Psalms 119:143 — Word Study
WLCצַר־ וּמָצ֥וֹק מְצָא֑וּנִי מִ֝צְוֹתֶ֗יךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָֽי׃
BSATroubletsar [adversity, distress] and distressmâtsôwq have found memâtsâʼ■ [come upon, taken hold] but Your commandmentsmitsvâh [laws, divine teachings] are my delightshaʻshuaʻ [joy, pleasure]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| צַר־ | distress | Adj |
| וּמָצ֥וֹק | and anguish | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| מְצָא֑וּנִי | they have found me | Verb qal perfect third person common plural, suffix |
| מִ֝צְוֹתֶ֗יךָ | commandments your | Noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| שַׁעֲשֻׁעָֽי׃ | [are] delight my | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Trouble and distress have found me, but Your commandments are my delight. |
| KJV | Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights. |
| ASV | Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me; Yet thy commandments are my delight. |
| YLT | Adversity and distress have found me, Thy commands [are] my delights. |
| WEB | Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me. Your commandments are my delight. |
| BBE | Pain and trouble have overcome me: but your teachings are my delight. |
Where they part company is צַר — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause presents the psalmist's troubles, while the subordinate clause contrasts this with his delight in God's commandments.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 119:143
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Meditation on God's Lawgenerated
Psalm 119:143 reflects the psalmist's deep awareness of his struggles, acknowledging that trouble and distress have overtaken him. Despite these challenges, he finds delight in God's commandments, which guide and uplift him. This verse is part of a broader meditation on the significance of God's law, emphasizing the comfort and joy it brings even amidst life's difficulties.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 119:107 | I am severely afflicted, O LORD; revive me through Your word. |
| 2 | Psalm 18:4–5 | The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. |
| 3 | Psalm 88:3–18 | For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. |
| 4 | Psalm 116:3 | The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow. |
| 5 | Psalm 130:1 | Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD! |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — מִ֝צְוֹתֶ֗יךָ, mitz.vo.Tei.khagenerated
The word מִצְוָה (mitsvah) means 'commandment' and signifies a directive from God or humans. It encompasses laws and precepts that guide moral and religious behavior. The parsing indicates it is a feminine plural construct, showing a collective sense of commandments that shape the psalmist's life.
In this verse, the commandments are not merely rules; they are a source of joy and delight for the psalmist, contrasting with the distress he faces. This highlights the transformative power of divine teachings.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against. The BSB uses distress for צַר and anguish for מָצוֹק, while the KJV opts for adversity and trouble respectively.
Where others part company with the BSB, they do so over the word צַר — distress (BSB, ILT, NETB) versus adversity (LSV, YLT). This reflects a difference in how the emotional weight of the word is understood.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is מְצָא֑וּ, they have found, which governs the entire clause. The subject is 'trouble and distress', and the predicate is 'Your commandments are my delight'.
The structure emphasizes the contrast between the psalmist's troubles and the joy he finds in God's commandments, with the verb linking these two ideas.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates צַר as θλῖψις (thlipsis), meaning 'tribulation' or 'affliction', which aligns with the emotional weight of the Hebrew term, emphasizing the hardship faced.
For מָצוֹק, the LXX uses ἀνάγκη (anankē), meaning 'necessity' or 'distress', which carries a similar connotation of being in a tight or difficult situation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 119:143 shows the psalmist feeling overwhelmed by trouble and distress, yet he finds joy in God's commandments. This verse highlights the comfort and guidance that God's laws provide, even in difficult times.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The psalmist refers to the hardships and challenges he faces in life, which create a sense of pressure and difficulty.
The commandments provide guidance, comfort, and a sense of purpose, which bring joy even amidst adversity.
We can find joy and strength in God's teachings during our own times of trouble, recognizing that His laws guide us through challenges.
The contrast highlights the power of God's commandments to bring joy and hope, even when circumstances are difficult.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced trouble and distress in my own life?
- How can I cultivate a deeper delight in God's commandments?
- What practices can help me remember God's teachings during difficult times?
- How does understanding God's law as a source of joy change my perspective on challenges?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Augustine of Hippo cites this verse to discuss the psalmist's meditation on God's commandments amidst persecution.
On account of this law the younger suffered persecution from the elder, so that the younger says what follows: "Trouble and hardship have taken hold upon me: yet is my meditation in Your commandments" [Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 119:143 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleTrouble and anguish have taken hold on me,.... Or, "found me" (a).
Read John Gill on Psalms 119 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryTrouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights. Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me - (Psalms 116:3 - Hebrew, 'found me;' Exodus 18:8.) Like dogs tracking out a wild beast hiding or fleeing.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 119 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleVer. 143. Outward troubles and anguish of spirit, or great anguish or distress.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 119 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 119:143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: [yet] thy commandments [are] my delights.Ver. 143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me] Heb. have found me. Those (as we say of foul weather) come before they are sent for; yet are they not without the Lord. It is he that putteth his under the black rod. Yet thy commandments, &c.] God and his word are never so sweet to the saints as in adversity.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 119 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 143. Trouble and anguish] I am exercised with various trials from men and devils. Have taken hold on me] But still I cleave to my God, and am delighted with his law.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 119 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges143. have taken hold on me] Have befallen me, lit. found me.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 119 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleTrouble and anguish - The word rendered “trouble” means affliction of any kind; the word rendered “anguish” would probably express that which results from being pressed, compressed, straitened.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 119 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bibleö, Tsade.137-144. Thy law is the truth—This division, more than any other, tells us of a heart to which the eternal God was a living power.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 119 →The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Trouble and distress have found me, but Your commandments are my delight.
Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me. Your commandments are my delight.
Trouble and distress have found me, but Your commandments are my delight.
Distress and hardship confront me, yet I find delight in your commands.
Tyndale line
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me; Yet thy commandments are my delight.
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delight.
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.
Trouble and anguish are come vpon me: yet are thy commandements my delite.
Strictly literal
Trouble and anguish have taken hold upon me: thy commandments are my delights.
Adversity and distress have found me, Thy commands [are] my delights.
Adversity and distress have found me, || Your commands [are] my delights.
Distress and trouble have overtaken me: [yet] are thy commandments my delights.
Though distress and anguish have found me, your commandments are still my delight.
Simplified
When I have problems and sadness, your commands make me happy.
Pain and trouble have overcome me: but your teachings are my delight.
Word by word, the decisions they made
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all five words matched. This consistency indicates a shared understanding of the psalmist's experience of distress and delight in God's commandments.
צַר־ וּמָצ֥וֹק מְצָא֑וּנִי מִ֝צְוֹתֶ֗יךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָֽי׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 119:143
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word צַר (tsar) is built from the root meaning 'narrow' or 'tight.' It encompasses a range of meanings including 'distress,' 'adversary,' and 'hard pebble' or 'flint.' The term can refer to physical tightness or metaphorical trouble, as well as an enemy or foe. It appears in contexts of anguish and tribulation, with a specific verse reference in Isaiah 5:28.
צַר adj. narrow, tight
base
צַר n.[m.] straits, distress
base
צַר 68 n.m. adversary, foe
base
צַר n.[m.] hard pebble, flint;—Is 5:28
ref
H6862a צַר narrow, tight H6862b צַר straits, distress H6862c צַר adversary, foe H6862d צַר hard pebble, flint
6862 tsar tsar
or tsar {tsawr}; from 6887; narrow; (as a noun) a tight place
(usually figuratively, i.e. trouble); also a pebble (as in
6864); (transitive) an opponent (as crowding):--adversary,
afflicted(-tion), anguish, close, distress, enemy, flint, foe,
narrow, small, sorrow, strait, tribulation, trouble.
see HEBREW for 06887
see HEBREW for 06864
צַר (tsar) — narrow.
narrow, tight
צַר (tsar) — distress.
straits, distress
צַר (tsar) — enemy.
adversary, foe, enemy, oppressor
צַר (tsar) — hard.
hard pebble, flint
Adj — AdjHAamsa
מָצוֹק (matsowq) refers to concepts of straitness and confinement, indicating a state of distress or anguish. It is derived from a root meaning a narrow place, and is used in various contexts to express stress or disability.
מָצוֹק n.[m.] straitness, straits, stress
base
H4689 מָצוֹק straitness, straits, stress
4689 matsowq maw-tsoke'
from 6693; a narrow place, i.e. (abstractly and figuratively)
confinement or disability:--anguish, distress, straitness.
see HEBREW for 06693
מָצוֹק (ma.tsoq) — distress.
straitness, straits, distress, stress, anguish
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa
an'-gwish: Extreme distress of body, mind or spirit; excruciating pain or suffering of soul, e.g. excessive grief, remorse, despair. Chiefly expressed in Old Testament, by four derivatives of tsuq, "straitened," "pressed," and tsar, and two derivatives signifying "straitness," "narrowness," hence distress; also shabhats, "giddiness," "confusion of mind"; hul "to twist" with pain, "writhe." So in the New Testament, thlipsis, "a pressing together," hence affliction, tribulation, stenochoria, "narrowness of place," hence extreme affliction; sunoche, "a holding together," hence distress. The fundamental idea in these various terms is pressure--being straitened, compressed into a narrow place, or pain through physical or mental torture. Used of the physical agony of child-birth (Jer 4:31; 6:24; 49:24; 50:43;
מָצָא (matsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to find or attain. It encompasses a range of actions, including discovering something lost, encountering someone, or coming upon a situation. The word can also imply being present or sufficient. Lexicons note various forms and uses, including Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, which indicate different nuances of finding and encountering.
מָצָא 452 vb. attain to, find
Qal
find
find out
= come upon, light upon
noteworthy phrases
Niph. pass. of Qal, be found
Hiph.
cause to find, attain
cause to light upon, come upon, come
cause to encounter
present unto
base
H4672 מָצָא attain to, find
4672 matsa' maw-tsaw'
a primitive root; properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or
exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire;
figuratively, to occur, meet or be present:--+ be able,
befall, being, catch, X certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to
hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion,
out), get (hold upon), X have (here), be here, hit, be left,
light (up-)on, meet (with), X occasion serve, (be) present,
ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.
מָצָא (ma.tsa) — to find.
1) to find, attain to
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to find
1a1a) to find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought)
1a1b) to find (what is lost)
1a1c) to meet, encounter
1a1d) to find (a condition)
1a1e) to learn, devise
1a2) to find out
1a2a) to find out
1a2b) to detect
1a2c) to guess
1a3) to come upon, light upon
1a3a) to happen upon, meet, fall in with
1a3b) to hit
1a3c) to befall
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be found
1b1a) to be encountered, be lighted upon, be discovered
1b1b) to appear, be recognised
1b1c) to be discovered, be detected
1b1d) to be gained, be secured
1b2) to be, be found
1b2a) to be found in
1b2b) to be in the possession of
1b2c) to be found in (a place), happen to be
1b2d) to be left (after war)
1b2e) to be present
1b2f) to prove to be
1b2g) to be found sufficient, be enough
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to find, attain
1c2) to cause to light upon, come upon, come
1c3) to cause to encounter
V-Qal-Perf-3cp | Suff — Verb qal perfect third person common plural · suffixHVqp3cp/Sp1bs
מִצְוָה (mitsvah) means 'commandment' and can refer to commands from both humans and God. It encompasses laws, ordinances, and precepts, indicating a range of directives within religious and moral contexts. The term is derived from a root meaning to command, linking it to the broader framework of divine law.
מִצְוָה 181 n.f. commandment
base
H4687 מִצְוָה commandment
4687 mitsvah mits-vaw'
from 6680; a command, whether human or divine (collectively,
the Law):--(which was) commanded(-ment), law, ordinance,
precept.
see HEBREW for 06680
מִצְוָה (mits.vah) — commandment.
1) commandment
1a) commandment (of man)
1b) the commandment (of God)
1c) commandment (of code of wisdom)
N-fp | Suff — Noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHNcfpc/Sp2ms
שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים (sha`shua`) refers to delight or enjoyment, derived from the root word for pleasure. It encompasses both the concept of delight itself and the objects that bring delight. The term appears in contexts that emphasize joy and satisfaction.
[שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים], שׁוּעִים– n.[m.]pl.intens. delight
base
H8191 [שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים], שׁוּעִים– delight
8191 sha`shua` shah-shoo'-ah
from 8173; enjoyment:--delight, pleasure.
see HEBREW for 08173
שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים (sha.shu.a) — delight.
1) delight, enjoyment
1a) delight
1b) object of delight
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bs