Psalms 119:143
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.
Original Language Analysis
וּמָצ֥וֹק
and anguish
H4689
וּמָצ֥וֹק
and anguish
Strong's:
H4689
Word #:
2 of 5
a narrow place, i.e., (abstractly and figuratively) confinement or disability
מְצָא֑וּנִי
have taken hold
H4672
מְצָא֑וּנִי
have taken hold
Strong's:
H4672
Word #:
3 of 5
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
Historical Context
Ancient Israel faced repeated cycles of trouble—Egyptian bondage, wilderness trials, Canaanite oppression, exile. In each crisis, meditation on Torah sustained the faithful remnant. Daniel's prayers in Babylon exemplify this pattern (Daniel 9).
Questions for Reflection
- What does it reveal about the nature of Scripture that it can be a source of delight even in anguish?
- How might regular meditation on God's commandments prepare you to experience joy in future trials?
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Analysis & Commentary
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me (צָרָה וּמְצוּקָה מְצָאוּנִי, tsarah u-metsuqah metsauni)—The Hebrew piles up terms for distress: tsarah (adversity, straits) and metsuqah (anguish, tight places) have seized him like creditors. Yet thy commandments are my delights (sha'ashuim, pleasures)—The adversative is stunning: in the midst of being gripped by anguish, God's Word remains the source of joy.
This paradox runs throughout Scripture. Habakkuk sang, "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD" (3:17-18). Paul and Silas sang hymns in prison (Acts 16:25). Delight in God's Word is not contingent on circumstances but flows from the Word's inherent beauty and the relationship it mediates. Job's testimony echoes this: "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12).