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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comKeil and Delitzsch Commentary - Psalms 119:41 - 119:41
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The eightfold Vav. He prays for the grace of true and fearlessly joyous confession. The lxx renders Psa 119:41: καὶ ἔλθοι ἐπ ̓ ἐμε ̓ τὸ ἔλεός σου; but the Targum and Jerome rightly (cf. Psa 119:77, Isa 63:7) have the plural: God's proofs of loving-kindness in accordance with His promises will put him in the position that he will not be obliged to be dumb in the presence of him who reproaches him (חֹרֵף, prop. a plucker, cf. Arab. charûf, a lamb = a plucker of leaves or grass), but will be able to answer him on the ground of his own experience. The verb עָנָה, which in itself has many meanings, acquires the signification “to give an answer” through the word, דָּבָר, that is added (synon. הֵשִׁיב דָּבָר). Psa 119:43 also refers to the duty of confessing God. The meaning of the prayer is, that God may not suffer him to come to such a pass that he will be utterly unable to witness for the truth; for language dies away in the mouth of him who is unworthy of its before God. The writer has no fear of this for himself, for his hope is set towards God's judgments (לְמִשְׁפָּטֶךָ, defective plural, as also in Psa 119:149; in proof of which, compare Psa 119:156 and Psa 119:175), his confidence takes its stand upon them. The futures which follow from Psa 119:44 to Psa 119:48 declare that what he would willingly do by the grace of God, and strives to do, is to walk בָּֽרְחָבָה, in a broad space (elsewhere בַּמֶּרְחָב), therefore unstraitened, which in this instance is not equivalent to happily, but courageously and unconstrainedly, without allowing myself to be intimidated, and said of inward freedom which makes itself known outwardly. In Psa 119:46 the Vulgate renders: Et loquebar de (in) testimoniis tuis in conspectu regum et non confundebar - the motto of the Augsburg Confession, to which it was adapted especially in connection with this historical interpretation of the two verbs, which does not correspond to the original text. The lifting up of the hands in Psa 119:48 is an expression of fervent longing desire, as in connection with prayer, Psa 28:2; Psa 63:5; Psa 134:2; Psa 141:2, and frequently. The second אשׁר אהבתי is open to the suspicion of being an inadvertent repetition. שִׂיחַ בְּ (synon. בְּ הָגָה) signifies a still or audible meditating that is absorbed in the object.