Psalms 112:4
in Psalms 112Light dawns in the darkness for the upright— for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is gracious, and merciful, and righteous.
KJV
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
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This verse in Psalms 112
Commentary
14 notes on this verseUnto the upright of heart a light has risen in the darkness. We were once in darkness, we were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death: but a light has arisen for us, according to Isaiah. Merciful and compassionate and righteous. See the two things he says, Merciful and righteous. If you are a sinner, do not despair of pardon: He is merciful. But if you are proud, and put your confidence in the clemency of God, do not be negligent: He is also righteous. Merciful and compassionate and righteous.
This site's exposition
Light dawns in the darkness
on Psalms 112:4-6
Light comes up in the dark for the upright, and the same verse calls him gracious, compassionate and righteous. The man it describes gives freely, lends, and runs his affairs by justice. He will never be shaken, and he is remembered forever.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Let no one think that this was said only recently and that it was spoken of by the philosophers before it was mentioned in the gospel. For the philosophers, that is to say, Aristotle and Theophrastus, as also Zeno and Hieronymus, certainly lived before the time of the gospel, but they came after the prophets. Let them rather think how long before even the names of the philosophers were heard of, both of these [Aristotle and Theophrastus] seem to have found open expression through the mouth of the holy David; for it is written, "Blessed is the man whom you instruct, O Lord, and teach him out of your law." We find elsewhere also, "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, he will rejoice greatly in his commandments." We have proved our point as regards knowledge, the reward for which the prophet states to be the fruit of eternity, adding that in the house of the one who fears the Lord or is instructed in his law and rejoices greatly in the divine commandments "is glory and riches; and his justice abides for ever and ever." He has further also in the same psalm made statements about good works, that they gain for an upright man the gift of eternal life. He speaks thus: "Blessed is the man who shows pity and lends; he will guide his affairs with discretion, surely he shall not be moved for ever, the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." And further, "He has dispersed, he has given to the poor, his justice endures forever."
"Unto the right-hearted there arises up light in the darkness" [Psalm 112:4]. Justly do the godly direct their heart unto their God, justly do they walk with their God, preferring His will to themselves; and having no proud presumption in their own. For they remember that they were some time in darkness, but are now light in the Lord. [Ephesians 5:8] "Merciful, pitying, and just is the Lord God." It delights us that He is "merciful and pitying," but it perhaps terrifies us that the Lord God is "just." Fear not, despair not at all, happy man, who fearest the Lord, and hast great delight in His commandments.
The Medieval Church1 voice
"Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone around them." What does it mean that, as the angel was appearing to the shepherds, the splendor of divine brightness also enclosed them, something that we have never discovered in …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness,.... Upright ones are sometimes in the darkness of affliction, under divine desertions, without spiritual joy, and in an uncomfortable condition; when on a sudden light arises to them, like break of day, or the morning light: they have deliverance from affliction, and enjoy prosperity; the light of God's countenance is lifted up on them; the sun of righteousness arises upon them with healing in his wings; and spiritual joy and comfort are communicated unto them.
It is here implied that good men may be in affliction; the promise does not exempt them from that. They shall have their share in the common calamities of human life; but, when they sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light to them, Mic. vii. They shall be supported and comforted under their troubles; their spirits shall be lightsome when their outward condition is clouded.
7 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), who are really as good as they seem to be, and deal faithfully both with God and man. There is no true religion without sincerity; that is gospel-perfection. They are both just and kind in all their dealings: He is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
), dares not do any wrong to any man, but does to every man all the good he can, and that from a principle of compassion and kindness. It was said of God, in the foregoing psalm (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
), He is gracious, and full of compassion; and here it is said of the good man that he is so; for herein we must be followers of God as dear children; be merciful as he is. He is full of compassion, and yet righteous; what he does good with is what he came honestly by.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness. He does not lean to injustice in order to ease himself, but like a pillar stands erect, and he shall be found so standing when the ungodly, who are as a bowing wall and a tottering fence, shall lie in ruins.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness. He does not lean to injustice in order to ease himself, but like a pillar stands erect, and he shall be found so standing when the ungodly, who are as a bowing wall and a tottering fence, shall lie in ruins. He will have his days of darkness, he may be sick and sorry, poor and pining, as well as others; his former riches may take to themselves wings and fly away, while even his righteousness may be cruelly suspected; thus the clouds may lower around him, but his gloom shall not last for ever, the Lord will bring him light in due season, for as surely as a good man's sun goes down it shall rise again. If the darkness be caused by depression of spirit, the Holy Ghost will comfort him; if by pecuniary loss or personal bereavement, the presence of Christ shall be his solace; and if by the cruelty and malignity of men, the sympathy of his Lord shall be his support. It is as ordinary for the righteous to be comforted as for the day to dawn. Wait for the light and it will surely come; for even if our heavenly Father should in our last hours put us to bed in the dark, we shall find it morning when we awake. He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. This is spoken of God in the fourth verse of the hundred and eleventh Psalm, and now the same words are used of his servant: thus we are taught that when God makes a man upright, he makes him like himself. We are at best but humble copies of the great original; still we are copies, and because we are so we praise the Lord, who hath created us anew in Christ Jesus. The upright man is "gracious, " that is, full of kindness to all around him; he is not sour and churlish, but he is courteous to friends, kind to the needy, forgiving to the erring, and earnest for the good of all.
There ariseth light in the darkness - The upright are always happy; and when tribulations come, God lifts up the light of his countenance upon him, and causes all occurences to work together for his good. He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous - He enjoys the favor of God; that grace makes him compassionate; and in the general tenor of his conduct he is righteous. From these principles he shows favor (Psa 112:5) to him that needs it; that is, to the real poor he gives of his substance; and others he obliges by lending, they not being utterly in want, but standing in need only of a little present help. But he takes heed to whom he gives and to whom he lends; that in the first case his bounty may be well applied, and in the second he may not oblige the person who only seeks, under the notion of a loan, to appropriate the money borrowed. To prevent evils of this kind he acts prudently, and guides his affairs with discretion, Psa 112:5.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Unto the upright - The just; the pious; the man who fears God. There ariseth light in the darkness - This is a new form of the blessing which follows the fear of the Lord, or another of the benefits which spring from true religion, and by which the pious man is distinguished from other people. The distinction is not that days of darkness will not come upon him as well as upon others, for he may be sick as others are, he may be bereaved as others are, he may lose his property as others do - since there are general laws that affect mankind in these respects. God has not promised that he will interpose to save his people from these things, but that he will save them in them. The peculiarity in regard to those who fear God is, that these things will not always continue; that they shall not be overwhelmed by them; that it will not be uninterrupted and unmitigated gloom; that the sky shall not be always overcast. Compare Psa 97:11, note; Job 11:17, note. He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous - These words are designed to be applied to the “upright” man, and are intended more fully to designate his character, and to show “why” light shall spring up to him when he is in darkness. It is because his character is “really” pure and holy, so that whatever cloud may come over it for a time, however it may be temporarily obscured, however he may be calumniated by men, or however God may for a time seem to forsake him and to treat him as if he were a bad man, yet ultimately his character will appear as it really is. Light will come in upon the darkness. The clouds will break away. The prejudices against him will be dispersed. Full justice will be done to his character both by man and by God, and the world will see that he is a just and pious man. See the notes at Psa 37:5-6. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
He shone a light in the darkness Heb. זרח [the “kal” conjugation], like הזריח, [the “hiph’il” or causative conjugation]. Its midrashic interpretation is that He Himself, so to speak, becomes a light for them, as (above:1): “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Good is the man who is gracious, etc. who is gracious to the poor and lends [to] them, and is not strict, saying, “I cannot afford it,” but [instead] his things, which he needs for himself, in food, drink, and clothing,
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. 6 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| זָ֘רַ֤ח | zarach | it rises | H2224 → | |
| בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ | bachoshekh | in the darkness | H2822 → | 80 times |
| א֭וֹר | ʾor | light | H216 → | 121 times |
| לַיְשָׁרִ֑ים | laysharim | for the upright [people] | H3477 → | 119 times |
| חַנּ֖וּן | chanun | [the] gracious | H2587 → | 13 times |
| וְרַח֣וּם | verachum | and [the] compassionate | H7349 → | 13 times |
| וְצַדִּֽיק׃ | vetzadik | and [the] righteous | H6662 → | 206 times |
זָ֘רַ֤חit rises
zarachH2224 →
בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְin the darkness
bachoshekhH2822 →80 times
א֭וֹרlight
ʾorH216 →121 times
לַיְשָׁרִ֑יםfor the upright [people]
laysharimH3477 →119 times
חַנּ֖וּן[the] gracious
chanunH2587 →13 times
וְרַח֣וּםand [the] compassionate
verachumH7349 →13 times
וְצַדִּֽיק׃and [the] righteous
vetzadikH6662 →206 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
Psalms 97:11Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.
it leads to
- Proverbs 4:18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- James 5:7–11
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
- John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
- Isaiah 60:1–2
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
- Proverbs 4:18
Through
Job 11:17Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
it leads to
- Psalms 37:6
He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 37:6
Through
1 John 3:7Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.
it leads to
- 1 John 2:29
If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.
- 1 Peter 1:15–16
But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do,
- Romans 2:13
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.
- 1 John 2:29
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 10 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); Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 2.2.6; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 112; Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 1:6; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Jerome, Homily 38, on Psalm 111; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.