and on His law he meditates day and night
Meditation here implies a deep, continuous reflection and internalization of God's Word. The Hebrew word for meditate suggests a murmuring or speaking to oneself, indicating an active engagement with the text. This practice was common in ancient Israel, where oral tradition played a significant role. The phrase "day and night" signifies consistency and dedication, suggesting that the righteous person is constantly guided by God's Word. Joshua 1:8 similarly emphasizes the importance of meditating on the Law for success and prosperity. This meditation is not passive but transformative, aligning one's life with God's will, much like how Jesus, the Word made flesh, lived in perfect obedience to the Father.

The opening contrast ties directly back to Psalm 1:1. After describing the blessed person’s refusal to “walk in the counsel of the wicked,” the word “But” signals a decisive turn: instead of being shaped by ungodly voices, the righteous person lives by a different influence.

• Psalm 1:1–2 forms a single flow—first what the blessed man refuses, then what he embraces.

• Romans 12:2 reminds us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” echoing the same contrast.

Delight speaks of deep pleasure, not mere duty. The godly don’t view Scripture as an obligation to be checked off but as their joy.

• Psalm 119:16: “I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”

• Jeremiah 15:16: “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.”

Notice the emotional pull: God’s words satisfy the heart more than entertainment, success, or possessions.

“Law” (Torah) here embraces all of God’s revealed instruction, not only legal codes. To delight in the Law is to delight in God Himself, because the Law expresses His character.

• Psalm 19:7–8 celebrates this same truth: “The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul… the precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.”

• 2 Timothy 3:16 affirms that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” underscoring Scripture’s divine origin and practical value.

The repetition (“Law… law”) drives home the centrality of Scripture. Everything in the blessed person’s life funnels back to God’s revealed truth.

• Deuteronomy 6:6–7 urges Israel to keep God’s words “on your heart” and “talk about them when you sit… walk… lie down… rise,” the same all-of-life focus Psalm 1 describes.

• Colossians 3:16 parallels the point for believers: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

Meditation is active, vocal pondering—murmuring God’s word to oneself, chewing it over until it shapes thoughts and actions.

Helpful ways to meditate:

• Read aloud slowly, emphasizing different words.

• Paraphrase the verse in your own words.

• Pray the truths back to God, thanking Him for each phrase.

Cross references:

• Joshua 1:8 commands, “This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.”

• Psalm 119:97: “Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation.”

The phrase covers the entire span of time—an idiom for constancy. Scripture fills the margins of life, not just the formal moments.

• Psalm 42:8 speaks of the LORD commanding His lovingkindness “in the daytime, and in the night His song is with me.”

• Luke 18:7 notes that God answers “His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night,” showing continual dependence aligns with continual meditation.

• Psalm 1:2 paints the blessed person as one captivated by God’s word, turning from worldly counsel to savor Scripture.

• Delight, not drudgery, drives the relationship, proving Scripture is a source of joy.

• Meditation makes that delight practical—actively dwelling on the word until it shapes every decision.

• The round-the-clock rhythm (“day and night”) shows that God’s truth is meant to saturate all of life.

Living this way produces the stability, fruitfulness, and prosperity described in the next verse, evidencing that God’s word, taken literally and loved wholeheartedly, is the pathway to true blessing.

The positive side of a good man's character is now described according to the standard which prevailed when the written law first came truly into force.

In the law of Jehovah is his delight.--Or, to the law of Jehovah is his inclination. The Hebrew word means primarily "to bend."

Meditate.--Literally, murmur (of a dove, Isaiah 38:14; of men lamenting, Isaiah 16:7; of a lion growling, Isaiah 31:4; of muttered charms, Isaiah 8:19). (Comp. Joshua 1:8, which might have suggested this). . . .

(1) He delights in the Law (camp. Psalm 109:16, 47, 77; Romans 7:22).

(2) He constantly mediates in it. The "Law" intended - תורה, not התּורה - is probably not the mere Law of Moses, but God's law, as made known to man in any way. Still, the resemblance of the passage to Joshua 1:8 shows the Law of Moses to have been very specially in the writer's thoughts. In his Law doth he meditate day and night; compare, besides Joshua 1:8, the following: Psalm 63:6; Psalm 119:15, 48, 78, 97. Constant meditation in God's Law has characterized all saint.

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