Psalms Chapter 119 · Verse 176
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Original Language Analysis
תָּעִיתִי
I have gone astray
H8582
תָּעִיתִי
I have gone astray
Pronunciation:
ta'iti
Strong's:
H8582
Word #:
1 of 9
to err, wander, go astray
כְּשֶׂה
like a sheep
H7716
כְּשֶׂה
like a sheep
Pronunciation:
keseh
Strong's:
H7716
Word #:
2 of 9
one of a flock, sheep, goat
Cross References
Luke 19:10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.Isaiah 53:6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.John 10:16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.Matthew 15:24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.Psalms 119:61The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.Psalms 119:93I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.Ezekiel 34:6My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.1 Peter 2:25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.Song of Solomon 1:4Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.Jeremiah 31:18I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.
Historical Context
Shepherding was central to ancient Israelite economy and imagery. David, the shepherd-king, wrote extensively of God as Shepherd (Psalm 23). Prophets condemned false shepherds (Ezekiel 34) and promised the good Shepherd (Zechariah 13:7, fulfilled in Christ). Sheep's tendency to wander, vulnerability to predators, and inability to navigate home made them apt metaphors for human spiritual condition. Israel repeatedly wandered from God despite covenant knowledge. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the Good Shepherd who seeks and saves the lost (John 10:11-18, 1 Peter 2:25), and believers as His sheep who hear His voice.
Questions for Reflection
- How does acknowledging your tendency to stray like a lost sheep cultivate dependence on God's seeking grace?
- What does it mean to simultaneously not forget God's commandments while confessing spiritual wandering?
- In what specific ways have you experienced God seeking you when you had wandered from His paths?
Analysis & Commentary
"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments." The closing verse confesses ta'iti k'seh oved (I have gone astray like a lost/perishing sheep). Ta'ah means to err, wander, go astray—not deliberate rebellion but dangerous wandering. Seh oved (lost sheep) evokes Isaiah 53:6 ("All we like sheep have gone astray") and Jesus's parable (Luke 15:3-7). Lost sheep cannot find their way home—they need the shepherd to seek them. The prayer bakkesh avdekha (seek your servant) asks God to initiate rescue. The seeming paradox: "I do not forget thy commandments" while simultaneously confessing straying. This reflects Christian experience—regenerate heart loves God's law yet battles remaining corruption. The believer clings to Scripture even while confessing failure to perfectly obey it. This humble ending balances the Psalm's high view of law with honest acknowledgment of human weakness.