Your
righteousness is an everlasting righteousness. Your law is truth.
Psalm 119:142
Psalm 119 [129.] Your testimonies are wonderful,
therefore my soul keeps them.
The entrance of your words gives light.
It gives understanding to the simple.
I opened my mouth wide and panted,
for I longed for your commandments.
Turn to me, and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
Establish my footsteps in your word.
Don’t let any iniquity have dominion over me.
Redeem me from the oppression of man,
so I will observe your precepts.
Make your face shine on your servant.
Teach me your statutes.
Streams of tears run down my eyes,
because they don’t observe your law.
TZADI
Psalm 119 [137.] You are righteous, Yahweh.
Your judgments are upright.
You have commanded your statutes in righteousness.
They are fully trustworthy.
My zeal wears me out,
because my enemies ignore your words.
Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
and your servant loves them.
I am small and despised.
I don’t forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness.
Your law is truth.
Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me.
Your commandments are my delight.
Your testimonies are righteous forever.
Give me understanding, that I may live.
KUF
Psalm 119 [145.] I have called with my whole heart.
Answer me, Yahweh!
I will keep your statutes.
I have called to you. Save me!
I will obey your statutes.
I rise before dawn and cry for help.
I put my hope in your words.
My eyes stay open through the night watches,
that I might meditate on your word.
Hear my voice according to your loving kindness.
Revive me, Yahweh, according to your ordinances.
They draw near who follow after wickedness.
They are far from your law.
You are near, Yahweh.
All your commandments are truth.
Of old I have known from your testimonies,
that you have founded them forever.
RESH
Meaning:
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm, a celebration of God’s word arranged in twenty-two sections, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verse 142 belongs to the section headed TZADI in the Hebrew order, which focuses on God’s righteousness (see the Context above). The psalmist is “small and despised,” troubled and in anguish, yet he holds on to two great truths about God.
- “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness”
The section begins, “You are righteous, Yahweh. Your judgments are upright.” God’s righteousness means that he always does what is right and keeps his promises. Human goodness rises and falls, but God’s righteousness is “everlasting.” It does not change with circumstances or wear out over time. For someone who feels small and despised, this is solid ground. The New Testament shows that God’s righteousness is also given as a gift: “a righteousness of God has been revealed... even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe” (Romans 3:21-22).
- “Your law is truth”
The Hebrew word for “law” (torah) means instruction, the whole of God’s teaching, not only commands. To say it is “truth” means it is reliable, faithful and in full agreement with reality. A few verses later the psalmist says, “All your commandments are truth” (see the Context above). David wrote, “Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul” (Psalm 19:7).
Because God is true, his word is true. It stands when everything else fades: “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
- Jesus’ prayer
On the night before his death Jesus prayed for his disciples, “Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The PIB footnote connects his words with this verse. Jesus shared the psalmist’s confidence in God’s word and saw it as the means by which God makes his people holy.
The Significance of Psalm 119:142
- Holding on in trouble
The psalmist was in anguish, yet God’s righteousness and truth were his delight. Believers in hard times can anchor themselves in the unchanging character and word of God.
- A trustworthy word
In a world of shifting opinions, Scripture offers truth that lasts. Paul wrote, “Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Cross-References:
John 17:17: "Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth." Jesus echoes the psalm.
Psalm 19:7: "Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul." The perfection of God's word.
Isaiah 40:8: "but the word of our God stands forever." God's word endures.
Conclusion: In the middle of trouble, the psalmist declared that God’s righteousness is everlasting and his law is truth. Jesus shared this confidence when he prayed that his disciples would be made holy by God’s word, which is truth.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible