What does Psalm 119:120 mean?
Please see our chapter commentary on Psalm 119; verse-level content coming soon!Psalm 119:113–120 begins each verse with the Hebrew letter samekh. As someone devoted to God and His commandments, the psalmist rejects those who turn their back on the Lord's Word. All the writer's hope and faith are placed in God, and this comes with a prayer for rescue from danger. The psalmist fully expects the Lord to bring justice to those who do evil. Unlike the non-believer, the writer "fears" the Lord (Proverbs 1:7).
This song is composed of twenty-two stanzas, each corresponding to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each line in the stanza is an individual verse and each begins with the corresponding letter. The psalmist emphasizes study of God's Word in a variety of circumstances, including persecution, sadness, and rescue. Benefits of taking in the Word include a moral life, joy, wisdom, hope, peace, strength, and freedom. Those who interact with the Word of the Lord should respond with delight, careful study, and obedience.
