Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.

“of knowledge, both of the matter of all useful, moral truth, and an experience of its application. wiser than mine enemies--with all their carnal cunning (De 4:6, 8).”

My flesh trembles in awe of You; I stand in fear of Your judgments.

“The "judgments" are those on the wicked (Ps 119:119). Joyful hope goes hand in hand with fear (Hab 3:16-18).”

The unfolding of Your words gives light; it informs the simple.

“God's words, as an open door, let in light, or knowledge. Rather, as HENGSTENBERG explains it, "The opening up," or, "explanation of thy word." To the natural man the doors of God's Word are shut.”

Turn to me and show me mercy, as You do to those who love Your name.

“Look . . . upon me--opposed to hiding or averting the face (compare Ps 25:15; 102:17). as thou usest to do--or, "as it is right in regard to those who love Thy name."”

Order my steps in Your word; let no sin rule over me.

“His hope of deliverance from external oppression of man (Ps 119:34) is founded on his deliverance from the internal "dominion of iniquity," in answer to his prayer (Ps 119:33).”

I look on the faithless with loathing because they do not keep Your word.

“(Compare Ps 119:136). transgressors--or, literally, "traitors," who are faithless to a righteous sovereign and side with His enemies (compare Ps 25:3, 8).”

Consider how I love Your precepts, O LORD; give me life according to Your loving devotion.

“(Compare Ps 119:121-126, 153-155). quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness-- (Ps 119:88). This prayer occurs here for the ninth time, showing a deep sense of frailty.”

The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.

“God has been ever faithful, and the principles of His government will ever continue worthy of confidence. from the beginning--that is, "every word from Genesis (called so by the Jews from its first words, 'In the beginning') to the end of the Scriptures is true."”

Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart fears only Your word. I rejoice in Your promise like one who finds great spoil.

“Instead of fearing his persecutors, he fears God's Word alone (Lu 12:4, 5). The Jews inscribe in the first page of the great Bible (Ge 28:17), "How dreadful is this place!”

My tongue sings of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous.

“My tongue shall speak of thy word--literally, "answer Thy Word," that is, with praise, respond to Thy word. Every expression in which we praise God and His Word is a response, or acknowledgment, corresponding to the perfections of Him whom we praise.”

I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.

“Not only the sinner before conversion, but the believer after conversion, is unable to recover himself; but the latter, after temporary wandering, knows to whom to look for restoration.”

Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!

“A residence in these remote lands pictures his miserable condition. While those who surrounded him were maliciously hostile, he was disposed to peace. This Psalm may well begin such a series as this, as a contrast to the promised joys of God's worship.”

As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on…

“Deference, submission, and trust, are all expressed by the figure. In the East, servants in attending on their masters are almost wholly directed by signs, which require the closest observance of the hands of the latter.”

then the raging waters would have swept us away.

“The epithet proud added to waters denotes insolent enemies. The figure is changed to that of a rapacious wild beast (Ps 3:7), and then of a fowler (Ps 91:3), and complete escape is denoted by breaking the net.”

For the scepter of the wicked will not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous will not put forth their hands to injustice.

“God may even try His people to the uttermost: when nothing is before our eyes but pure despair, then He delivers us and gives life in death, and makes us blessed in the curse (2Co 1:8, 9) [LUTHER].”

But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

“Those who turn aside (under temptation) permanently show that they are hypocrites, and their lot or portion shall be with the wicked (Ps 28:3). crooked ways--(Compare De 9:16; Mal 2:8, 9). their--is emphatic; the "crooked ways" proceed from their own hearts.”

Restore our captives, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.

“The point of comparison is joy at the reappearing of what has been so painfully missed. As in husbandry the sower may cast his seed in a dry and parched soil with desponding fears, so those shall reap abundant fruit who toil in tears with…”

He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.

“He that goeth forth--literally, better, "He goes--he comes, he comes," &c. The repetition implies there is no end of weeping here, as there shall be no end of joy hereafter (Isa 35:10).”

O LORD, remember on behalf of David all the hardships he endured, how he swore an oath to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: “I will…

“This vow is not elsewhere recorded. It expresses, in strong language, David's intense desire to see the establishment of God's worship as well as of His kingdom. remember David--literally, "remember for David," that is, all his troubles and anxieties on the matter.”

We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.

“These may be the "words of David" and his pious friends, who, at Ephratah--or Beth-lehem (Ge 48:7), where he once lived, may have heard of the ark, which he found for the first time in the fields of the wood--or, Jair, or Kirjath-jearim ("City of…”

Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool.

“The purpose of engaging in God's worship is avowed. The solemn entry of the ark, symbolical of God's presence and power, with the attending priests, into the sanctuary, is proclaimed in the words used by Solomon (2Ch 6:41).”

For the sake of Your servant David, do not reject Your anointed one.

“For thy servant David's sake--that is, On account of the promise made to him. turn . . . anointed--Repulse not him who, as David's descendant, pleads the promise to perpetuate his royal line.”

There on the willows we hung our harps,

“Whether the request was in curiosity or derision, the answer intimates that a compliance was incongruous with their mournful feelings (Pr 25:20). For joyful songs would imply forgetfulness of their desolated homes and fallen Church.”

I give You thanks with all my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises.

“I will praise thee with my whole heart--(Compare Ps 9:1). before the gods--whether angels (Ps 8:5); or princes (Ex 21:6; Ps 82:6); or idols (Ps 97:7); denotes a readiness to worship the true God alone, and a contempt of all other objects of worship.”

I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all…

“(Compare Ps 5:7). thy word above all thy name--that is, God's promise (2Sa 7:12-16), sustained by His mercy and truth, exceeded all other manifestations of Himself as subject of praise.”