Psalm 119:156 kjv
Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments.
Psalm 119:156 nkjv
Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your judgments.
Psalm 119:156 niv
Your compassion, LORD, is great; preserve my life according to your laws.
Psalm 119:156 esv
Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your rules.
Psalm 119:156 nlt
LORD, how great is your mercy;
let me be revived by following your regulations.
Psalm 119 156 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 51:1 | "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love..." | Plea for mercy based on divine nature. |
| Lam 3:22-23 | "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end..." | God's enduring, new mercies. |
| Eph 2:4-5 | "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive..." | God's rich mercy leading to spiritual life. |
| Tit 3:5 | "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy..." | Salvation by God's mercy, not human deeds. |
| Psa 85:6 | "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" | Prayer for national revival. |
| Hab 3:2 | "O LORD, I have heard the report of You and Your work, O LORD, do Your work in the midst of the years; in the midst of the years revive it..." | Plea for divine action and renewal. |
| Ezek 37:5-10 | "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live." | God's power to bring life from death. |
| Rom 8:11 | "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies..." | Spirit as the source of life and quickening. |
| Joh 6:63 | "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." | God's words impart life through the Spirit. |
| Deut 4:1 | "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you..." | Statutes are the source of life and blessing. |
| Psa 19:7-11 | "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul..." | God's law as perfect and life-giving. |
| Psa 119:25 | "My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word." | A similar prayer within Psalm 119, linked to God's word. |
| Psa 119:37 | "Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way." | Prayer for moral and spiritual revival aligned with God's path. |
| Psa 119:40 | "Behold, I long for Your precepts; in Your righteousness revive me." | Desire for precepts and revival by God's righteousness. |
| Psa 119:88 | "According to Your steadfast love revive me, that I may keep the testimonies of Your mouth." | Revival tied to covenant love and obedience. |
| Psa 119:93 | "I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life." | God's precepts as the source of life. |
| Psa 119:107 | "I am severely afflicted; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word!" | Revival sought in affliction, based on God's word. |
| Psa 119:149 | "Hear my voice according to Your steadfast love; O LORD, according to Your ordinances give me life!" | Parallel request for life based on steadfast love and ordinances. |
| Jas 2:12 | "So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty." | God's law is a law of liberty, not bondage. |
| Rom 3:31 | "Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." | Faith upholds the divine standards. |
| Mic 6:8 | "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" | Emphasis on justice and mercy in action. |
| Isa 42:21 | "The LORD was pleased, for His righteousness’ sake, to magnify His law and make it glorious." | God's law glorified through His righteousness. |
Psalm 119 verses
Psalm 119 156 Meaning
Psalm 119:156 expresses a fervent prayer by the psalmist for divine quickening, or spiritual revival, grounded in the profound recognition of God's abundant mercies. It encapsulates a dependent plea for restoration and continued life, not based on personal merit, but purely on the boundless compassion and faithful character of the LORD, in alignment with His just decrees and life-giving commandments. This verse intertwines the worshiper's desperate need for God's transforming power with a deep trust in God's attributes of mercy and righteousness as revealed in His word.
Psalm 119 156 Context
Psalm 119, to which verse 156 belongs, is the longest psalm in the Bible, a comprehensive acrostic poem of 22 stanzas, each comprising eight verses beginning with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This verse, "Great are Your mercies, O LORD; revive me according to Your ordinances," is found within the Tsade (צ) section. The entire psalm is a profound meditation on the beauty, efficacy, and centrality of God's Word – His Law, statutes, precepts, commandments, testimonies, and judgments. The psalmist expresses deep devotion, struggles with sin, prays for understanding, and consistently appeals to God to enable him to live in accordance with divine revelation. The constant thread running through Psalm 119 is the worshiper's reliance on God's Word as the source of life, guidance, comfort, and wisdom amidst trials and persecution. The petition for "revival" or "quicken me" appears numerous times (e.g., Ps 119:25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149), signifying not just physical life, but spiritual vitality, renewed zeal, and moral strength, all intrinsically linked to God's commandments.
Historically, this psalm would resonate deeply with the original audience in ancient Israel, a people whose covenant relationship with Yahweh was defined by His law given at Sinai. The law was not seen merely as restrictive rules but as a gift for life, distinguishing Israel from other nations. Their existence, prosperity, and relationship with God were intrinsically tied to adherence to His mishpatim (judgments/ordinances). In a world surrounded by polytheism and arbitrary pagan deities, Israel's God offered clear, just, and life-giving decrees, revealed out of His faithful covenant love. The psalmist's plea is a reflection of this understanding, that life and revival flow from divine mercy experienced through divine standards, standing in stark contrast to the emptiness of human philosophies or the capriciousness of false gods.
Psalm 119 156 Word analysis
- Great: The Hebrew word here is rab (רַב), meaning abundant, much, numerous, powerful. It emphasizes the immensity and fullness of God's mercies, suggesting they are limitless and overflowing.
- are Your mercies: The term for "mercies" is rachamim (רַחֲמִים). This word carries a rich connotation, rooted in rechem (womb). It speaks of a deep, tender, maternal, and compassionate love. It signifies deep-seated pity, compassion, and affectionate care, a heartfelt compassion that stirs one to action on behalf of another. It's not a superficial pity but an intimate, relational, and profound mercy that originates from the very core of God's being.
- O LORD: This refers to the covenant name of God, YHWH (יהוה), often transliterated as "LORD" in all caps. It emphasizes God's self-existence, His personal presence, and His covenant faithfulness. Addressing God by this name signifies a deep, personal relationship and an appeal to His unchanging, relational character as the God of Israel.
- revive me: The Hebrew verb is chayah (חָיָה), meaning to live, to quicken, to preserve life, to restore, or to give life. In Psalm 119, it's often used in a spiritual sense, indicating a plea for renewal, invigoration, restoration of zeal, and moral strength when one feels spiritually dead or faint. It's a prayer for inner vitality and an empowerment to follow God's ways. It also implies deliverance from distress that might sap one's life.
- according to Your ordinances: The Hebrew word is mishpatim (מִשְׁפָּטִים), meaning judgments, ordinances, statutes, or rules. These are God's righteous decrees, expressing His justice and will. They are not merely cold laws but expressions of God's character – just, righteous, and benevolent. The phrase "according to Your ordinances" signifies that the psalmist desires revival not outside of God's revealed will but in conformity with and by means of God's just principles. It's an acknowledgment that true life and spiritual health are found in aligning with divine standards.
Word-group analysis
- "Great are Your mercies, O LORD": This phrase highlights the foundation of the psalmist's plea. It acknowledges God's vast, compassionate nature as the primary hope for revival. The magnitude of God's rachamim (mercies originating from the depths of His being) is infinite, making the plea for revival truly hopeful, despite any human weakness or affliction. It speaks to a theology where God's active, compassionate grace precedes and undergirds any human turning to Him.
- "revive me according to Your ordinances": This powerful pairing links divine mercy with divine righteousness. The quickening sought is not a random burst of energy but a spiritual resurgence that conforms to God's righteous judgments. It implies that true spiritual life is always in alignment with God's moral and ethical standards. It’s not just a request for feeling better, but for living right; a request for renewed strength to obey God's wise and life-giving directives. The mishpatim (ordinances) are the pattern, the framework, and the very means through which true life is manifested and maintained.
Psalm 119 156 Bonus section
The positioning of this verse within the Tsade (צ) section of Psalm 119, dealing with affliction and seeking justice from God's hand, highlights the depth of the psalmist's need for spiritual sustenance in difficult times. Even amidst hardship, the petitioner affirms the righteousness of God's judgments (cf. Ps 119:149, "according to Your ordinances give me life!"), trusting that God's actions, even those that lead to suffering, are ultimately just and designed to bring about holiness and closer walk with Him. This connection implies that true spiritual life is sometimes forged or restored through the challenging path of living by God's truth, rather than away from it. The repeated prayer for "revival" throughout Psalm 119 underscores the ongoing need for God's life-giving power in the believer's walk, as flesh is weak and temptations are many. It's a perpetual reliance on grace and truth.
Psalm 119 156 Commentary
Psalm 119:156 presents a profoundly biblical theology of divine action in human experience. The psalmist, likely under affliction (a common theme in Ps 119), turns directly to the LORD, recognizing His inexhaustible wellspring of mercy. It's a prayer rooted in dependency and faith: God's mercy (rachamim, a tender, deeply compassionate love) is the sole basis for the requested revival (chayah, a spiritual quickening or restoration of life). The strength of the psalmist's hope lies not in his own resilience or works but in the sheer greatness of God's compassion.
Crucially, the prayer asks for revival "according to Your ordinances." This demonstrates that God's mercy and His moral law (His mishpatim or righteous judgments) are not at odds but are intimately connected. The revival sought is not an amorphous feeling or a disconnected spiritual experience; it is a life re-oriented and re-energized in precise conformity with God's revealed will. God’s ordinances are the very principles by which true life operates and flourishes. Therefore, seeking life and restoration is seeking deeper alignment with God's character and commands, which are inherently good and life-giving. The prayer recognizes that authentic spiritual quickening results in a life lived righteously. For instance, in moments of spiritual apathy, rather than seeking fleeting comforts, this verse directs us to ask God, by His great mercy, to invigorate our commitment to His word, leading to practical obedience and renewed spiritual vitality.