Psalms 112

Psalm 112 is a companion to Psalm 111. Psalm 111 describes the character of God, and this psalm describes the person who fears Him and comes to share that character. It paints the blessed life: secure, generous, unafraid, and finally vindicated, while the wicked fade away.

Psalms 112:1

The psalm opens with praise and then names the happy person. This is someone who honors the LORD with reverent awe and finds joy, not burden, in His commands. Fear of God and delight in His word belong together here.

BSA: fears (“reveres, stands in awe of”): This is not terror but deep respect for who God is, and it shapes how a person lives. delights (“takes pleasure, is pleased”): Obedience flows from real pleasure in God’s ways, not grudging duty.

Hebrew: אַשְׁרֵי (ashrê, H835) — “happy, blessed.” The word is a cry of congratulation, ‘Oh the happiness of…!’ It describes a life that is truly well off in God’s eyes.

See also: Psalm 1:1-2; Psalm 111:10.

Psalms 112:2

The blessing of a godly life reaches beyond one person. His children and later generations are strengthened and favored. This is a general pattern of God’s goodness, not an automatic guarantee in every case.

BSA: descendants (“seed, offspring”): The picture is of a family line carrying forward the fruit of one person’s faithfulness.

Psalms 112:3

Provision fills the godly person’s home, but the lasting treasure is his righteousness, which outlives any wealth. Scripture elsewhere reminds us that not every faithful person is rich. The point is that God cares for those who honor Him.

BSA: endures (“stands firm, remains forever”): His righteous character stands firm when everything else passes away.

See also: Matthew 6:19-20.

Psalms 112:4

Even when life turns dark, light rises for those who are upright. The verse also describes the character of such people: gracious, compassionate and righteous. These are the very traits the previous psalm gave to God Himself.

BSA: darkness (“misery, spiritual gloom”): The darkness includes trouble and heaviness of spirit, not only the absence of daylight. compassionate (“merciful, sympathetic, full of pity”): The godly person feels the pain of others and moves to help.

See also: Psalm 111:4; Psalm 97:11.

Psalms 112:5

Life goes well for the person who gives and lends generously. He is not careless, because he runs his affairs with justice and fairness. His open hand and his honest dealing go together.

BSA: freely (“without expectation of return”): His lending is meant to help, not to squeeze out profit from someone in need.

See also: Luke 6:35.

Psalms 112:6

The righteous person will not be toppled by life’s storms. His name and his life will be held in lasting memory, while the wicked are forgotten. God keeps what is done in faith.

BSA: remembered (“had in everlasting remembrance, in memorial”): His godly life leaves a memorial that is not erased, because God Himself remembers it.

See also: Proverbs 10:7.

Psalms 112:7

He is not ruled by dread of what the next message may bring. His heart rests firmly on the LORD, so bad news does not shatter him. Trouble may still come, but fear does not take over.

BSA: steadfast (“fixed, established”): His heart is set firm like a post driven in, not blown about by every report. trusting (“having confidence, faith”): His calm comes from leaning on God, not from a lack of problems.

Hebrew: נָכוֹן (nakhon, H3559) — “fixed, firmly established.” The word pictures something set in place and made secure. A heart like this has been anchored in God and does not drift.

See also: Isaiah 26:3.

Psalms 112:8

His heart is upheld and free from fear. In the end he will look with calm on those who opposed him and see God set things right. The victory is God’s, and the believer is allowed to watch it.

BSA: assured (“established, sustained”): His heart is held up by God’s support, like a pillar that does not give way. foes (“adversaries, enemies, those who hate him”): These are people who actively oppose him, and he sees them answered by God.

See also: Psalm 27:1-3.

Psalms 112:9

He gives widely and without hoarding, like a farmer scattering seed. Because of this his righteousness lasts, and God lifts him up in honor. The apostle Paul quotes this verse when he teaches about generous giving.

BSA: scattered abroad (“dispersed, given freely”): His giving is open-handed and spread widely, not measured out grudgingly. horn (“a horn; a hill or peak”): A horn stands for strength and dignity, like an animal lifting its head in victory.

Hebrew: פִזַּר (pizzar, H6340) — “scattered, spread out.” The word is used for sowing or flinging seed. Giving to the poor is pictured as a sowing that bears lasting fruit.

See also: 2 Corinthians 9:9.

Psalms 112:10

The wicked watch the righteous being blessed and are angry, but they cannot change it. They burn with envy, then fade away, and what they longed for comes to nothing. The psalm ends by contrasting the two paths.

BSA: gnash (“rub together in anger”): It describes helpless rage, grinding the teeth in frustration at what they cannot stop. perish (“be destroyed, lost”): Their hopes and goals do not last, unlike the righteousness of the godly.

See also: Psalm 1:6.