It is the longest psalm, and this is a sufficiently distinctive name for it. As one song became five, and twelve songs grew into fifteen, then into twentytwo, the collective impact of having these words in my mind and heart began to change me. For our final message in this short series from psalm 119, i want to look at a verse i first learned in. The general scope and design of this psalm is to magnify the divine law, and make it honourable. It is an alphabetical psalm 22 sections of 8 verses each each section begins with a different letter of the hebrew alphabet. I thought i would collect some of the links and facts i learned about the longest psalm here so that i can refer back to these things. As god leads us to fix our eyes on him, lyn says we will begin exchanging the tinsel of this world for the gold of heaven. The masoretes a group of jewish scholars between the 6 th and 10 th centuries ad said that the word of god is mentioned in every verse except psalm 119.
His father, philip henry, told his children to take one verse of psalm 119 every morning to meditate on, and thereby go through the entire psalm twice in the year. Here the author of psalm 119 uses, for the first time. Matthew henry the great 18 th century bible commentator was introduced to psalm 119 as a child. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Connect with hank hanegraaff and the christian research institute cri. Psalms with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. It takes about 15 minutes to read aloud or recite the entire 176 verses of psalm 119. Well known as the longest chapter in the bible, this psalm is one of the acrostics. Jan 04, 2015 we studied psalm 119 in our homeschool last fall and attempted to memorize parts of it. There has been much discussion through history of whether psalm 117 or 118 is the center. Psalms, chapter 119 king james version christian answers. A considerable portion of the sacred volume as the book of psalms and canticles in the old testament, and a large part of the several epistles in the new testament. There is no special title to this psalm, neither is any authors name mentioned.
Although many psalms were originally composed by others, it was king davids recital that established them as immortal songs of praise. Alef how blessed are those whose actions are blameless, who obey the law of the lord. When young men only read the letter of the book, the word of promise and. They are mainly to be found in the first, second and fifth book. In this psalm each letter of the hebrew alphabet is spelled out in english, and in. It is also one of the most thematically focused psalms virtually every one of those 176 verses says the same thing in different ways. Psalm 119 is for every man or woman who wants to rely more fully on god and his word. Finally, mediation free ezra to just ask the lord for each area he needs to live fruitfully for the lord.
Being such a long psalm and the longest chapter in the bible this psalm has been of some historical note. For our final message in this short series from psalm 119, i want to look at a verse i first learned in mrs. It is the longest chapter in the bible 176 verses it is longer than 30 entire books of the bible. Psalm 119 aleph blessed are those whose way is blameless. I have always understood that psalm 119 is about the word of god. Some scholars have commented that they believe that ezra wrote psalm 119.
This saying is written in the front of some bibles. It is no wonder that old writers should call it, the school of patience, the souls soliloquies, the little bible, the anatomy of conscience, the rose garden, the. He who wrote this wonderful song was saturated with those books of scripture which he. Containing 176 verses, psalm 119 is the longest single chapter in the bible. The peculiarity of the composition consists in this that the first eight verses of the psalm begin with the first letter of the hebrew alphabet aleph. The book of the psalms is probably the best known part of the old testament ot. With its christcentered vision, profound insights, and experiential focus on the heart, this is a fantastic aid to selfexamination and to.
Jul 29, 2009 psalm 119, like the majority of the psalms, was written to be sung as a song of praise to god. Read more about king david and the book of psalms here. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119 is the 119th psalm of the book of psalms, generally known in english by its first verse, in the king james version, blessed are the undefiled in the. It is a collection of 150 poems or songs by various authors and it is divided into five books similar to the pentateuch. Hymns for psalm 119 from, an authoritative index of hymns and hymnals.
Each volume is between 500 and 600 pages, with a total of 1,677 pages. The writer desires gods favor, that he may praise him for his truth, confesses that he has erred, but, in the midst of all his wanderings and adversities, professes an abiding attachment to the revealed word of god, the theme of such repeated. A message for unhappy, irritated, and bentoutofshape christians psalm 119. It is divided into twentytwo sections or strophes, each composed of eight lines or verses. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. The 150 individual psalms which comprise the book of psalms were written by several men under the inspiration of the holy spirit. That is just about the right size for a five to seven minute session. Psalm 119 verses 116 explained discover the 66 books. Youngs concordance provides additional definitions. Psalms 119, new king james version nkjv the bible app. The book of psalms is in the third section of the hebrew bible, the khetuvim, and a book of the christian old testament. They believe that psalm 119 is a psalm written by david.
Psalms 119 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. He has been sought among the trees, the hills, the planets, the stars. The book the song of solomon is a love song written by solomon. His published expositions are characterised by careful preparation, systematic explanation of the text, rich illumination of its significance and a deep concern for the practical application of the biblical truth to daily living. The psalmist understood this principle, and longed for god to. Psalm 119 captures the heart of the book of psalms and the spirit of all scripture. He has been sought amid the mysterious wheels of providence. Other people analyze this differently with disagreement. Ezra and the 119th psalm discover the book ministries. An acrostic poem in hebrew is one in which the initial letters of the lines form the alphabet in order. These words are the names of the letters of the hebrew alphabet. The most popular bible verses from psalms 119 found 176 verses psalms 119. Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112 and 145 are examples. How blessed are those who observe his rules, and seek him with all their heart, who, moreover, do no wrong, but follow in his footsteps.
This summary of the book of psalms provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of psalms. It is famously known as the longest psalm in the bible it is a whopping 176 verses. Get out of my life, evildoers, so i can keep my gods commands. The evidence really points toward david writing psalm 119, based on the similarities of the writing style and most especially because the writer refers to justice, and judgments quite frequently, pointing to a king. Psalms is the longest book of the bible see what the longest book actually is. The form of psalm 119 the hebrew psalter contains a number of acrostic, or alphabetic, psalms. This psalm is a song that the hebrews sang by heart as they returned to jerusalem. Psalm 119 vs 18 devotional reflections from the bible. Study the bible online using commentary on psalm 119. Are we required to live according to the 119th psalm. All that he had of the word written, and all that had been revealed to him by the voice of god.
There may be something more than fancy in the remark, that christs name, the alpha and omega equivalent to declaring him all that which every letter of the alphabet could express may have had a reference to the peculiarity of this psalm, a psalm in which with the exception of psalms 119. There is an ongoing question concerning the words and symbols found between the verses of psalm 119. I hate the twofaced, but i love your clearcut revelation. Actually, by chapters, either psalm 117 or 118 is the exact center of the bibleso psalm 119 isnt too far off. Andrew bonar tells of a simple christian in a farmhouse who. There are ten words by which divine revelation is called in this psalm, and each expresses what god expects from us, and what we may expect from him.
Ezra wrote psalm 119 to preserve the purity of the hebrew language. Psalm 119 the wonder of the word psalm 119 has as its theme the word of god. With its christcentered vision, profound insights, and experiential focus on the heart, this is a fantastic aid to selfexamination and to fostering greater love for gods ways. This is an alphabetical psalm the longest, and most perfect in its kind, in the collection of psalms. Psalm 119 is the 119th psalm of the book of psalms, generally known in english by its first verse, in the king james version, blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the lord. There are two that i know of the psalms and the song of solomon. When nebuchadnezzar let the hebrew people return to jerusalem ezra went with them. David the book of psalms is often ascribed to david since he was the largest single author where his name is given in the titles of 73 of the psalms e. The author of psalm 119 is unknown, but most scholars agree that it was written by david, ezra, or daniel. Psalms 119 songs became the soundtrack for my life. Perhaps best used as a devotional, this book is a versebyverse exposition of psalm 119 s rich tapestry with special focus on the laws spirituality. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. Remember ezra faced a worldly congregation, soaked in all the worldly ways of babylon and persia.
Ezra wrote psalm 119 in short units to help the hebrew people memorize the psalm. When we form an idea of a blessedly holy man psalms 119. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Psalms 119 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. However, unlike the other acrostics, which contain only one verse for each of the 22 hebrew letters, psalm 119 includes eight verses for each letter, making a total of 176 verses. But, unlike most other psalms it was written in a unique style. Aleph blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the lord. An exposition of psalm 119 by charles bridges new york. It is divided into twentytwo parts or stanzas, denoted by the twentytwo letters of the hebrew alphabet. What do the words and symbols between verses in psalm 119. What i did not anticipate was the impact my psalms 119 experience would have on my life. Psalm 119 is remarkable for how often it refers to gods written revelation, his word. We studied psalm 119 in our homeschool last fall and attempted to memorize parts of it.
The book of psalms is full of majestic and wonderful psalms written in different situations by different people based on different moods and feelings of the psalmist. Psalm 3 which is has the title a psalm of david, when he. The first few times i started to read i would close the book in frustration because of the. Psalms 119, new international version niv the bible app. It equals in bulk twentytwo psalms of the average length of the songs of degrees. F53 we cannot, at this time challenge that analysis. If you do one verse a day this will get you through at least 12 a year. Charles bridges spends an average of two pages per verse. Psalm 119 letters and meanings psalm 119 contains the 22 letters of the hebrew alphabet. The titles psalms and psalter come from the septuagint the prechristian greek translation of the ot, where they originally referred to. Thomas manton 162077 was one of the most outstanding of the puritan preachers in an age of pulpit greatness.
A translators handbook on the book of psalms, helps for translators, 997 new york. He who wrote this wonderful song was saturated with those books of scripture which he possessed. It is referred to in hebrew by its opening words, ashrei temimei derech. I cover two verses a day one in the morning and one in the evening.
Although with the proverbs it is quite appropriate to view them as short pithy statements with little or no connectedness between them, in psalm 119 we are reluctant to take such a view. The book of psalms has been a royal banquet to me, and in feasting upon its contents i have seemed to eat angels food. A bible devotion from psalm 119 vs 18 i will praise you as i learn your righteous laws 1 blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the lord. Even though the writer of psalm 119 is unconfirmed, some of the verses below give credibility to david being the author of psalm 119 because of similarity in language to the davidic psalms.
In fact, david only wrote about half of the psalms73 out of all 150, to be precise though the latin vulgate and septuagint credit a few more to him. Psalms 119 commentary charles spurgeons treasury of david. Somewhere in the book of psalms at or near psalm 119. Book of psalms and canticles in the old testament, and a large part of the several epistles in the new testament is occupied with the interesting subject of christian expe rience. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the lord. Eitan haezrachi refers to abraham see talmud, bava batra 15a. Beginning with verse 17, psalm 119 becomes a prayer. Interestingly, psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the bible with only two verses, while psalm 119 is the longest. Digitized by erin bensing, 2007 gordon college, wenham, ma. This sampling of commentaries gives the idea that most scholars have given up on psalm 119 and classified it as they do the majority of proverbs. Dickson reference bible lists seventysix new testament quotations from the book of psalms, but none from ps.
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