Psalms 119:86

119:81-88 The psalmist sought deliverance from his sins, his foes, and his fears. Hope deferred made him faint; his eyes failed by looking out for this expected salvation. But when the eyes fail, yet faith must not. His affliction was great. He was become like a leathern bottle, which, if hung up in the smoke, is dried and shrivelled up. We must ever be mindful of God's statutes. The days of the believer's mourning shall be ended; they are but for a moment, compared with eternal happiness. His enemies used craft as well as power for his ruin, in contempt of the law of God. The commandments of God are true and faithful guides in the path of peace and safety. We may best expect help from God when, like our Master, we do well and suffer for it. Wicked men may almost consume the believer upon earth, but he would sooner forsake all than forsake the word of the Lord. We should depend upon the grace of God for strength to do every good work. The surest token of God's good-will toward us, is his good work in us.

All thy commandments are faithful,.... Or, "faithfulness" (x) they are made by a faithful God, who is holy, just, and true; they command faithfulness, sincerity, and uprightness; and require men to love their neighbours as themselves, and to do all they do faithfully, cordially, and affectionately; they are to be done in truth and faithfulness, in charity, out of a pure heart, and faith unfeigned; and therefore to dig pits for men must not be after, but contrary, to the law of God; they persecute me wrongfully; without a cause, purely out of ill will and for religion's sake; which, as it is an argument with the saints to bear persecution patiently, it is used as an argument with the Lord, to arise and appear on the behalf of his persecuted ones, as follows: help thou me; against my persecutors, and out of their hands: God is able to help his people; he has promised to do it; it may be expected from him; and he is a present help in time of trouble. This is a suitable petition in the mouths of God's people, and should be a prayer of faith. (x) "fides", Tigurine version, Piscator; "veritas et fidelitas", Michaelis; so Ainsworth.

Verse 86. - All thy commandments are faithful ; literally, are faithfulness . This is said in respect of the promises attached to them. They ( i . e . my enemies) persecute me wrongfully ; or, "with lies" - lyingly (comp. vers. 69, 78). Help thou me ; i . e . help me against them, so that their "lies" may do me no harm. Psalm 119:86

Are faithful; they are in themselves most just and true, and they require justice and faithfulness from men, promising many blessings to those that perform it, and severely forbid all fraud and falseness, threatening grievous punishments to those that use it; and such promises and threatenings are true, and shall certainly be executed.

All thy commandments are faithful - Margin, "faithfulness." The idea in the Hebrew is that they are worthy to be relied on. They are founded in truth, and they should secure our confidence. They persecute me wrongfully ... - Hebrew, a "lie, "or "falsehood." That is, There is a "lie" or "falsehood" at the foundation of their persecutions. Those persecutions are not based on any just views of what I am, or of the treatment which I ought to receive at the hand of my fellow-men. They charge on me tilings which are not true, and they act accordingly. See the notes at Psalm 119:78.

The eightfold Kaph. This strengthening according to God's promise is his earnest desire (כּלה) now, when within a very little his enemies have compassed his ruin (כּלּה). His soul and eyes languish (כּלה as in Psalm 69:4 ; Psalm 84:3 , cf. Job 19:27 ) for God's salvation, that it may be unto him according to God's word or promise, that this word may be fulfilled. In Psalm 119:83 כּי is hypothetical, as in Psalm 21:12 and frequently; here, as perhaps also in Psalm 27:10 , in the sense of "although" (Ew. ֗362, b). He does not suffer anything to drive God's word out of his mind, although he is already become like a leathern bottle blackened and shrivelled up in the smoke. The custom of the ancients of placing jars with wine over the smoke in order to make the wine prematurely old, i.e., to mellow it (vid., Rosenm׬ller), does not yield anything towards the understanding of this passage: the skin-bottle that is not intended for present use is hung up on high; and the fact that it had to withstand the upward ascending smoke is intelligible, notwithstanding the absence of any mention of the chimney.

The point of comparison, in which we agree for the most part with Hitzig, is the removal of him who in his dungeon is continually exposed to the drudgery of his persecutors. כּמּה in Psalm 119:84 is equivalent to "how few." Our life here below is short, so also is the period within which the divine righteousness can reveal itself. שׁיחות (instead of which the lxx erroneously reads שׂיחות), pits, is an old word, Psalm 57:7 . The relative clause, Psalm 119:85 , describes the "proud" as being a contradiction to the revealed law; for there was no necessity for saying that to dig a pit for others is not in accordance with this law. All God's commandments are an emanation of His faithfulness, and therefore too demand faithfulness; but it is just this faithfulness that makes the poet an object of deadly hatred. They have already almost destroyed him"in the land." It is generally rendered "on earth;" but "in heaven" at the beginning of the following octonary is too far removed to be an antithesis to it, nor does it sound like one (cf. on the other hand ἐν τοῖς ouranoi's, Matthew 5:12 ). It is therefore: in the land (cf. Psalm 58:3 ; Psalm 73:9 ), where they think they are the only ones who have any right there, they have almost destroyed him, without shaking the constancy of his faith. But he stands in need of fresh grace in order that he may not, however, at last succumb.

[Bible] 118:76. O! let thy mercy be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. 118:77. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, and I shall live: for thy law is my meditation. 118:78. Let the proud be ashamed, because they have done unjustly towards me: but I will be employed in thy commandments. 118:79. Let them that fear thee turn to me: and they that know thy testimonies. 118:80. Let my heart be undefiled in thy justifications, that I may not be confounded. CAPH. 118:81. My soul hath fainted after thy salvation: and in thy word I have very much hoped. 118:82. My eyes have failed for thy word, saying: When wilt thou comfort me? 118:83. For I am become like a bottle in the frost: I have not forgotten thy justifications. 118:84. How many are the days of thy servant: when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me? 118:85. The wicked have told me fables: but not as thy law. 118:86. All thy statutes are truth: they have persecuted me unjustly, do thou help me. 118:87. They had almost made an end of me upon earth: but I have not forsaken thy commandments. 118:88. Quicken thou me according to thy mercy: and I shall keep the testimonies of thy mouth. LAMED. 118:89. For ever, O Lord, thy word standeth firm in heaven. 118:90. Thy truth unto all generations: thou hast founded the earth, and it continueth. 118:91. By thy ordinance the day goeth on: for all things serve thee. 118:92. Unless thy law had been my meditation, I had then perhaps perished in my abjection. 118:93. Thy justifications I will never forget: for by them thou hast given me life. 118:94. I am thine, save thou me: for I have sought thy justifications. 118:95. The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I have understood thy testimonies. 118:96. I have seen an end of all perfection: thy commandment is exceeding broad. MEM. 118:97. O how have I loved thy law, O Lord! it is my meditation all the day. 118:98. Through thy commandment, thou hast made me wiser than my enemies: for it is ever with me.

ither and thither, and to thee for help. ## Psalms 119:83 In the smoke; hung up in a smoking chimney. My natural moisture is dried and burnt up; I am withered, and deformed, and despised, and my ca se grows worse and worse every day. Psalms 119:84 The days; either, ## 1. The days of my life, as the word days is commonly used, Gen_6:3 Job_7:1 ,6 Psalms 39:5,6 . I have but a little while to live in the world, give me some respite before I die, and help me speedily, otherwise it will be too late. Or rather, ## 2. The days of my misery, as the next clause implies, and as days are taken, Psa_37:13 116:2 , and elsewhere. How long , Lord, shall my miseries last? for ever? ## Psalms 119:85 Have digged pits for me; have sought to destroy me by deceit and treachery, as well as by violence. ## Which; either, 1. Which men have no respect to thy law, which forbids such things. Or rather, 2. Which thing, to wit, to dig pits for me, an innocent and just man, is not agreeable to thy law, but directly contrary to it. ## Psalms 119:86 Are faithful; they are in themselves most just and true, and they require justice and faithfulness from men, promising many blessings to those that perform it, and severely forbid all fraud and falseness, threatening grievous punishments to those that use it; and such promises and threatenings are true, and shall certainly be executed. ## Psalms 119:87 They had almost consumed me upon earth, as to my pre