41
Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—
Your salvation according to Your word.
Prayer for Mercy and Salvation
My Thoughts
Psalm 119:41 expresses a heartfelt plea for divine mercy and salvation according to God’s word. David acknowledges his need for God’s merciful interventions in his life, particularly during times of distress. The commentaries below emphasize that David’s request highlights reliance on God’s grace and promises, portraying salvation as a culmination of God’s mercies. This plea is about more than mere deliverance; it signifies a deeper yearning for a personal experience of God’s provisions and blessings. David’s faith underscores the belief that these mercies are accessible through God’s word, thus reinforcing the connection between God’s mercy, salvation, and scriptural truth.
In addition to David’s desire to be taught by the Lord, he desires mercy as well. He asks the Lord for His mercy to come to him, including the ultimate mercy, which is salvation. Not being content with knowing the word, he desired the treasures of the word, the mercies and the salvation that come from knowing the Lord. The word mercies comes from the Hebrew word “hesed,” which is translated as mercy, kindness, and love.
Note: Psalm 119 is an acrostic pattern. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet; each of the 22 sections is given a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each line in that section begins with that letter. Today, we’re looking at verse 41, which is in the 6th section, which is called “VAV .ו”. According to the hebrews4christians.com website, the letter Vav (“WAW” in several versions of the Bible) is the 6th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of six. The pictograph for VAV looks a tent peg. Since VAV represents the number six, it has long been associated as the number of man in the Jewish tradition:
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Man was created on the sixth day
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Man works for six days
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The “beast” is identified as the “number of a man” – 666 (Revelation 13:18)
Since it looks like a tent peg, it is also used for connecting things. So in it we can think of the connection between spiritual and earthly matters.
……..Bill
Commentaries:
Albert Barnes
Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord – This commences a new portion of the psalm, in which each verse begins with the letter Vau (ו v, or “v”). There are almost no words in Hebrew that begin with this letter, which is properly a conjunction, and hence, in each of the verses in this section of the psalm Psalms 119:41-48 the beginning of the verse is in the original a conjunction – .ו This does not here indicate a connection, as with us the conjunction “and” would naturally do; but is a mere artificial arrangement in order that the verse may begin with that letter, and it in no manner affects the sense. The phrase “Let thy mercies come” is literally, “and thy mercies shall come,” or “and let thy mercies come.” That is, let thy mercy be manifested to me; let me experience thy mercy and thy favor.
Even thy salvation – mercy connected with salvation, or that leads to salvation.
According to thy word – According to the promises of thy word; according to the arrangements which thou hast made, and hast revealed. The only hope of mercy is that which is held out in the word of God.
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Matthew Henry
1. David’s prayer for the salvation of the Lord. “Lord, thou art my Savior; I am miserable in myself, and thou only canst make me happy; let thy salvation come to me. Hasten temporal salvation to me from my present distresses, and hasten me to the eternal salvation, by giving me the necessary qualifications for it and the comfortable pledges and foretastes of it.”
2. David’s dependence upon the grace and promise of God for that salvation. These are the two pillars on which our hope is built, and they will not fail us:-
(1.) The grace of God: Let thy mercies come, even thy salvation. Our salvation must be attributed purely to God’s mercy, and not to any merit of our own. Eternal life must be expected as the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, Jude 21. “Lord, I have by faith thy mercies in view; let me by prayer prevail to have them come to me.”
(2.) The promise of God: “Let it come according to thy word, thy word of promise. I trust in thy word, and therefore may expect the performance of the promise.” We are not only allowed to trust in God’s word, but our trusting in it is the condition of our benefit by it.
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Charles Spurgeon
“Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD.” He desires mercy as well as teaching, for he was guilty as well as ignorant. He needed much mercy and varied mercy, hence the request is in the plural. He needed mercy from God rather than from man, and so he asks for “thy mercies.” The way sometimes seemed blocked, and therefore he begs that the mercies may have their way cleared by God, and may “come“ to him. He who said, “Let there be light,” can also say, “Let there be mercy.” It may be that under a sense of unworthiness the writer feared lest mercy should be given to others, and not to himself; he therefore cries, “Bless me, even me also, O my Father.” Viewed in this light, the words are tantamount to our well-known verse
Lord, I hear of showers of blessing
Thou art scattering, full and free;
Showers, the thirsty land refreshing;
Let some droppings fall on me,
Even me.
—Elizabeth Codner, 1860.
Lord, thine enemies come to me to reproach me, let thy mercies come to defend me; trials and troubles abound, and labors and sufferings not a few approach me; Lord, let thy mercies in great number enter by the same gate, and at the same hour; for art thou not the God of my mercy?
“Even thy salvation.” This is the sum and crown of all mercies—deliverance from all evil, both now and forever. Here is the first mention of salvation in the Psalm, and it is joined with mercy: “By grace are ye saved“…Salvation is styled “thy salvation,” thus ascribing it wholly to the Lord: “He that is our God is the God of salvation.” What a mass of mercies are heaped together in the one salvation of our Lord Jesus! It includes the mercies which spare us before our conversion, and lead up to it. Then comes calling mercy, regenerating mercy, converting mercy, justifying mercy, pardoning mercy. Nor can we exclude from complete salvation any of those many mercies which are needed to conduct the believer safely to glory. Salvation is an aggregate of mercies incalculable in number, priceless in value, incessant in application, eternal in endurance. To the God of our mercies be glory, world without end.
“According to thy word.” The way of salvation is described in the word, salvation itself is promised in the word, and its inward manifestation is wrought by the word; so that in all respects the salvation which is in Christ Jesus is in accordance with the word. David loved the Scriptures, but he longed experimentally to know the salvation contained in them: he was not satisfied to read the word; he longed to experience its inner sense. He valued the field of Scripture for the sake of the treasure which he had discovered in it. He was not to be contented with chapter and verse; he wanted mercies and salvation.
Note that in the first verse of HE (Psa 119:33) the Psalmist prayed to be taught to keep God’s word, and here in VAU he begs the Lord to keep his word. In the first case, he longed to come to the God of mercies, and here he would have the Lord’s mercies come to him; there he sought grace to persevere in faith, and here he seeks the end of his faith, even the salvation of the soul.
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Enduring Word
Let Your mercies come…Your salvation according to Your word: Here, the psalmist acknowledged that mercy and salvation come from God to man through the word of God. The word of God doesn’t merely point us toward mercy and salvation, as if it were a self-help book. It actually brings mercy and salvation to us.
i. The psalmist rightly said mercies in the plural. God’s gracious mercy to us is so great that it can only be described in the plural, with mercy piled on top of mercy.
(David Guzik)
ii. “He desires mercy as well as teaching, for he was guilty as well as ignorant.” (Spurgeon)
· He needed mercy, not only teaching.
· He needed many mercies, so the request is in the plural.
· He needed mercy from God more than from man, so the request is made to God.
iii. The ancient Hebrew word here translated mercies is hesed. For centuries, it was translated with words like mercy, kindness, and love. But in 1927, a scholar named Nelson Glueck (among others) argued that the real idea behind hesed was “covenant loyalty” and not so much love or mercy. Many disagreed, and there is no good reason for changing the long-held understanding of hesed and taking it as a word that mainly emphasizes covenant loyalty (see R. Laird Harris on hesed in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). (David Guzik)
iv. “It must come to me; or I shall never come to it.” (Bridges)
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John Gill
Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord,…. Meaning not his providential mercies, but his special mercies and favours; his mercies of old, which were upon his heart and thoughts from everlasting; the sure mercies of David, or the blessings of the everlasting covenant; the spiritual blessings, wherewith the saints are blessed in Christ; the grace that was given to them in him, before the world was: these are desired by the psalmist to be remembered, shown, communicated, and applied unto him, and, as it were, that they might come into his heart and soul; which is done when the love of God is shed abroad there, when full flows of it come in, and all grace is made to abound, and every want is supplied;
[even] thy salvation, according to thy word; not temporal, but spiritual and eternal salvation; which God has appointed his people to, secured for them in covenant, promised them in Christ, whom he sent to work it out, and which is in him; and which in the effectual calling comes to the soul, being brought near and applied to a sensible sinner by the Spirit of God. Here a fresh view of interest in it, a fresh visit with it, and a restoration of the joys of it, are desired; and which salvation flows from the abundant mercy and free favor of God in Christ; and is, according to his word of promise, spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, from the beginning of the world; and may here respect the particular word of promise made to David, that God would put away his sin, and save him, and that he should not die, 2 Samuel 12:13; or his word of promise in general, to all that seek and call upon the Lord, that they shall find grace and mercy, and be saved everlastingly.
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Miscellaneous Quotes
“Let thy mercies come also unto me“ The way was blocked up with sins and difficulties, yet mercy could clear all, and find access to him, or make its own way: “Let it come,” that is, let it be performed or come to pass, as it is rendered: “Now let thy words come to pass“ (Jdg 13:12)—Hebrew, “Let it come.” Here we read, let it come home to me, for my comfort and deliverance. David elsewhere saith, “Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psa 23:6); go after him, find him out in his wanderings. So, “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” (Psa 116:12). They found their way to him though shut up with sins and dangers. —Thomas Manton.
“Thy mercies. Thy word.” We should consider here the way in which the Prophet seeks salvation from God. In this prayer, he conjoins two things, as those which uphold his confidence, viz., the mercy of God and his Word. These are to the man of faith the two strongest pillars of his hope.—Wolfgang Musculus.
“Even thy salvation,” etc. It is not any sort of delivery by any means, which the servant of God, being in straits, doth call for, or desire, but such a deliverance as God will allow, and be pleased to give in a holy way. “Let thy salvation come.” As the word of promise is the rule of our petition, so is it a pawn of the thing promised, and must be held fast till the performance come: “Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word:” and this is one reason of the petition.—David Dickson.
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Cross-References
Psalm 119:76 (KJV)
76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to thy word unto thy servant.
Psalm 119:58 (KJV)
58 I intreated thy favour with my whole heart:
Be merciful unto me according to thy word.
Psalm 119:149 (KJV)
149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness:
O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment.
Psalm 119:170 (KJV)
170 Let my supplication come before thee:
Deliver me according to thy word.
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Closing Thoughts
Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4 NKJV
Strong’s Definitions (Strong’s Definitions Legend)
Riches – הוֹן hôwn, hone; from the same as H1951 in the sense of H202; wealth; by implication, enough:—enough, for nought, riches, substance, wealth.
A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power. For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory. Proverbs 24:5-6 NASB1995
Strong’s Definitions (Strong’s Definitions Legend)
Wise – חָכָם châkâm, khaw-kawm’; from H2449; wise, (i.e. intelligent, skillful or artful):—cunning (man), subtle, (un-), wise((hearted), man).
ו VAV – Connect me to Your mercy and salvation
41
Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—
Your salvation according to Your word.
42
So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.
43
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I have hoped in Your ordinances.
44
So shall I keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.
45
And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.
46
I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed.
47
And I will delight myself in Your commandments,
Which I love.
48
My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love,
And I will meditate on Your statutes.
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