Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 19:11
Moreover by them is thy servant warned: [and] in keeping of them [there is] great reward.
11. The Psalmist, as Jehovah’s servant, lets himself be warned by the law. Cp. Eze 33:4 ff.
great reward ] Cp. Pro 22:4; 1Ti 4:8 ; 1Ti 6:6.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Moreover by them is thy servant warned – The word used here – zahar – means, properly, to be bright, to shine; then, to cause to shine, to make light; and then, to admonish, to instruct, to warn. The essential idea here is, to throw light on a subject, so as to show it clearly; that is, to make the duty plain, and the consequences plain. Compare Lev 15:31; Eze 3:18; Eze 33:7. The word is rendered admonished in Ecc 4:13; Ecc 12:12; warn, and warned, in Psa 19:11; 2Ki 6:10; 2Ch 19:10; Eze 3:17-21; Eze 33:3-9; teach, in Exo 18:20; and shine, in Dan 12:3. It does not occur elsewhere.
And in keeping of them there is great reward – Either as the result of keeping them, or in the act of keeping them. In the former sense it would mean that a careful observance of the laws of God will be followed by rewards hereafter; in the other sense, that the act of keeping them will be attended with so much peace and happiness as to constitute of itself an ample reward. In both these senses is the assertion here made a correct one. Both will be found to be true. It is not easy to determine which is the true sense. Perhaps the language implies both. The phrase thy servant refers to the author of the psalm, and shows that in this part of the psalm, in speaking of the sweetness of the law of God, and of its value as perceived by the soul, and of the effect of keeping that law, he is referring to his own experience.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 19:11
By them is Thy servant warned.
Scripture warnings
We are not to confuse the imperfections of religious professors with the unchangeable sovereignty of the Divine laws.
I. Call attention to some of them thus connected with our own history, and the warnings they give.
1. Those which relate to the heart of man. We are told its deceitful character.
2. Examples in human character. They, as well as the words of Scripture, warn us against sin.
3. Those that come from the truth of eternity and of judgment to come.
II. The reward of obedience.
1. It is present in the conscience; and
2. Prospective, in heaven.
3. And it is great in comparison with our deserts.
4. And in obedience itself there is great reward. (W. D. Horwood.)
Bible warnings
At Tramore, near Waterford, a place where the Atlantic breakers dash with sublime fury against the rocks, there are on the headlands three towers, and on the middle one stands what is called The Metal Man. This is a figure made of metal, and painted to resemble a sailor. With his finger he points to some very dangerous rocks that are to be shunned. There are rocks in lifes troublesome sea that are ready to shipwreck the bodies and souls of the young.
In keeping of them there is great reward.
The reward of keeping Gods commandments
In this Psalm David speaks of the two great books by which God administers instruction. The volume of nature. The volume of inspiration. Having enlarged on the excellent properties and glorious effects of the Divine Word, he illustrates its value by a comparison with the things of this world, by the results of his experience, and the infinite advantage connected with the observance of it. David possessed, in the Scriptures then extant, an abstract of all those glorious truths revealed to ourselves, and an abstract of sufficient clearness to guide him to God, to peace, to holiness, to heaven. The possession of the Scriptures, however, is not sufficient to bring the soul to God. These statutes must be kept as well as possessed, for it is in keeping them that there is great reward. The book not only supplies ideas, it also raises the character of the humble student. The Scripture is a book of privileges. There is not a Christian but is entitled to all the clustering promises which grow on this tree of life. Practice is necessary to complete our duty to the Scriptures. All religion hinges upon this point. The Psalmist says, In keeping of them there is great reward. Reward is that which is earned by an equivalent, or that which is a suitable recompense for the action performed. But the reward of observing the Word of God is not merely a consequence, neither is it earned by what can be claimed as an equivalent. They are rewards of grace, both in this life and in the future life. (T. Kennion, M. A.)
The advantages of religion to particular persons
I. Religion conduceth to the happiness of this life.
1. As to the mind; to be pious and religious brings a double advantage to the mind of man. It tends to the improvement of our understandings. It raises and enlarges the minds of men, and makes them more capable of true knowledge. It improves the understandings of men by subduing their lusts and moderating their passions. Intemperance, sensuality, and fleshly lusts debase mens minds. Religion purifies and refines our spirits. Freedom from irregular passions doth not only signify that a man is wise, but really contributes to the making of him such. Religion also tends to the ease and pleasure, the peace and tranquillity, of our minds. This is the natural fruit of a religious and virtuous course of life. Religion contributes to our peace, by allaying those passions which are apt to ruffle and discompose our spirits; and by freeing us from the anxieties of guilt and the fears of Divine wrath and displeasure.
2. Religion also tends to the happiness of the outward man. The blessings of this kind respect our health, or estate, or reputation, or relations.
II. Religion conduceth to the eternal happiness and salvation of men in the other world. The consideration of future happiness is our most powerful motive. How religion conduces to happiness in the new life is seen from–
1. The promises of God; and
2. From the nature of the thing. It is a necessary disposition and preparation of us for that future life. When all is done there is no man can serve his own interest better than by serving God. (J. Tillotson, D. D.)
On the pleasures of religion
What is the chief good? was the great inquiry of the ancient schools; and the different answers to this question formed the principal distinctions amongst the various sects of philosophy. Happiness is the end of all the pursuits of men; it is the object of all their sighs. Yet are they almost always disappointed in the means which are taken to obtain it. They follow the dictates of their passions. And it is not till after they have sought it in vain through every form of false pleasure that they come at length to find it, where alone reason and religion have concurred to place it, in obedience to God and a life of virtue. Here the anxious mind finds a calm and settled peace which it had not known, and which it could not know amid the agitations of the world. I purpose, in this discourse, to confine my view to the internal comforts that flow from religion. It offers the highest satisfactions to the mind; it yields the purest pleasures to the heart; it introduces serenity and peace into the breast; and finally, it affords a source of happiness which is always within our power, which is secure from the vicissitudes of life, and which shall be eternal. (S. S. Smith, D. D.)
The advantages of a religious life
Compare this text with the saying of Paul, If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable. Where, then, is the present reward of keeping Gods commandments? There might be a reward hereafter; how could there be one now? What are we to say to this apparent contradiction? St. Paul was supposing a case; we must ascertain what his supposition was not, and what it was. Take a man whose whole soul was in his religion, who upheld himself in every trial by the consolations of the blessed hope. He has staked everything on the truth, and having surmounted a thousand obstacles and made his way through a thousand foes, and offered his body on the altar of the living God, he is pressing on with rejoicing and elevated spirit. Tell him that there is no resurrection, and no hope in Christ for an after state of being, and what then? That man would be most miserable if he took into his heart your message. You may say that in shutting out the future we still leave the present; but the present is the foretaste of the future. In cutting off the streams you destroy the fountain. If such a man were told that after fighting through life he would be vanquished in death, what would be left him of gladness? Who, then, shall rival the Christian in misery if, after setting out in the expectation of a blessed immortality, he discovers that only in this life is there hope in Christ? Our object has been to show that there is nothing in the quoted words of St. Paul which militates against the fact alleged in our text, and in other parts of Scripture, that, in respect of present happiness–happiness during this life–the godly have the advantage over the ungodly. (Henry Melvill, B. D.)
Immediate reward of obedience
You will observe the Psalmist does not say after, but in the keeping of the commandments there is great reward. That reward is the pleasure which lies in Gods service now, not in the payment which is judicially made for it afterwards; just as the eye is regaled in the instant by sights of beauty, or the ear by the melody which falls upon it.
I. What are the ingredients of the present reward?
1. There is the happiness that flows direct from the sense of doing or having done what is right. The testimony of a good conscience. There is a felt and present solace in the taste of that hidden manna which it administers.
2. The affections of the heart which prompt to obedience. For love, whether it be towards God or towards men, is blessed. In its play and exercise there is instantaneous joy; there is delight in the original conceptions of benevolence, and delight also in its outgoings, whilst malignity, envy, and anger do but rankle the bosom. And we can confidently appeal, even to ungodly men, for the truth that in the grovelling pursuits, whether of sense or avarice, they never experienced so true a delight as in those moments when their spirit was touched into sympathy with other spirits than their own. And not only of love, but of all the other virtues, the same can be said. They one and all of them yield an immediate satisfaction to the wearer. The moralities of the human character are what make up the happiness and harmony of the soul. They are the very streams of that well which, struck out in the bosom of regenerated man, spring up there into life everlasting.
II. The advantage of the reward being in, and not after, the keeping of the commandments. Suppose it had been after, and quite distinct from that enjoyment of which we have spoken, and which lies directly and essentially in the obedience itself. This can easily be imagined–a heaven of gratification to the senses as a reward for holiness. Virtue then would be so much work for so much wages; heaven would not be looked for as a place of holiness, but as the price that is given for it. The candidates of immortality would be so many labourers for hire. And it would be no evidence at all of the love which you have for a work, that you have a love for its wages. It makes all the difference whether or no we love our work. Sordidness and sacredness are not wirier apart. This is so in common and ordinary work. How much more when it is the service of God that is in question!
III. How the Gospel of Jesus christ affects this question.
1. It releases you altogether from the law as a covenant. It tells you that you are not to work for heaven, because that heaven is secured to you in another way. Eternal life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We could never pay for it, and therefore God gives it to us. And how blessed this is even for our characters as the subject of Gods will. The old economy of do this and live makes up the very spirit of bondage, and of low mercenary bargaining. With the fears of legality, the sordidness of legality is sure to make entrance again into the heart. Hence the only access to a sinners heart for the love of holiness in itself is by making him the free offer of heaven as an unconditional gift, and at the same time making him understand that it is, in truth, holiness and nothing else which forms the very essence of heavens blessedness. These are the things which constitute the difference between the real and the formal Christian. The inferior creatures may be dealt with by terror or by joy as well as he; his very obedience may proceed from the earthliness of his disposition. Much of the Christian may be put on; but the question is, if you delight in the law of God after the inner man, or whether you obey it because of consequences? Whether you are allured to holiness by the beauty of its graces, or by the bribery of its gains? Surely there is nothing noble in him who labours for the reward that comes after keeping the commandments, and thinks not of the great reward that comes in keeping the commandments. (T. Chalmers, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 11. By them is thy servant warned] nizhar, from zahar, to be clear, pellucid. By these laws, testimonies, c., thy servant is fully instructed he sees all clearly; and he discerns that in keeping of them there is great reward: every man is wise, holy, and happy, who observes them. All Christian experience confirms this truth. Reader, what says thine?
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thy servant; I thy servant, though a king and a prophet, and of some repute for wisdom and knowledge, yet I am daily taught by them.
Warned, or, enlightened, as Dan 12:3; or clearly admonished, as this word signifies, Exo 18:20; 2Ki 6:10; Ecc 4:13; Eze 3:17, &c.; Eze 33:3,9. It is a faithful and excellent monitor to show me my duty in all conditions and to preserve me from falling into sin, and danger, and mischief.
In keeping of them; to those that make it their great design and care to conform their whole lives to them. For he speaks not of a legal and perfect keeping of them, which no man attaineth to in this life, Ecc 7:20; Gal 3:10-12; 1Jo 1:8; but of doing it in an evangelical sense, with the allowances which God through Christ makes for human infirmities. There is great reward in this life, and especially in the next.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Moreover, by them is thy servant warned,…. By whom the psalmist means himself, who was the servant of the Lord, not only in common with other saints, but as he was a king and prophet, and as such he received advantage from the word of God; all his instructions as a prophet, and all his rules of government as a king; and the whole of that wisdom, prudence, and knowledge, with which the conducted in both offices, were from the Lord by his word: and it may be applied to any servant of the Lord, and especially in an ecclesiastical office, as an apostle of Christ, and minister of the word; who serve God in the Gospel of his Son, and, by means of the Scriptures, are furnished for every good work; and also to believers in Christ in common; who, of whatsoever rank and quality, in whatsoever state and condition of life, whether high or low, rich or poor, bond or free, are Christ’s servants; and whatsoever is written is for their instruction, and by the word of God they are “warned”; the Scriptures are a way mark to them, to direct them in a right way, and to caution them against turning to the right or left; either to immoral practices, or the errors and heresies of wicked men: it is a lamp to their feet, and a light to their path, and teaches them to walk circumspectly, and warns them of rocks, gins, and snares in the way; or, as the words may be rendered, “by them is thy servant made clear”, or “bright” k; so the word is used in Da 12:3; that is, in his understanding: the psalmist confirms, by his own experience, what he had said before of the word, Ps 19:8; that it enlightened the eyes: the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shining into the heart gives the light of the glory of God in the person of Christ; it illuminates and irradiates the mind, and gives clear ideas of the glory and perfections of God, of his counsels and covenant, of his works of nature and of grace; and makes a bright discovery of the person, offices, and grace of Christ; and of the blessed Spirit, and his operations; and of the blessings of grace, and of eternal glory and happiness;
[and] in keeping of them [there is] great reward; which is to be understood, not of keeping the law of Moses, and the precepts of that, which, if a man did keep perfectly and constantly, he should live in them; but of observing the word of God, and by diligent searching into it, reading and learning it, and meditating on it, to get and obtain knowledge of divine things; which carries its own reward with it, and is better than thousands of gold and silver; and of laying up the word of God, and the truths of the Gospel, and keeping them in mind and memory, which is very profitable and serviceable, to promote spiritual peace and comfort, and to preserve from sin, doctrinal and practical; and also of yielding a cheerful obedience to the Gospel, by cordially embracing and professing the doctrines, and submitting to the ordinances of it; from all which arise great profit, and much reward: such come at the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which is preferable to everything else, and is more precious than rubies; and all desirable things; such enjoy the presence of Christ, have much peace and comfort in their souls; they are made wise unto salvation, and are fitted for every good word and work.
k “illustratur”, Pagninus, Montanus, Rivetus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11. Moreover, by them is thy servant made circumspect. These words may be extended generally to all the people of God; but they are properly to be understood of David himself, and by them he testifies that he knew well, from his own experience, all that he had stated in the preceding verses respecting the law. No man will ever speak truly and in good earnest of heavenly truth, but he who has it deeply fixed in his own heart. David therefore acknowledges, that whatever prudence he had for regulating and framing his life aright, he was indebted for it to the law of God. Although, however, it is properly of himself that he speaks, yet by his own example he sets forth a general rule, namely, that if persons wish to have a proper method for governing the life well, the law of God alone is perfectly sufficient for this purpose; but that, on the contrary, as soon as persons depart from it, they are liable to fall into numerous errors and sins. It is to be observed that David, by all at once turning his discourse to God, appeals to him as a witness of what he had said, the more effectually to convince men that he speaks sincerely and from the bottom of his heart. As the Hebrew word זהר, zahar, which I have translated made circumspect, signifies to teach, as well as to be on one’s guard, some translate it in this place, Thy servant is taught, or warned, by the commandments of the law. But the sentence implies much more, when it is viewed as meaning that he who yields himself to God to be governed by him is made circumspect and cautious, and, therefore, this translation seems to me to be preferable. In the second clause the Psalmist declares, that whoever yield themselves to God to observe the rule of righteousness which he prescribes, do not lose their labor, seeing he has in reserve for them a great and rich reward: In keeping of them there is great reward. It is no mean commendation of the law when it is said, that in it God enters into covenant with us, and, so to speak, brings himself under obligation to recompense our obedience. In requiring from us whatever is contained in the law, he demands nothing but what he has a right to; yet such is his free and undeserved liberality, that he promises to his servants a reward, which, in point of justice, he does not owe them. The promises of the law, it is true, are made of no effect; but it is through our fault: for even he who is most perfect amongst us comes far short of full and complete righteousness; and men cannot expect any reward for their works until they have perfectly and to the full satisfied the requirements of the law. Thus these two doctrines completely harmonize: first, that eternal life shall be given as the reward of works to him who fulfils the law in all points; and, secondly, that the law notwithstanding denounces a curse against all men, because the whole human family are destitute of the righteousness of works. This will presently appear from the following verse. David, after having celebrated this benefit of the law – that it offers an abundant reward to those who serve God — immediately changes his discourse, and cries out, Who can understand his errors? by which he pronounces all men liable to eternal death, and thus utterly overthrows all the confidence which men may be disposed to place in the merit of their works. It may be objected, that this commendation, In the keeping of thy commandments there is great reward, is in vain ascribed to the law, seeing it is without effect. The answer is easy, namely, that as in the covenant of adoption there is included the free pardon of sins, upon which depends the imputation of righteousness, God bestows a recompense upon the works of his people, although, in point of justice, it is not due to them. What God promises in the law to those who perfectly obey it, true believers obtain by his gracious liberality and fatherly goodness, inasmuch as he accepts for perfect righteousness their holy desires and earnest endeavors to obey.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) Warned.Better, illuminated, instructed.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Moreover Besides the excellence of the law as experienced by the obedient soul, it is the only truthful guard and warning of the soul against sin.
Reward The Hebrew word denotes the end, or last stage, of a thing; hence wages, “reward,” because these come when the labor is ended. So obedience to God’s law has not all its blessed effects in present experience, but in the end of life will receive its full recompense.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: [and] in keeping of them [there is] great reward.
Ver. 11. Moreover by them is thy servant warned ] Clearly admonished, or furbished and brightened, Dan 12:3 , made circumspect. God’s testimonies were David’s counsellors, Psa 119:24 , better than ever was Polybius to Scipio, Agrippa to Augustus, Seneca to Nero, Anaxagoras to Themistocles, Plato to Dio, Aristotle to Alexander or Nigidius to Cicero; princes of old had their M , Monitores, remembrancers. David desired no better than God’s statutes for his learned counsel, and by them he resolved to be ruled; for so it followeth,
And in keeping of them
In keeping of them there is great reward
Haud facile invenies multis e millibus unum,
Virtutem pretium qui putet esse sui.
Howbeit, the chief reward is not till the last cast, till we come to heaven. The word here rendered reward signifieth the heel, and, by a metaphor, the end of a work, and the reward of it, which is not till the end. Gnekebh sic
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
by them = in them. Hebrew. bahem, as in Psa 19:4, going about the Scriptures, moving and dwelling in the written Word, as the sun does in the heavens. (Compare 1Ti 4:15; 1Ti 3:14.)
warned = enlightened; hence, taught or admonished.
keepings = observing, or watching; as observers watch the heavenly bodies. Compare Psa 130:6. Isa 21:11).
there is great reward = great [is] the reward.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Moreover: Psa 119:11, 2Ch 19:10, Pro 6:22, Pro 6:23, Eze 3:17-21, Eze 33:3-9, Mat 3:7, Act 20:31, 1Co 4:14, 1Th 5:14, Heb 11:7
keeping: Pro 3:16-18, Pro 11:18, Pro 29:18, Isa 3:10, Isa 3:11, Mat 6:4, Mat 6:6, Mat 6:18, Heb 11:6, Heb 11:26, Jam 1:25, 2Jo 1:8, Rev 14:13
Reciprocal: Exo 39:43 – blessed them Deu 5:29 – that it might Deu 6:18 – shalt do Deu 11:27 – General Deu 15:5 – General Deu 17:20 – right hand Rth 2:12 – recompense 2Sa 22:21 – rewarded 2Ch 15:7 – your work Psa 119:24 – my counsellors Pro 3:17 – ways of Pro 13:13 – rewarded Pro 19:8 – he that keepeth Pro 24:14 – shall the Eze 3:21 – he shall Eze 18:22 – in his Mat 5:12 – for great Joh 13:17 – happy 1Co 15:58 – ye know Heb 10:35 – great
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 19:11. By them is thy servant warned I say nothing of thy law but what I have proved to be true by experience. The several parts of it have been and still are my great instructers, and the only source of all the knowledge to which thy servant hath attained. I am daily taught and admonished by them. They show me my duty in all conditions, and warn me of the consequences of not complying with it; so that by them I am preserved from falling into sin and danger. In keeping of them there is great reward I am fully assured that the blessed fruit of them, when they are duly observed, and have their proper effect, is exceeding glorious, even eternal life. Horne. Those that make conscience of their duty, will not only be no losers, but unspeakable gainers. They will find by experience that there is a reward, not only after keeping, but in keeping Gods commandments; a present great reward of obedience in obedience. Religion is health and honour; it is peace and pleasure: it will make our comforts sweet, and our crosses easy; life truly valuable, and death itself truly desirable.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: [and] in keeping of them [there is] great {k} reward.
(k) For God accepts our endeavour though it is far from perfect.