itself to bend or warp; בּטח בּה , full of confidence (passive, “in the sense of a passive state after a completed action of the person himself,” like זכוּר , Psalms 103:14); סמוּך , stayed in itself and established. The last two designations are taken from Isaiah 26:3, where it is the church of the last times that is spoken of. Psalms 91:8 gives us information with reference to the meaning of ראה בצריו ; עד , as in Psalms 94:13, of the inevitable goal, on this side of which he remains undismayed. 2 Corinthians 9:9, where Paul makes use of Psalms 112:9 of the Psalm before us as an encouragement to Christian beneficence, shows how little the assertion “his righteousness standeth for ever” is opposed to the New Testament consciousness. פּזּר of giving away liberally and in manifold ways, as in Proverbs 11:24. רוּם , Psalms 112:9 , stands in opposition to the egoistical הרים in Psalms 75:5 as a vegetative sprouting up (Psalms 132:17). The evil-doer must see this, and confounded, vex himself over it; he gnashes his teeth with the rage of envy and chagrin, and melts away, i.e., loses consistency, becomes unhinged, dies off ( נמס , 3d praet. Niph . as in Exodus 16:21, pausal form of נמס = נמס ). How often has he desired the ruin of him whom he must now see in honour! The tables are turned; this and his ungodly desire in general come to nought, inasmuch as the opposite is realized. On יראה , with its self-evident object, cf. Micah 7:10. Concerning the pausal form וכעס , vid., Psalms 93:1. Hupfeld wishes to read תּקות after Psalms 9:19, Proverbs 10:28. In defence of the traditional reading, Hitzig rightly points to Proverbs 10:24 together with Proverbs 10:28.