Psalms — Chapter 112

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1Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.

2His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.

5It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.

6Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous man will be remembered forever.

7He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

8His heart is assured; he does not fear, until he looks in triumph on his foes.

9He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

10The wicked man will see and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the desires of the wicked will perish.

1Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

2His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

3Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

4Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

5A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

6Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

7He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

8His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

9He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

10The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

1Praise ye Jehovah. Blessed is the man that feareth Jehovah, That delighteth greatly in his commandments.

2His seed shall be mighty upon earth: The generation of the upright shall be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house; And his righteousness endureth for ever.

4Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: [He is] gracious, and merciful, and righteous.

5Well is it with the man that dealeth graciously and lendeth; He shall maintain his cause in judgment.

6For he shall never be moved; The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.

7He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: His heart is fixed, trusting in Jehovah.

8His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, Until he see [his desire] upon his adversaries.

9He hath dispersed, he hath given to the needy; His righteousness endureth for ever: His horn shall be exalted with honor.

10The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: The desire of the wicked shall perish. Psalm 113

1Praise the Lord! How blessed is the one who obeys the Lord, who takes great delight in keeping his commands.

2His descendants will be powerful on the earth; the godly will be blessed.

3His house contains wealth and riches; his integrity endures.

4In the darkness a light shines for the godly, for each one who is merciful, compassionate, and just.

5It goes well for the one who generously lends money and conducts his business honestly.

6For he will never be shaken; others will always remember one who is just.

7He does not fear bad news. He is confident; he trusts in the Lord.

8His resolve is firm; he will not succumb to fear before he looks in triumph on his enemies.

9He generously gives to the needy; his integrity endures. He will be vindicated and honored.

10When the wicked see this, they will worry; they will grind their teeth in frustration and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.

1Praise Yah! Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, who delights greatly in his commandments.

2His offspring will be mighty in the land. The generation of the upright will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house. His righteousness endures forever.

4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright, gracious, merciful, and righteous.

5It is well with the man who deals graciously and lends. He will maintain his cause in judgment.

6For he will never be shaken. The righteous will be remembered forever.

7He will not be afraid of evil news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in Yahweh.

8His heart is established. He will not be afraid in the end when he sees his adversaries.

9He has dispersed, he has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted with honor.

10The wicked will see it, and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

This acrostic wisdom psalm serves as a companion to Psalm 111, describing the blessed life of the person who fears the LORD and delights in his commands (v. 1). Such a person's descendants are called mighty and blessed (v. 2), his household prospers, and his righteousness endures forever (v. 3). Light breaks into darkness for the upright, who are gracious, compassionate, and just (v. 4), generous in lending and wise in managing their affairs (v. 5). Because their heart is fixed and trusts in the LORD, they are unshaken and unafraid even of bad news, secure until they see their enemies overcome (vv. 6-8). Their generosity to the poor is lasting, and they are honored and exalted (v. 9), while the wicked who witness this prosperity are consumed with envy and frustration, their own desires coming to nothing (v. 10).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Acrostic Wisdom Psalm / Beatitude Psalm
Attributed Author: Anonymous
Key Themes: The blessed life of the God-fearing person, generosity and righteousness, fearlessness in the face of evil, the contrast between the righteous and the wicked, the legacy of the upright
Historical Context: Psalm 112 is the companion to Psalm 111 — both are acrostic psalms with matching structure. Psalm 111 describes God's character; Psalm 112 describes the person who fears God — and remarkably, the attributes are parallel. The God-fearer becomes like GOD: gracious, compassionate, righteous (v.4 echoes 111:4). This is the biblical principle of transformation through worship — you become like what you revere. The psalm is essentially a portrait of what happens when someone truly fears God and delights in His commands: generational blessing, stability, generosity, courage, and lasting impact.
Blessed Is the Man That Feareth the LORD (v.1): Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Psalm 111 ended on the fear of the LORD and this psalm begins there, taking up the same acrostic form for twenty-two lines and turning it on the man instead of on God. Delight rather than compliance is what is said of his relation to the commandments.
His Righteousness Endureth for Ever (vv.2-3): His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. That last clause was said of God in Psalm 111:3, word for word, and here it is said of the man, which is the point of pairing the two psalms. The promise of wealth is the kind of statement Job's friends made and Job disproved, and the psalter itself questions it at length in Psalm 37 and Psalm 73; this psalm gives the rule and the others give the exceptions.
Light in the Darkness (v.4): Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. The three adjectives were used of God in Psalm 111:4, and here it is ambiguous whether they describe God or the upright man; the Hebrew allows either and the pairing of the psalms suggests the ambiguity is intended. Darkness is assumed, not denied, and what is promised is light inside it.
A Good Man Sheweth Favour, and Lendeth (v.5): A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Lending in Israel meant lending without interest to a fellow Israelite, so the verse describes a transfer that is not an investment. Discretion keeps it from becoming sentimental: the generosity is managed rather than impulsive.
His Heart Is Fixed, Trusting in the LORD (vv.6-8): Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. Against the grass and the forgotten place of Psalm 103:16, this promises that a life is remembered. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. Fixed is the same word Psalm 108 uses of the heart set on praise, and the fearlessness is located in what the heart is attached to rather than in temperament. The last clause is harder to like, until he see his desire upon his enemies, and the psalm leaves it standing.
He Hath Dispersed, He Hath Given to the Poor (v.9): He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. Paul quotes this verse in 2 Corinthians 9:9 while raising money for the Jerusalem collection, and he quotes it as the description of the giver he wants his readers to be. Dispersed is a scattering word, used of sowing, which fits the argument he builds around it.
The Desire of the Wicked Shall Perish (v.10): The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish. The acrostic ends on the alternative, and what the wicked man loses is not his goods but his wanting, which is the sharpest thing in the psalm. Seeing it is part of the grief; the blessing of the upright is visible to the one who does not share it.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalms 111-112 | Becoming Like God | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 112 - The Blessings Upon Those Who Fear the LORD
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Delighting in God's Commands (v.1) — The blessed person doesn't merely obey the LORD's commandments but delights greatly in them. Is your relationship with God's Word marked by duty or by genuine delight?
  • Becoming Like the God You Fear (v.4) — Light rises in the darkness for the upright, who are gracious, compassionate, and righteous — the same words used of God Himself. Do the people around you see God's character reflected in yours?
  • Unshaken by Bad News (v.7) — The one who trusts the LORD is not afraid of evil tidings, because his heart is fixed and steadfast. When bad news comes, does your heart stay anchored in God, or does it spiral into anxiety?
  • Generosity That Endures (v.9) — The righteous person scatters gifts freely to the poor, and their righteousness endures forever. Are you holding onto your resources out of fear, or releasing them in trust that God will sustain you?