Psalms 111:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,.... The fear of the Lord, whose name is revered, is not a fear of his judgments here or hereafter, but of his goodness and grace; it is a reverential

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

The fear of the Lord; piety or true religion, which consists in the fear or worship and service of God. Is the beginning of wisdom; is the only foundation of and introduction to all true wisdom. Or, is the chief part of wisdom; those things which are most excellent in their kinds being off said to be first, to wit; in dignity, as , &c., and in other authors. And the first command, , is called the greatest command, . That do his commandments, Heb. that do them, to wit, God’ s commands, or the things which the fear of God requireth.

Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.Ver. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom] Or the principal point and chief perfection. See Proverbs 1:7 Job 28:28. A good understanding have all they] So much a man knoweth in true account, as he doth; hence understanding is here ascribed to the will; so Job 28:28. See Ecclesiastes 10:2. Some render it, Good success. His praise endureth for ever] i.e. God’ s praise; for they that understand it of the godly wise man understand not the propriety of the Hebrew word Tehillah, saith an interpreter.

(10) A good understanding . . .—Better, a good estimation have all they that do them. The parallelism here, as the context of Pro 3:4, decides for this rendering against that of the margin, “a good success.” Not only is piety the beginning of wisdom, but righteousness wins good esteem. For by his praise we must certainly understand the praise of the good man.

Verse 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom] The original stands thus: ראשית חכמה יראת יהוה reshith chokmah, yirath Yehovah, The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah. Wisdom itself begins with this fear; true wisdom has this for its commencement. It is the first ingredient in it, and is an essential part of it. In vain does any man pretend to be wise who does not fear the Lord; and he who fears the Lord departs from evil: he who lives in sin neither fears God, nor is wise. A good understanding have all they that do his commandments] These last words we add as necessary to make up the sense; but there is no need of this expedient, as the words of the original literally read thus: "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah; good discernment to the doers." That is, They who act according to the dictates of wisdom, the commencement of which is the fear of Jehovah, have a sound understanding, discern their duty and their interest, and live to secure their own peace, their neighbour's good, and God's glory. ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND ELEVENTH PSALM It is supposed that this hymn was set by the author to be sung at the passover; and that it might be the more readily learned and remembered, the colons are in number as many as, and arranged in the order of, the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is an exhortation to praise God for his wonderful benefits bestowed on the world at large, and especially on Israel and the Church. There are three parts in this Psalm: - I. A resolution of the psalmist to praise God; the manner in which he would do so; and the company with whom he would do it, Psalms 111:1. II. An expression of the reasons which moved him to praise God, viz., his admirable benefits, special and general, Psalms 111:2-9. III. An inference from the premises by way of sentiment in which he commends the fear of God, Psalms 111:10. I. The title of this Psalm is, "Hallelujah, praise ye the Lord;" and he adds, - 1. "I will praise the Lord." And shows how it should be done. 2. Not hypocritically; not with the lips only, but "with the heart." 3. "With the whole heart." 4. Not only secretly, but also "in the assembly of the upright," c. 1. Both in the assembly, where these good and upright men are. 2. And also in a mixed multitude, and secretly among good men. II. And, having made a pious confession of his readiness to practise the duty, he next sets down the ground and matter of his praise. First. His works of power, in the creation and conservation of the world, or the favours shown to the Church: "And these works of the Lord are great." 1. Great, not only for variety and beauty, but also in base creatures his wisdom is admirable, and to be admired. 2.

10. The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom] The fundamental principle of the ‘Wisdom’ or religious philosophy of Israel (Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 1:7; Job 28:28; Sir 1:20). The A.V. reverend in Psalms 111:9 obscures the close connexion between this verse and Psalms 111:9. Jehovah has revealed Himself as One Who is to be feared; to fear Him therefore is the starting point of all true wisdom; and Psalms 112 developes the thought of the happiness of the man whose life is governed by this principle. In connexion with the attribute holy in Psalms 111:9 c it may be noted that Proverbs 9:10 adds, “and the knowledge of the Holy One is discernment.” a good understanding] A.V. marg. good success, R.V. marg. good repute. The cognate verb often denotes success resulting from intelligence, and in Proverbs 3:4 the word approximates to the meaning repute, but it is best to retain the rendering understanding. Cp. Proverbs 13:15. that do his commandments] Heb. that do them; i.e. all that is implied in the fear of Jehovah. Insight is the reward of obedience. Cp. John 7:17. R.V. restores Coverdale’s that do thereafter. his praise standeth fast for ever] All the attributes of Jehovah which demand man’s praise are, like His righteousness (Psalms 111:3), eternal. Thus the Psalmist rounds off his song by returning to the thought with which he began it, and gives the reason for the Hallelujah prefixed to it.

The fear of the Lord - Reverence for God; respect for his law, his will, his government, himself; the fear of offending him, which will lead us to do right.

10. The beginning of wisdom—Not only in the sense of order of time, but also as chief or first in dignity. See Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 4:7, where the same word, “beginning,” occurs.