Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
The eyes grow weary with longing while waiting for God to fulfill his word and asking when he will bring comfort. The word waited for is the law of the Most High, also called his testimonies, statutes, precepts and commandments, the moral law of the Ten Commandments spoken by God at Sinai as the one rule of holiness for his government. It is exalted as delightful and pure, loved above gold and better than thousands of gold and silver, perfect and exceeding broad, true from the beginning and everlasting righteousness founded forever. It belongs to no one dispensation but serves for all time and for all true worshippers, teaching the permanency of God's holy law. Its longing looks forward to God's salvation and to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, when obedience to that one law is shown to decide good and evil, life and death.
Word, Psalm, and Authorship
The term word in the verse means the law of the Most High, also called his testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commands, judgments, commandments and word, which is the moral law, the Ten Commandments given by the voice of God and uttered by the mouth of God at Sinai, the law and testimony and judgments of his mouth and the single rule of holiness growing out of his attributes for his government, obedience or disobedience to which decides good and evil and life and death. It is one of the names given to God's law, identified as the Ten Commandments, and presents that law as bearing qualities that reflect God's character. The verse belongs to a psalm of 176 verses forming a highly poetic acrostic almost unrivaled as a composition, with twenty-two sections of eight verses headed in regular order by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Every verse, or nearly every verse, in the psalm refers in some way to God's law or word and praises his commandments and word, and the psalm mentions the law repeatedly. The term commandments is often used as a synonym for God's law, and how much it includes is determined by the context. The psalm has strong internal evidence of being written by Daniel in Babylon. It expresses his experience in Babylon more than that of any other Old Testament character, fitting his life there and reflecting his experiences throughout its verses, including longing for God's promised comfort through his word.
The verse is also David's expression of longing for God to comfort him according to God's word and of love for the commandments and statutes of the Lord, using the names he gives to God's law. In that longing he clings to God's testimonies and seeks their guidance with humility.
Praise of God's Law
The verse joins the psalm in exalting the law as delightful and pure, loved above gold and fine gold and better than thousands of gold and silver, perfect and exceeding broad, reaching to the very thoughts and intents of the heart. It presents that law as good for all time, perpetual and eternal, everlasting righteousness and truth, true from the beginning and founded forever. This praise is not human word alone but the Spirit of God exalting the moral law, the ten commandments given by the voice of God and uttered by the mouth of God at Sinai, called the law of His mouth and testimony of His mouth and judgments of His mouth. As such it needs no abolishing, changing, or improvement.
The law so praised bears qualities that reflect God's character. It is declared perfect, and under the new covenant it is placed in the hearts of God's people. It is a source of light and understanding.
The verse belongs to no one dispensation but serves for all time and for all classes of true worshippers. Like every verse in the psalm, it refers directly to God's law, also described as His word, precepts, ways, judgments, testimonies, statutes, and commandments. It teaches the permanency of God's holy law.
The verse is a devotional expression of love for God and His law. It is the delight of every reverent heart, full of real, vital religion and religious experience and precious instruction. It gives evidence of sincere and earnest devotion and an exalted spiritual condition and true piety, showing that the religion of past dispensations was as exalted and spiritual as the religion of the present age of gospel light and Christian graces, which does not excel it.
Waiting, Prophecy, and Obedience
Mine eyes failing for the word is longing for God's comfort while waiting for the fulfillment of His word, the eyes growing weary as the waiting continues. It is longing for comfort from God through His word and according to His word, with the speaker clinging to His testimonies and seeking their guidance with humility. The longing for promised comfort fits the experience in Babylon.
The psalm voices longing for God's salvation and for the word of His righteousness, calling on the Lord to act because men have made His law void. It prophesies the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It gives blessed instruction and splendid exhortation to devotion.
The verse speaks of the one moral law, the Ten Commandments, the single rule of holiness growing out of God's attributes for His government, to which the declarations about the law belong and to no other. Obedience or disobedience to this one law decides good and evil, life and death. The psalm's repeated mention of the law and prominent reference to God's law support the inseparable connection between the moral law and the gospel and show that the Old Testament writers trusted the writings of Moses.
The verse shows the sanctified use of sight, with the eyes opened to holy impressions and fixed in longing on God's word rather than on vanity and wicked things. Closing the eyes against sinful impressions keeps sinful ideas from reaching the mind, makes temptation easier to resist, and helps fix attention on holy thoughts. The psalm's use of personal language to describe experience with God shows that such language is not egotism when the experience gives glory to God.
The eyes grow weary with longing while waiting for God to fulfill his word and asking when he will bring comfort. The word waited for is the law of the Most High, also called his testimonies, statutes, precepts and commandments, the moral law of the Ten Commandments spoken by God at Sinai as the one rule of holiness for his government. It is exalted as delightful and pure, loved above gold and better than thousands of gold and silver, perfect and exceeding broad, true from the beginning and everlasting righteousness founded forever. It belongs to no one dispensation but serves for all time and for all true worshippers, teaching the permanency of God's holy law. Its longing looks forward to God's salvation and to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, when obedience to that one law is shown to decide good and evil, life and death.
Word, Psalm, and Authorship
The term word in the verse means the law of the Most High, also called his testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commands, judgments, commandments and word, which is the moral law, the Ten Commandments given by the voice of God and uttered by the mouth of God at Sinai, the law and testimony and judgments of his mouth and the single rule of holiness growing out of his attributes for his government, obedience or disobedience to which decides good and evil and life and death. It is one of the names given to God's law, identified as the Ten Commandments, and presents that law as bearing qualities that reflect God's character. The verse belongs to a psalm of 176 verses forming a highly poetic acrostic almost unrivaled as a composition, with twenty-two sections of eight verses headed in regular order by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Every verse, or nearly every verse, in the psalm refers in some way to God's law or word and praises his commandments and word, and the psalm mentions the law repeatedly. The term commandments is often used as a synonym for God's law, and how much it includes is determined by the context. The psalm has strong internal evidence of being written by Daniel in Babylon. It expresses his experience in Babylon more than that of any other Old Testament character, fitting his life there and reflecting his experiences throughout its verses, including longing for God's promised comfort through his word.
The verse is also David's expression of longing for God to comfort him according to God's word and of love for the commandments and statutes of the Lord, using the names he gives to God's law. In that longing he clings to God's testimonies and seeks their guidance with humility.
Praise of God's Law
The verse joins the psalm in exalting the law as delightful and pure, loved above gold and fine gold and better than thousands of gold and silver, perfect and exceeding broad, reaching to the very thoughts and intents of the heart. It presents that law as good for all time, perpetual and eternal, everlasting righteousness and truth, true from the beginning and founded forever. This praise is not human word alone but the Spirit of God exalting the moral law, the ten commandments given by the voice of God and uttered by the mouth of God at Sinai, called the law of His mouth and testimony of His mouth and judgments of His mouth. As such it needs no abolishing, changing, or improvement.
The law so praised bears qualities that reflect God's character. It is declared perfect, and under the new covenant it is placed in the hearts of God's people. It is a source of light and understanding.
The verse belongs to no one dispensation but serves for all time and for all classes of true worshippers. Like every verse in the psalm, it refers directly to God's law, also described as His word, precepts, ways, judgments, testimonies, statutes, and commandments. It teaches the permanency of God's holy law.
The verse is a devotional expression of love for God and His law. It is the delight of every reverent heart, full of real, vital religion and religious experience and precious instruction. It gives evidence of sincere and earnest devotion and an exalted spiritual condition and true piety, showing that the religion of past dispensations was as exalted and spiritual as the religion of the present age of gospel light and Christian graces, which does not excel it.
Waiting, Prophecy, and Obedience
Mine eyes failing for the word is longing for God's comfort while waiting for the fulfillment of His word, the eyes growing weary as the waiting continues. It is longing for comfort from God through His word and according to His word, with the speaker clinging to His testimonies and seeking their guidance with humility. The longing for promised comfort fits the experience in Babylon.
The psalm voices longing for God's salvation and for the word of His righteousness, calling on the Lord to act because men have made His law void. It prophesies the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It gives blessed instruction and splendid exhortation to devotion.
The verse speaks of the one moral law, the Ten Commandments, the single rule of holiness growing out of God's attributes for His government, to which the declarations about the law belong and to no other. Obedience or disobedience to this one law decides good and evil, life and death. The psalm's repeated mention of the law and prominent reference to God's law support the inseparable connection between the moral law and the gospel and show that the Old Testament writers trusted the writings of Moses.
The verse shows the sanctified use of sight, with the eyes opened to holy impressions and fixed in longing on God's word rather than on vanity and wicked things. Closing the eyes against sinful impressions keeps sinful ideas from reaching the mind, makes temptation easier to resist, and helps fix attention on holy thoughts. The psalm's use of personal language to describe experience with God shows that such language is not egotism when the experience gives glory to God.