Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 119:7
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
7. Piqqudm, (21 times), ‘precepts,’ ‘injunctions,’ LXX , a poetical word found only in the Psalter (Psa 19:8; Psa 103:18; Psa 111:7).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7. I will give thanks unto thee when I learn &c. (R.V.)] The Psalmist knows that he has not yet attained to a complete knowledge of God’s revealed Will; but he gives thanks for every advance. The will to obey ( Psa 119:5-6) is the condition of progress (cp. Joh 7:17); and throughout the Psalm he prays repeatedly for teaching and direction.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart – With an upright and sincere heart.
When I shall have learned – Hebrew, In my learning. In the practice or act of learning them. His own experience of their nature, influence, and value would lead him to sincere praise. He had no doubt of finding that they were worthy of his praises, and of seeing in them more and more occasion to glorify and honor God. The more we know of God, the more shall we see in him to praise. The larger our acquaintance and experience, the more our hearts will be disposed to magnify his name. This remark must extend to all that there is in God to be learned; and as that is infinite, so there will be occasion for renewed and more elevated praise to all eternity.
Thy righteous judgments – Margin, as in Hebrew, Judgments of thy righteousness. The laws or statutes which God, as a righteous or just God, appoints to be the rule of conduct to his creatures.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 119:7
I will praise Thee with uprightness of heart.
The duty of thankfulness
Thankfulness is a duty wherein we are all obliged to the Lord. It is good in regard of the equity of it. Since the Lord gives us good things, shall not we give Him praises again? especially seeing the Lord is content so to part all His works between His majesty and us, that the good of them be ours, the glory of them be His own. It is good to praise the Lord in regard of Himself, who is the object of our praises. Since He is the treasure of all good, the Author of all blessings, it cannot be but a good thing to bless Him.
3. It is good in respect of our associates and companions in this exercise: the angels, cherubim and seraphim delight continually in His praises. Our elder brethren, that glorious congregation of the first-born, are described unto us falling down on their faces, casting their crowns at the feet of the Lord, to give Him the glory of their redemption. Now, seeing we pray that the will of God may be done in earth, as it is in heaven, why do we not delight in these exercises of praising God, by which we have fellowship with them who are glorified in Him?
4. It is good in respect of the great benefits we receive by it; nothing thereby accrues to the Lord, all the advantage is our own. (Bp. Cowper.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Praise thee, i.e. worship thee; one eminent duty of Gods worship being put for all, as is frequent in Scripture.
With uprightness of heart; or, with a right mind or heart; in a right manner, so as may be acceptable to thee, and beneficial to myself.
When I shall have learned thy righteous judgments; when by thy good Spirit I shall be more fully instructed in the meaning of thy word; which is the only rule of thy worship; for want of a sound knowledge whereof many persons run into superstitious or erroneous practices.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. judgmentsrules of conductformed by God’s judicial decisions; hence the wide sense of the wordin the Psalms, so that it includes decisions of approval as well ascondemnation.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart,…. In the most sincere manner, in the most affectionate way, with the whole heart; sensible of great favours received, and great obligations laid under; see Ps 9:1;
when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments; or, “the judgments of thy righteousness” o: of the righteousness of God, declared in his righteous law; which is founded upon, and is according to, the strictest rules of justice and equity; and so are all the precepts of it: and of the righteousness of Christ, revealed in the Gospel; by which God appears to be just, while he is the justifier of him that believes in Jesus. Now the precepts of the one, and the doctrines of the other, are to be learned, and learned of God, in his word and by his Spirit. The psalmist had been learning them, but was desirous of learning more of them, not being a complete proficient in them; and of learning them, not merely in the theory, but in the practice and experience of them; which, when he had attained unto, as he hoped he should, it would be matter of the most sincere praise and thankfulness.
o “judicia justitiae tuae”, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Musculus, Gejerus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
Here is, I. David’s endeavour to perfect himself in his religion, and to make himself (as we say) master of his business. He hopes to learn God’s righteous judgments. He knew much, but he was still pressing forward and desired to know more, as knowing this, that he had not yet attained; but as far as perfection is attainable in this life he reached towards it, and would not take up short of it. As long as we live we must be scholars in Christ’s school, and sit at his feet; but we should aim to be head-scholars, and to get into the highest form. God’s judgments are all righteous, and therefore it is desirable not only to learn them, but to be learned in them, mighty in the scriptures.
II. The use he would make of his divine learning. He coveted to be learned in the laws of God, not that he might make himself a name and interest among men, or fill his own head with entertaining speculations, but, 1. That he might give God the glory of his learning: I will praise thee when I have learned thy judgments, intimating that he could not learn unless God taught him, and that divine instructions are special blessings, which we have reason to be thankful for. Though Christ keeps a free-school, and teaches without money and without price, yet he expects his scholars should give him thanks both for his word and for his Spirit; surely it is a mercy worth thanks to be taught so gainful a calling as religion is. Those have learned a good lesson who have learned to praise God, for that is the work of angels, the work of heaven. It is an easy thing to praise God in word and tongue; but those only are well learned in this mystery who have learned to praise him with uprightness of heart, that is, are inward with him in praising him, and sincerely aim at his glory in the course of their conversation as well as in the exercises of devotion. God accepts only the praises of the upright. 2. That he might himself come under the government of that learning: When I shall have learned thy righteous judgments I will keep thy statutes. We cannot keep them unless we learn them; but we learn them in vain if we do not keep them. Those have well learned God’s statutes who have come up to a full resolution, in the strength of his grace, to keep them.
III. His prayer to God not to leave him: “O forsake me not! that is, leave me not to myself, withdraw not thy Spirit and grace from me, for then I shall not keep thy statutes.” Good men see themselves undone if God forsakes them; for then the tempter will be too hard for them. “Though thou seem to forsake me, and threaten to forsake me, and dost, for a time, withdraw from me, yet let not the desertion be total and final; for that is hell. O forsake me not utterly! for woe unto me if God departs from me.”
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
7. I will praise thee He affirms it to be a singular instance of the loving-kindness of God, if a person has made considerable proficiency in his law. As a token and testimony of this, he here puts the giving of thanks to God; as if he should say, Lord, thou wilt confer upon me an inestimable blessing, if thou instruct me in thy law. It follows, therefore, that nothing in this life is more to be desired than this; and my fervent prayer is, that we may be fairly and fully convinced of the truth of it. For while searching carefully after such things as we deem advantageous to us, we do not overlook any earthly convenience, and yet we neglect that which is of most importance. The phrase, the judgments of thy righteousness, is the same with the commandments, in which perfect righteousness is comprehended; and thus the prophet commends God’s law on account of the thorough perfection of the doctrine contained in it. From this verse we learn, that none will praise God unfeignedly and cordially but he who has made such proficiency in his school as to mold his life into subjection to him. It is vain to make a pretense of praising God with the mouth and the tongue if we dishonor him by our life. Hence the prophet very justly here makes the fruit of genuine piety to consist in celebrating the praises of God without hypocrisy.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Psa 119:7. I will praise thee, &c. I do homage to thee in honesty of heart, when I am learning the judgments of thy righteousness. This expresses the rapture that he is in when learning the laws of God. He cannot, in the sincerity of his soul, refrain from doing homage to God: Mudge; who instead of the word utterly in the next verse, after the original, reads, to any great degree, and so Psa 119:43. This petition, possibly, refers to what is said, 1Sa 20:1.
BETH.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
If by judgments were meant the strict letter of God’s law, how is it possible to conceive that the Psalmist should express himself, as he hath in this Psalm, in love with them? My soul (saith he) breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times, Psa 119:20 . But if by judgments, considered with reference to Christ, the believer beholds God’s righteous servant justifying many in bearing their iniquities; what a different aspect is immediately put upon the term. Then it may be truly said; I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord, and have comforted myself, Psa 119:52 . As if he had said, Because I now see in thy judgments how Christ hath fully answered them; then the Lord Jehovah can be just and yet the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Rom 3:26 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 119:7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
Ver. 7. I will praise thee with uprightness ] David was yet but a learner; and if God would teach him to profit in knowledge and holiness, he would lift up many a humble, joyful, and thankful heart to him.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
praise = give thanks, as in Psa 92:1, &c.
righteous = righteousness: i.e. judgments of Thy righteousness. The eighth in order of the ten words. See App-73.
judgments. The seventh in order of the ten words. See App-73.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will: Psa 119:171, Psa 9:1, Psa 86:12, Psa 86:13, 1Ch 29:13-17
when: Psa 119:12, Psa 119:18, Psa 119:19, Psa 119:27, Psa 119:33, Psa 119:34, Psa 119:64, Psa 119:73, Psa 119:124, Psa 25:4, Psa 25:5, Psa 25:8-10, Psa 143:10, Isa 48:17, Joh 6:45
thy righteous judgments: Heb. judgments of thy righteousness, Psa 119:138
Reciprocal: Deu 4:45 – judgments Job 11:15 – lift up Psa 13:6 – he Psa 16:7 – who hath Psa 19:9 – judgments Psa 119:62 – thy Psa 119:75 – I know Heb 10:22 – a true
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 119:7-8. I will praise thee That is, worship and serve thee; with uprightness of heart With a single eye to thy glory, and with a sincere desire to know and do thy will; when I shall have learned, &c. When, by thy good Spirit, I shall be more fully instructed in the meaning of thy word. I will keep thy statutes It is my full purpose so to do, whatsoever it may cost me. O forsake me not utterly For then I should fall into the foulest sins. Not that he was contented to be forsaken in the least degree, but this he more especially deprecates, as he had great reason to do.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
119:7 I will praise thee with uprightness of {d} heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous {e} judgments.
(d) For true religion stands in serving God without hypocrisy.
(e) That is, your precepts, which contain perfect righteousness.