Psalm 119

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*Psalms • תהילים (Tehilim)*
Psalm 23 • Psalm 30 • Psalm 51 • Psalm 67 Psalm 74 • Psalm 83 • Psalm 89 • Psalm 91 Psalm 92 • Psalm 95 • Psalm 98 • Psalm 100 Psalm 103 • Psalm 104 • Psalm 109 Psalms 113-118 • Psalm 119 • Psalm 130 Psalm 137 • Psalm 151 • Psalms 152–155
Complete Psalms 1–150
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Psalm 119

Psalm 119 (Greek numbering: Psalm 118) is the longest psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. It is referred to in Hebrew by its opening words, "Ashrei temimei derech" ("happy are those whose way is perfect"). It is the prayer of one who delights in and lives by the Torah, the sacred law. Each verse of the psalm employs a synonym for the Torah, such as dabar ("word, promise") mishpatim ("rulings"), etc.

The 176 verses of the Psalm are divided into 22 stanzas of eight lines each: one stanza for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the first stanza, each of the 8 lines begin with aleph, the first letter of the alphabet; in the next stanza, each of the lines begin with bet, the second letter, and so on through the entire alphabet. Poems that use patterns involving the initial letter of a line are called acrostics; Psalm 119 is one of about a dozen alphabetic acrostic poems in the Bible.

A Haredi Jew reading Psalm 119 at the Western Wall

The acrostic form and the use of the Torah words constitute the framework for an elaborate prayer. The grounds for the prayer are established in the first two stanzas (alef and beth): the Torah is held up as a source of blessing and right conduct, and the psalmist pledges to dedicate himself to the law. The prayer proper begins in the third stanza (gimel, v. 17). Like many other psalms, this prayer includes both dramatic lament (e.g. verses 81-88) joyous praise (e.g., verses 45-48) and prayers for life, deliverance and vindication (e.g., verses 132-134). What makes Psalm 119 unique is the way that these requests are continually and explicitly grounded in the gift of the Torah and the psalmist's loyalty to it.

[edit] Eastern Orthodox

This Psalm, (numbered Psalm 118 in the Septuagint), figures prominently in the worship of the Orthodox Church. There is a tradition that King David used this psalm to teach his young son Solomon the alphabet--but not just the alphabet for writing letters: the alphabet of the spiritual life.

Psalm 119 comprises an entire Kathisma (division of the Psalter) in Orthodox liturgical practice. This psalm is read daily at the Midnight Office in Orthodox monasteries. Verse 62 says “At midnight I arose to give thanks unto Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness” (LXX). It is read at Matins on Saturdays and is also chanted on many Sundays throughout the year. A major portion of Matins on Holy Saturday comprises chanting the entire psalm as a threnody, divided into three parts (stases) with Praises (in Greek: Enkomia) interspersed between each verse. This chanting is done as all stand holding candles around a catafalque over which has been placed a shroud embroidered with the figure of Christ laid out for burial.

Psalm 119 is also chanted with special solemnity at funeral services and on the various All-Souls Days which occur throughout the year, with "Alleluia" chanted between each verse. Its use here is a reflection of the chanting done on Holy Saturday. "Alleluia" is used at Orthodox funerals to signify the victory over death accomplished by Christ's death and Resurrection, and the eternal reward promised to the faithful.