1. The blessed condition of those who fear Yahweh 112:1This anonymous psalm begins with "Hallelujah," as do the ones immediately preceding and following it. They are all "Hallel" psalms. Then the writer stated the main idea he wanted to communicate. read more
Psalms 112This wisdom psalm is also an acrostic. It focuses attention on the blessings those who fear God enjoy, especially their final exaltation."However, the psalm gives a realistic portrayal of wisdom as it brings out, not only the blessings of honor, children, and riches, but also the reality of adversities (’darkness,’ Psalms 112:4; ’bad news,’ Psalms 112:7; ’foes,’ Psalms 112:8)." [Note: VanGemeren, p. 706.] read more
2. The blessings the righteous enjoy 112:2-9There are five blessings that normally come to the righteous. First, the righteous person (living under the Mosaic Covenant) receives physical and material prosperity (Psalms 112:2-3). Second, he obtains light in his darkness (Psalms 112:4). Third, goodness comes to him for his generosity and justice (Psalms 112:5). Fourth, he enjoys stability and confidence (Psalms 112:6-8). Fifth, he gets strength and honor from the Lord because he gives to the poor... read more
3. The anxiety the wicked experience 112:10God’s goodness to the righteous fills the wicked with anxiety. Finally they perish.God’s people need to remember God’s blessings to them and give God praise for these things-so that they won’t envy the wicked, whose lot is much worse. read more
See on Psalms 111. This also is an alphabetical Ps., every half-verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The subject is specially the blessedness of the truly religious man.5. A good man] RV ’Well is it with the man that.’ He will guide his affairs with discretion] RV ’he shall maintain his cause in judgment,’ i.e. in court of law. 9. His horn] symbol of strength and power. read more
(2) Mighty.—In the sense of wealthy, as in Ruth 2:1. read more
(3) His righteousness endureth for ever.—The parallelism in Psalms 112:9, where the same clause is repeated, seems to require for righteousness the limited sense which the Talmud gives the word—viz., liberality or beneficence. See also Daniel 4:27, in the LXX. Still the saying is true in its widest sense. “There is nothing, no, nothing, innocent or good, that dies or is forgotten; let us hold to that faith, or none” (Dickens). read more
(4) Ariseth . . .—The Hebrew verb is commonly used of the sunrise. (Comp. Psalms 97:11; Isaiah 58:8.) For the good man the darkest night of trouble and sorrow will have a dawn of hope.He is gracious . . .—The Authorised Version is right in making this a description of the upright man’s character. The construction certainly at first appears strange, since “the upright” is in the plural, while the epithets in this clause resume the singular of Psalms 112:3. This may be best explained by treating... read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Psalms 112:10
10. Disappointed in their malevolent wishes by the prosperity of the pious, the wicked are punished by the working of their evil passions, and come to naught. read more