Psalm 119:93
NKJV
93
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.
KJV
93 I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.
Never Forget the Word That Gave You Life
My Notes
Scripture: “I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.” — Psalm 119:93 (ESV)
The deepest proof of our love for God’s Word is found not merely in our reading or reciting—but in our refusal to forget it. When a divine truth has truly stirred our soul, it leaves a lasting imprint. We may memorize verses and rehearse them in our minds, yet they can still slip away. But when the Word has quickened us—revived our spirit, awakened our hope—it becomes unforgettable.
Experience is a faithful teacher in spiritual things. David in Psalm 119:93 fights against forgetfulness, not with fear, but with confidence—because he knows the life-giving power of Scripture firsthand. What revives the heart also revives the memory.
God’s Word is not static—it is alive. It speaks, it pursues, it embraces. It is not bound by time or culture; it is eternal. David could never forget the Word that transformed his character, lifted his condition, and opened before him a path of everlasting glory.
The impressions left by the Lord’s Word do not fade quickly. Saints are careful to remember the truths that have sustained them, knowing they may need them again in future trials. David doesn’t credit the precepts themselves, but the Lord who used them to breathe life into his soul. He honors the source while treasuring the vessel.
Regardless of the circumstances he found himself in, David’s memory of God’s Word remains. And so it is with us—if the Word has truly quickened us, we will not forget it. Even if the exact phrasing fades, the spiritual imprint remains. And that is enough.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your living Word that speaks life into my soul. Help me to treasure it, remember it, and let it shape me. May I never forget the truths that have revived me, and may they continue to guide me through life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Takeaway Thought: The Word that gives life also gives memory. What God has used to awaken your soul will not be easily forgotten—because it lives in you.
SUMMARY
David in Psalm 119:93 reflects a deep commitment to remembering God’s precepts, citing their life-giving power. The commentaries below emphasize that experiencing the transformative effects of divine teachings makes them unforgettable. The precepts offer spiritual revival and strength, particularly during afflictions. David’s resolution underscores the eternal significance of adhering to God’s laws as a means of spiritual life and guidance, reinforcing the idea that true understanding and memory of these precepts arise from personal experience and faith.
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 93, which is in the 12th section, which is called “Lamed ל”. The website https://www.abarim-publications.com/Hebrew_Alphabet_Meaning.html defines the meaning of the letter Lamed ל as: “The verb למד (lamad) means learn or teach. Derivative תלמיד (talmid) means scholar (hence Talmud), and derivative מלמד means ox goad. The letter lamed is said to look like such a device, and when Jesus says to Saul, “it is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14), He may hint at Saul’s learning rather than coercion.
……..Bill
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.” When we have felt the quickening power of a precept, we never can forget it. We may read it, learn it, repeat it, and think we have it, and yet it may slip out of our minds; but if it has once given us life or renewed that life, there is no fear of its falling from our recollection. Experience teaches, and teaches effectually. How blessed a thing it is to have the precepts written on the heart with the golden pen of experience, and graven on the memory with the divine stylus of grace. Forgetfulness is a great evil in holy things; we see here the man of God fighting against it, and feeling sure of victory because he knew the life-giving energy of the word in his own soul. That which quickens the heart is sure to quicken the memory.
It seems singular that he should ascribe quickening to the precepts, and yet it lies in them and in all the words of the Lord alike. It is to be noted that when the Lord raised the dead, he addressed to them the word of command. He said, “Lazarus, come forth,” or “Maid, arise.” We need not fear to address gospel precepts to dead sinners, since by them the Spirit gives them life. Remark that the Psalmist does not say that the precepts quickened him, but that the Lord quickened him by their means: thus, he traces the life from the channel to the source, and places the glory where it is due. Yet at the same time, he prized the instruments of the blessing and resolved never to forget them. He had already remembered them when he likened himself to a bottle in the smoke, and now he feels that whether in the smoke or in the fire, the memory of the Lord’s precepts shall never depart from him.
______________________________________________________
Enduring Word
I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life: The psalmist remembered the life-giving power and character of God’s word. It was this life that strengthened him in the season of affliction. (Guzik)
i. God’s word brings life because it is alive. “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me. The Bible is not antique or modern. It is eternal.” (Luther, cited in Boice)
______________________________________________________
Albert Barnes
I will never forget thy precepts – Thy laws; thy truth. I will bear them in mind forever. To all eternity, they shall be the object of my meditation.
For with them thou hast quickened me – By them thou hast given me life, spiritual life. Compare the notes at James 1:18. This is stated as a reason why he would never suffer the truth of God to pass out of his mind. By that truth, he had been made really to live. He had been brought from spiritual death to spiritual life. He saw before him now, as the result of that, an endless career of blessedness. How could he ever forget what had worked such a change in his character and condition, which had inspired such hopes; which had opened before him such an immortal career of glory!
______________________________________________________
John Gill
I will never forget thy precepts,…. Not the precepts of the moral law, though he carefully observed and attended to them, laid them up in his mind, and did not forget to keep them; but the doctrines of the word, of the word which the Lord commanded to a thousand generations; these he endeavored to remember, and not let them slip from him, since it follows:
for with them thou hast quickened me: not with the precepts of the moral law, which cannot give life, quicken a dead sinner, nor comfort a distressed saint it is the killing letter, and the ministration of condemnation and death: but the doctrines of the word, of the Gospel, which are spirit and life; the savor of life unto life, the means of quickening dead sinners, and of reviving drooping saints; of refreshing their spirits, and cheering their souls, when in distress: and when they are made thus useful, they are not easily forgotten, they leave impressions which do not soon wear off; and besides, saints are careful to remember such words and truths, which have been of use unto them, since they may have occasion for them again.
______________________________________________________
Matthew Henry
1. A very good resolution: “I will never forget thy precepts, but will always retain a remembrance of and regard to thy word as my rule.” It is a resolution for perpetuity, never to be altered. Note, the best evidence of our love for the word of God is never to forget it. We must resolve that we will never, at any time, cast off our religion, and never, upon any occasion, lay aside our religion, but that we will be constant to it and persevere in it.
2. A very good reason for it: “For by them thou hast quickened me; not only they are quickening, but,”
(1.) “They have been so to me; I have found them so.” Those speak best of the things of God who speak by experience, who can say that by the word the spiritual life has been begun in them, maintained and strengthened in them, excited and comforted in them.
(2.) “Thou hast made them so;” the word of itself, without the grace of God, would not quicken us. Ministers can but prophesy upon the dry bones, they cannot put life into them; but, ordinarily, the grace of God works by the word and makes use of it as a means of quickening, and this is a good reason why we should never forget it, but should highly value what God has put such honor upon, and dearly love what we have found and hope still to find such benefit by. See here what is the best help for bad memories, namely, good affections. If we are quickened by the word, we shall never forget it; nay, that word that does really quicken us to and in our duty is not forgotten; though the expressions be lost, if the impressions remain, it is well.
______________________________________________________
Miscellaneous Comments
“Thou hast quickened me.” Leave not off reading the Bible till you find your hearts warmed. Read the word, not only as a history, but labour to be affected with it. Let it not only inform you, but inflame you. “Is not my word like a fire? saith the Lord:” Jer 23:29. Go not from the word till you can say as those disciples, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us?” Luk 24:32.
—Thomas Watson.
______________________________________________________
Cross-References
Psalm 119:16 (KJV)
16 I will delight myself in thy statutes:
I will not forget thy word.
John 6:63 (KJV)
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
1 Peter 1:23 (KJV)
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
John 8:31 (KJV)
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
______________________________________________________
Proverb for Today
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife. Proverbs 26:20-21 NKJV
Lamed ל: Saved by the word settled in heaven.
89
Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven.
90
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
91
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.
92
Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
93
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.
94
I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
95
The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will consider Your testimonies.
96
I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
- Exploring the Beauty of Psalms: Insights and Commentaries
- Monthly Breakdown of Our Blog Content
- Psalms Commentary: Faith and Inspiration
Leave a Reply