Psalms 119:167

Psa 119:167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.

Ver. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies] sc. As well as mortality will afford.

And I love them exceedingly] "I delight in the law of God after the inward man," Rom 7:22. "I trust I have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly," Heb 13:18.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Psa 119:167-168. My soul hath kept thy testimonies — I have not only obeyed thy commands outwardly, which a hypocrite may do for worldly ends, but I have done it from my very soul, and from a hearty love to them. For all my ways are before thee — I knew I was always in thy presence, and that all my tempers, words, and works were observed by thee. For this clause seems to be added as a principal reason or motive of his obedience, which was the consideration of God’s omnipresence and omniscience, and his desire to approve himself and his ways to God.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

167. (Psa 119:167) My soul observes thy testimonies, and I love them greatly (or exceedingly). I observe them, pay particular regard to them, in regulating my behaviour, not with a mere external conformity, but from or with my soul, because I love them greatly.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

David's conscience here witnesses for him,

I. That his practices were good. 1. He loved God's testimonies, he loved them exceedingly. Our love to the word of God must be a superlative love (we must love it better than the wealth and pleasure of this world), and it must be a victorious love, such as will subdue and mortify our lusts and extirpate carnal affections. 2. He kept them, his soul kept them. Bodily exercise profits little in religion; we must make heart-work of it or we make nothing of it. The soul must be sanctified and renewed, and delivered into the mould of the word; the soul must be employed in glorifying God, for he will be worshipped in the spirit. We must keep both the precepts and the testimonies, the commands of God by our obedience to them and his promises by our reliance on them.

II. That he was governed herein by a good principle: "Therefore I have kept thy precepts, because by faith I have seen thy eye always upon me; all my ways are before thee; thou knowest every step I take and strictly observest all I say and do. Thou dost see and accept all that I say and do well; thou dost see and art displeased with all I say and do amiss." Note, The consideration of this, that God's eye is upon us at all times, should make us very careful in every thing to keep his commandments, Gen 17:1.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 167. My soul hath kept] I have not attended to the latter merely, but my spirit has entered into the spirit and design of thy testimonies.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

My tongue shall speak of thy word,.... Of the word of God in general; of the truth of it, which he knew by certain experience; of the purity of it, tending to promote holiness of heart and life; of the power and efficacy of it, enlightening his mind, and working effectually in him; of the profit of it, to his learning, to his instruction, comfort, and refreshment; of the preciousness of it, being of more worth than thousands of gold and silver; and of the pleasantness of it, being sweeter than the honey or honeycomb, and more to be esteemed than one's necessary food; and of the promises of it in particular, of the worth and value of them, of their suitableness and use, and of the faithful fulfilment of them; and of the doctrines of the word, especially those which relate to the grace of God, and salvation by the Messiah; and also of the precepts of the word, as follows:

for all thy commandments are righteousness; not only righteous, but righteousness itself, being strictly just and equitable in the highest sense; and not only some of them, but all of them; see Psa 119:128. Aben Ezra's paraphrase of the words is,

"I will teach the children of men thy word, that they may know that thy commandments are righteousness;''

which is not amiss: and to the same sense is Kimchi's note, who observes, that author of the Masorah interprets it of praise; as if he had said, My tongue shall praise thy word, because all of it is righteousness.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

My soul hath kept thy testimonies, and I love them exeeedingly - I am conscious of loving them; I feel an inward assurance that I do love them.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

I have not only obeyed thy commands, which a hypocrite may sometimes and in part do for worldly ends, but I have done it with my very soul, and from a hearty love to them.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies. My outward life has kept thy precepts, and my inward life my soul, has kept thy testimonies. God has borne testimony to many sacred truths, and these we hold fast as for life itself. The gracious man stores up the truth of God within his heart as a treasure exceedingly dear and precious he keeps it. His secret soul, his inmost self, becomes the guardian of these divine teachings which are his sole authority in soul matters.

And I love them exceedingly. This was why he kept them, and having kept them this was the result of the keeping. He did not merely store up revealed truth by way of duty, but because of a deep, unutterable affection for it. He felt that he could sooner die than give up any part of the revelation of God. The more we store our minds with heavenly truth, the more deeply shall we be in love with it: the more we see the exceeding riches of the Bible the more will our love exceed measure, and exceed expression.

Ver. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly. Should he not have said, first, I have loved thy commandments, and so have kept them? Doubtless he did so; but he ran here in a holy and most heavenly circle, I have kept them and loved them, and loved them and kept them. If we love Christ, we shall also live the life of love in our measure, and his commandments will be most dear when himself is most precious. Thomas Shepard, in "The Sound Believer", 1671.

Ver. 167. My soul. It is a usual phrase among the Hebrews, when they would express their vehement affection to anything, to say, "My soul": as Ps 103:1 104:1, "My soul, praise thou the Lord, "and Luke 1. "My soul doth magnify the Lord." Richard Greenham.

Ver. 167. I love them exceedingly. It is only a reasonable return to God; for the Father loved me so exceedingly as not to spare his own Son, but to give him up for me; and the Son loved me so exceedingly that he gave himself to me, and gave me back to myself when I was lost in my sins, original and actual. Gerhohus (1093-1169), in Neale and Littledale.

Ver. 167,168. Let not our consciousness of daily failures make us shrink from this strong expression of confidence. It is alleged as an evidence of grace, not as a claim of merit, and therefore the most humble believer need not hesitate to adopt it as the expression of Christian sincerity before God. David aspired to no higher character than that of a poor sinner: but he was conscious of spirituality of obedience, "exceeding love" to the divine word, and an habitual walk under the eye of his God the evidences of a heart (often mentioned in the Old Testament)" perfect with him." Charles Bridges.

Ver. 167. Past and present.

Ver. 167.

1. The more we keep God's testimonies the more we shall love them.

2. The more we love them the more we shall keep them.

G.R.

Ver. 167.

1. The jewels: "Thy testimonies."

(a) Rare; none like them.

(b) Rich; surpassing valuation.

(c) Beautifying those who wear them.

(d) Glittering with an internal and essential splendour, in

the darkness of this world.

(e) Realising in truth the old superstitions regarding

precious stones having medicinal and magic virtues.

2. The cabinet: "My soul."

(a) Exactly made to receive the jewels.

(b) A wonderful piece of divine workmanship; but all ruined

and marred unless applied to the use designed.

(c) The only receptacle out of which the genuine beauty of

God's testimonies can so shine as to excite the admiration

of beholders.

3. The lock that keeps all safe: "I love them exceedingly."

(a) Love is the strongest hold fast in the universe.

(b) It is needed, for ten thousand thieves prowl around to

steal from us the treasure.

(c) A love "exceedingly" is a heavenly patent; no ingenuity

can pick it; it is fire proof and burglar proof against

hell itself.

J.F.

Psalms 119:168*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

My soul hath kept thy testimonies. In will and intention I have always been faithful unto thee; I have striven to keep all thy commandments. And I love them exceedingly (comp. vers. 97, 127, 159, etc.).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I observe your solemn commands

"I obey your solemn commands"

solemn commands

Other possible meanings are "testimonies" or "laws." See how you translated this in Psalms 119:2.

I keep your instructions

"I obey your instructions"

translationWords

command

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.