Psalms 112

Psalms 112:1

1. Happy is the man that feareth Jehovah] This Psalm takes up and expands the last verse of the preceding Psalm. The secret and source of all true happiness and prosperity is the fear of Jehovah, which leads to a cheerful and thorough obedience to His commandments. that delighteth] A reminiscence of Psa 1:2. Cp. Psalms 40:8; Psalms 119:35; Psalms 119:97. It is the same word as in Psalms 111:2.

Psalms 112:2

2. His seed &c.] His posterity shall be powerful in the land. Cp. Psalms 25:13; Psalms 37:9; Psalms 37:11. Gibbôr generally means valiant in war, but is here used for the sake of the acrostic, in the wider sense of powerful by wealth and position. the generation of the upright] Lit. a generation of upright men, the descendants of the man who fears Jehovah, parallel to and synonymous with his seed.

Psalms 112:3

3. Wealth &c.] Cp. Proverbs 3:16; Proverbs 8:18. his righteousness standeth fast for ever] Here and in Psalms 112:9 the words which are used in Psalms 111:3 of God are applied to the godly man. They may be understood to mean that the character of the godly man is a reflection of the character of God: but the parallelism suggests that here, as in Psalms 24:5 (where righteousness answers to blessing), righteousness is nearly equivalent to the reward of righteousness (cp. Ezekiel 18:20; Isaiah 58:8). The unbroken prosperity of the godly is the verdict of approval which God pronounces upon his character and conduct. Cp. Isaiah 65:23.

Psalms 112:4

4. It is possible to understand this verse of Jehovah, He ariseth as a light in the darkness to the upright, being gracious, &c. But it seems clear from the general tenor of the Psalm that the epithets applied to God in Psalms 111:4 are here applied to the godly man. Cp. Matthew 5:48; Luke 6:36[71]. The verse may be rendered [71] The LXX here has ἐλεήμωνκαὶοἰκτίρμων, the words used in Matthew 5:7, Luke 6:36 : cp. Hebrews 2:17; James 5:11.There ariseth a light in the darkness for the upright, (For him that is) gracious, compassionate, and righteous. Cp. Psalms 97:11; and the striking parallel in Isaiah 58:10, where the dawn of prosperity after the night of trouble is promised as the reward of merciful conduct. But ‘the upright’ is plural, while throughout the Psalm the godly man is spoken of in the singular (Psalms 112:2 is not an exception, for the plural there refers to his descendants), and the construction is harsh. It seems best therefore to render, He ariseth as a light in the darkness for the upright, Being gracious, compassionate, and righteous. The ‘upright’ are the poor but godly whom he befriends in their need (Psalms 112:5; Psalms 112:9), reflecting the attributes of God in his dealings with his fellow-men.

Psalms 112:5

5. A good man sheweth favour] Well is it with the man that dealeth graciously. The A.V. is ungrammatical, and misses the connexion with the preceding verse. Cp. Psalms 37:21; Psalms 37:26. he will guide his affairs with discretion] Or, who manages his affairs with rectitude (Heb. judgement). So Symm., οἰκονομῶντὰπράγματααὐτοῦμετὰκρίσεως. He takes care to injure no one in the conduct of his business. Cp. Psalms 111:7. R.V. and most commentators render, he shall maintain his cause in judgement. But the thought thus introduced is incongruous. Why should the just and liberal man be brought into court at all?

Psalms 112:6

6. For (giving the reason for Well is it of Psa 112:5) he shall never be moved. He will enjoy firm and unshaken prosperity. Cp. Psalms 15:5; Psalms 55:22; Proverbs 10:30. the righteous &c.] Cp. Proverbs 10:7; Sir 44:1-15. The line corresponds to Psalms 111:4 a. As God has made Himself remembered by His marvellous works, so the godly man is held in remembrance for his acts of mercy.

Psalms 112:7

7. Since he has a clear conscience and a quiet trust, he is not tortured by presentiments of evil, like the wicked man, Job 15:20 ff.; Proverbs 10:24. fixed] i.e. steadfast, as Psalms 57:7.

Psalms 112:8

8. established] Cp. Psalms 111:8; Isaiah 26:3, where the word for trusting used in Psalms 112:7 also occurs. until &c.] If he is attacked he is confident that in due time his cause, which is the cause of God and right, will triumph. Cp. Psalms 91:8.

Psalms 112:9

9. He hath dispersed] Of liberal, open-handed, distribution of wealth, in Proverbs 11:24. his righteousness &c.] As in Psalms 112:3. “How little these words are contrary to the Christian consciousness is shewn by St Paul’s citation of them in 2 Corinthians 9:9, where he applies them for the encouragement of Christian beneficence” (Delitzsch). his horn &c.] Cp. 1 Samuel 2:1; and see note on Psalms 92:10.

Psalms 112:10

10. The wicked looks on in impotent rage and is consumed with vexation. While “the desire of the righteous is granted” (Proverbs 10:24), his desire comes to nought. The end of the Psalm, like the beginning, is an echo of Psalms 1.