Psalms 119:75
in Psalms 119I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I know, O Jehovah, that thy judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me.
KJV
I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
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This verse in Psalms 119
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Your hands have made me and fashioned me
on Psalms 119:73-80
He starts from creation: the hands that made him are asked for the understanding he cannot supply himself. Verse 74 asks that those who fear God see him and rejoice at his hope in God's word. Verse 75 reads the affliction as faithfulness on God's part.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"I know," she says, "O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in Your truth You have humbled me" [Psalm 119:75]. Mercy and truth are so spoken of in the Divine Word, that, while they are found in many passages, especially in the Psalms, it is also so read in one place, "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth." And here indeed he has placed truth first, whereby we are humbled unto death, by the judgment of Him whose judgments are righteousness.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Judgments - Thy corrections. Of faithfulness - In pursuance of thy promises, and in order to my good.
I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
in faithfulness--that is, without in the least violating Thy faithfulness; because my sins deserved and needed fatherly chastisement. Enduring chastisement with a filial temper (Heb 12:6-11), God's promises of mercy (Ro 8:28) will be fulfilled, and He will give comfort in sorrow (La 3:22;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
"I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right." He who would learn most must be thankful for what he already knows, and be willing to confess it to the glory of God. The Psalmist had been sorely tried, but he had continued to hope in God under his trial, and now he avows his conviction that be had been justly and wisely chastened. This he not only thought but knew, so that he was positive about it, and spoke without a moment's hesitation. Saints are sure about the rightness of their troubles, even when they cannot see the intent of them. It made the godly glad to hear David say this, "And that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." Because love required severity, therefore the Lord exercised it. It was not because God was unfaithful that the believer found himself in a sore strait, but for just the opposite reason: it was the faithfulness of God to his covenant which brought the chosen one under the rod. It might not be needful that others should be tried just then; but it was necessary to the Psalmist, and therefore the Lord did not withhold the blessing. Our heavenly Father is no Eli: he will not suffer his children to sin without rebuke, his love is too intense for that. The man who makes the confession of this verse is already progressing in the school of grace, and is learning the commandments. This third verse of the section corresponds to the third of Teth (Psa 119:67), and in a degree to several other verses which make the thirds in their octaves.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
"I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right." He who would learn most must be thankful for what he already knows, and be willing to confess it to the glory of God. The Psalmist had been sorely tried, but he had continued to hope in God under his trial, and now he avows his conviction that be had been justly and wisely chastened. This he not only thought but knew, so that he was positive about it, and spoke without a moment's hesitation.
I know - that thy judgments are right - All the dispensations of thy providence are laid in wisdom, and executed in mercy: let me see that it is through this wisdom and mercy that I have been afflicted.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
I know, O Lord - I feel assured; I entertain no doubt on the subject. This was the conviction of the mind of the psalmist in affliction. Mysterious as the trial may have been, hard as it may have been to bear, long as it may have been continued, and varied as may have been the forms of the trial, yet he had no doubt that it was all right; that it was for the best purposes; and that it was in strict accordance with what was best. That thy judgments - This does not here refer to the laws of God, but to the divine dealings; to those afflictions which came in the way of judgments, or which might be regarded as expressive of the divine view of his conduct and life. Are right - Margin, as in Hebrew, “righteousness.” They were in accordance with what was right; they were so strictly just, that they might be called righteousness itself. This implied the utmost confidence in God, the most absolute submission to his will. And that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me - In faithfulness to my soul; in faithfulness to my own best interest. It was not arbitrary; it was not from malice; it was not that the affliction had come by chance; it was because God loved his soul, and sought his welfare. It was because God saw that there was some good reason why it should be done; that there was some evil to be checked; some improper conduct to be corrected; some lesson which he would be the better for learning; some happy influence on his life here, and on his happiness in heaven, which would be more than a compensation for all that he would suffer.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יָדַ֣עְתִּי | yada'ti | I know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| יְ֭הוָה | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| צֶ֣דֶק | tzedek | [are] righteousness | H6664 → | 119 times |
| מִשְׁפָּטֶ֑יךָ | mishpateikha | judgments your | H4941 → | 422 times |
| וֶ֝אֱמוּנָ֗ה | veemunah | and faithfulness | H530 → | 49 times |
| עִנִּיתָֽנִי׃ | ʾinitani | you have afflicted me | H6031 → | 82 times |
יָדַ֣עְתִּיI know
yada'tiH3045 →945 times
יְ֭הוָהO Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
כִּי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
צֶ֣דֶק[are] righteousness
tzedekH6664 →119 times
מִשְׁפָּטֶ֑יךָjudgments your
mishpateikhaH4941 →422 times
וֶ֝אֱמוּנָ֗הand faithfulness
veemunahH530 →49 times
עִנִּיתָֽנִי׃you have afflicted me
ʾinitaniH6031 →82 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
Revelation 3:19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
it leads to
- Proverbs 3:11–12
My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke;
- 1 Corinthians 11:32
But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
- Hebrews 12:5–11
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.
- Job 5:17
Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
- Revelation 2:5
Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from…
- Proverbs 3:11–12
Through
Psalms 119:62At midnight I rise to give You thanks for Your righteous judgments.
it leads to
- Acts 16:25
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
- Psalms 42:8
The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.
- Mark 1:35
Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray.
- Acts 16:25
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 119; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 6; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.