Psalms 119:161

STROPHE 21

THE PSALMIST PRAISES GOD'S LAW AND HOPES FOR SALVATION DESPITE PERSECUTION BY PRINCES

Sin, Shin

"Princes have persecuted me without a cause;

But my heart standeth in awe of thy words.

I rejoice at thy word,

As one that findeth great spoil.

I hate and abhor falsehood;

But thy law do I love.

Seven times a day do I praise thee,

Because of thy righteous ordinances.

Great peace have they that love thy law;

And they have no occasion of stumbling.

I have hoped for thy salvation, O Jehovah,

And have done thy commandments.

My soul hath observed thy testimonies;

And I love them exceedingly.

I have observed the precepts and thy testimonies;

For all my ways are before thee."

"Princes have persecuted me" (Psalms 119:161). A line like this almost assures the royal standing of the psalmist. It is hard to imagine princes persecuting some ordinary citizen. A line such as this favors the opinion of many of the older interpreters that David was the author here.

The most astounding thing in the whole composition is the frequency and firmness of the psalmist's declarations of his being free of violating God's law. In this single strophe, note the following.

He respects God's Word (Psalms 119:161).

He rejoices at it (Psalms 119:162).

He abhors falsehood (Psalms 119:163).

He loves God's law (Psalms 119:163).

He hoped for salvation (Psalms 119:166).

He has done God's commandments (Psalms 119:166).

He has observed God's testimonies (Psalms 119:167).

He loves them exceedingly (Psalms 119:167).

He has observed the precepts (Psalms 119:168).

He has observed the testimonies (Psalms 119:168).

All his ways are before the Lord (Psalms 119:168).

This last line has the effect of an affirmation that God knows he is telling the truth about all these claims. The average Christian must exclaim, upon reading this, "For heaven's sake, this man is perfect"! However, no one is perfect except the Lord Jesus Christ; and we must therefore understand these marvelous assertions as this psalmist's earnest and heart-felt intentions, rather than evidences of his absolute perfection. Such statements as these are throughout the psalm, but there is an unusual concentration of them here.

"My heart standeth in awe of thy words" (Psalms 119:161). Contrary to our version (the American Standard Version) and the RSV, Dahood suggested that this synonym for God's law (`thy words') should be eliminated from this verse, despite the prevailing impression that there is such a synonym in every verse of the whole psalm. He also alleged that, "No such term is to be found in the following verses: Psalms 119:37,90,121,122,132, and Psalms 119:149."[51]