Psalms 1:2
in Psalms 1But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But his delight is in the law of Jehovah; And on his law doth he meditate day and night.
KJV
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
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This verse in Psalms 1
Commentary
3 notes on this verseBut his delight is in the law of the Lord - חפצו chephtso, his will, desire, affection, every motive in his heart, and every moving principle in his soul, are on the side of God and his truth. He takes up the law of the Lord as the rule of his life; he brings all his actions and affections to this holy standard. He looketh into the perfect law of liberty; and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word; and is therefore blessed in his deed.
This site's exposition
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly
on Psalms 1:1-2
The Psalter's first word is Blessed, and the opening verse moves in a downward drift, walking becomes standing becomes sitting, counsel becomes the way becomes the seat, until the ungodly's company is settled into rather than merely passed through. Against that drift verse 2 sets a single opposite: delight in the law of the Lord, held so constantly that it is meditated on day and night. Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 form the Psalter's double gate, some ancient witnesses reading them as one psalm, the law here and the Anointed there.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
on Psalms 1:1-2
Blessed— see how this Book of Psalms opens with a benediction, even as did the famous Sermon of our Lord upon the Mount! The word translated "blessed" is a very expressive one. The original word is plural, and it is a controverted matter whether it is an adjective or a substantive. Hence we may learn the multiplicity of the blessings which shall rest upon the man whom God hath justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness he shall enjoy. We might read it, "Oh, the blessednesses!"
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
But his desire is in the law of the Lord Hence you learn that the company of scorners brings one to neglect the study of Torah.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Instead his pleasure is in the law of the Lord, and in his Torah he meditates day and night.
Happy the man who has not walked in the council of the wicked, or stood in the paths of sinners, or taken a seat in the band of mockers.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אִ֥ם | ʾim | except | H518 → | 1069 times |
| בְּתוֹרַ֥ת | betorat | [is] in [the] law of | H8451 → | 219 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ | cheftzo | delight his | H2656 → | 39 times |
| וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ | uvetorato | and in law his | H8451 → | 219 times |
| יֶהְגֶּ֗ה | yehgeh | he meditates | H1897 → | 25 times |
| יוֹמָ֥ם | yomam | by day | H3119 → | 50 times |
| וָלָֽיְלָה׃ | valayelah | and night | H3915 → | 233 times |
כִּ֤יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
אִ֥םexcept
ʾimH518 →1069 times
בְּתוֹרַ֥ת[is] in [the] law of
betoratH8451 →219 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹdelight his
cheftzoH2656 →39 times
וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹand in law his
uvetoratoH8451 →219 times
יֶהְגֶּ֗הhe meditates
yehgehH1897 →25 times
יוֹמָ֥םby day
yomamH3119 →50 times
וָלָֽיְלָה׃and night
valayelahH3915 →233 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Joshua 1:8This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper…
it leads to
- Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 119:15
I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways.
- Psalms 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
- Proverbs 3:1
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;
- Deuteronomy 29:9
So keep and follow the words of this covenant, that you may prosper in all you do.
- Colossians 3:16
Through
Psalms 119:11I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.
it leads to
- Psalms 40:8
I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 37:31
The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.
- Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.
- Psalms 40:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
On this verse
About Psalms
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.