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Psalm 112[a]

The Blessings of the Just

Hallelujah!

Blessed the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commands.(A)
His descendants shall be mighty in the land,
    a generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
    his righteousness[b] shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;(B)
    gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
It is good for the man gracious in lending,
    who conducts his affairs with justice.
For he shall never be shaken;
    the righteous shall be remembered forever.(C)
He shall not fear an ill report;
    his heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord.
His heart is tranquil, without fear,
    till at last he looks down on his foes.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
    his righteousness shall endure forever;(D)
    his horn[c] shall be exalted in honor.
10 The wicked sees and is angry;
    gnashes his teeth and wastes away;
    the desire of the wicked come to nothing.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112 An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111.
  2. 112:3 Righteousness: in the Second Temple period the word acquired the nuance of liberality and almsgiving, cf. Sir 3:30; 7:10; Mt 6:1–4.
  3. 112:9 His horn: the symbol for vitality and honor.

Psalm 112[a]

Praise the Lord.[b](A)

Blessed are those(B) who fear the Lord,(C)
    who find great delight(D) in his commands.

Their children(E) will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches(F) are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures(G) forever.
Even in darkness light dawns(H) for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.(I)
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,(J)
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;(K)
    they will be remembered(L) forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast,(M) trusting in the Lord.(N)
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;(O)
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.(P)
They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,(Q)
    their righteousness endures(R) forever;
    their horn[c] will be lifted(S) high in honor.

10 The wicked will see(T) and be vexed,
    they will gnash their teeth(U) and waste away;(V)
    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.(W)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 112:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
  3. Psalm 112:9 Horn here symbolizes dignity.