Psalm 119:106
NKJV
106
I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
KJV
106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
A Vow to Walk in Righteousness
My Notes
Scripture: “I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.” — Psalm 119:106 (NKJV)
My Thoughts
David’s words reflect more than a passing intention—they reveal a life anchored in covenant. He didn’t merely resolve in his heart to obey God’s Word; he declared it with his lips and confirmed it with his life. His vow was not casual—it was solemn, deliberate, and enduring.
God’s Word is described here as righteous judgments—verdicts from the throne of heaven that distinguish truth from falsehood, good from evil. These are not suggestions or opinions; they are the dictates of divine wisdom, perfectly aligned with eternal justice. And they are the standard by which God will judge every soul.
To keep God’s judgments is to live under His authority, to walk in His ways, and to honor His truth. David understood that religion is not merely belief—it is obedience. His vow was a declaration of allegiance to the King of kings, a commitment to live by the Word that reveals both the path to life and the warning against destruction.
We too are called to such devotion. If we have professed Christ, been baptized in His name, and partaken of His table, then the vows of the Lord are upon us. We are enlisted in His service, sworn in as loyal soldiers of righteousness. And we must often remember those vows—not as burdens, but as sacred bonds of love and loyalty.
Consider:
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God’s Word judges rightly—it reveals what is true and exposes what is false.
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His judgments are righteous—they are never arbitrary, always just.
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Our response must be wholehearted—not just inward resolution, but outward confirmation.
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Obedience is our honor—to keep His Word is to walk in His divine purpose for us.
David’s vow was sustained by grace. He had kept it thus far, and he trusted God to help him keep it still. May we, too, lean on grace—not only to begin well, but to finish faithfully.
Cross Reference
“Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end.” — Psalm 119:33 (NKJV)
Questions
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What vows have you made to the Lord, and how are you keeping them today?
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How do God’s righteous judgments shape your decisions and convictions?
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What does it look like to confirm your commitment to God’s Word in this season of your life?
Prayer
Lord, Your judgments are righteous and true. I have sworn to follow You—confirm that vow in my heart each day. Strengthen me to walk in obedience, not by my own resolve, but by Your grace. Let my life reflect loyalty to Your Word and love for Your ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Summary of the Commentaries
The content reflects on Psalm 119:106, emphasizing David’s solemn commitment to obey God’s righteous judgments. The commentaries below stress the importance of this vow, highlighting that such pledges are made in God’s presence and signify a deep moral obligation. David’s resolution to adhere to God’s commandments is viewed as a serious commitment, akin to an oath, underscoring the significance of maintaining faith despite human weaknesses. Ultimately, the text illustrates the relationship between God’s Word and personal accountability, advocating for sincere dedication to God’s teachings and the transformative power of faith.
Proverb for Today
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. Proverbs 9:9-11 NKJV
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 106, which is in the 14th section, which is called “נ NUN
The website https://www.abarim-publications.com/Hebrew_Alphabet_Meaning.html defines the letter נון NUN as: The verb נון (nun) means propagate, increase. Derivative נין means offspring, posterity. The letter is often said to mean and resemble a fish, but the word nun is not used as such in the Bible. Instead, the word for fish comes from another verb which means multiply, increase: דגה (daga).
The letter nun is written ן when it occurs at the end of a word, and נ when it occurs at the beginning or halfway through a word.
……..Bill
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” Under the influence of the clear light of knowledge, he had firmly made up his mind and solemnly declared his resolve in the sight of God. Perhaps mistrusting his own fickle mind, he had pledged himself in sacred form to abide faithful to the determinations and decisions of his God. Whatever path might open before him, he was sworn to follow that only upon which the lamp of the word was shining. The Scriptures are God’s judgments, or verdicts, upon great moral questions; these are all righteous, and hence righteous men should be resolved to keep them at all hazards, since it must always be right to do right. Experience shows that the less of covenanting and swearing men formally enter upon the better, and the genius of our Savior’s teaching is against all supererogatory pledging and swearing; and yet under the gospel, we ought to feel ourselves as much bound to obey the word of the Lord as if we had taken an oath so to do. The bonds of love are no less sacred than the fetters of law. When a man has vowed he must be careful to “perform it,” and when a man has not vowed in so many words to keep the Lord’s judgments, yet is he equally bound to do so by obligations which exist apart from any promise on our part,—obligations founded in the eternal fitness of things, and confirmed by the abounding goodness of the Lord our God. Will not every believer own that he is under bonds to the redeeming Lord to follow his example, and keep his words? Yes, the vows of the Lord are upon us, especially upon such as have made profession of discipleship, have been baptized into the thrice holy name, have eaten of the consecrated memorials, and have spoken in the name of the Lord Jesus: We are enlisted, and sworn in, and are bound to be loyal soldiers all through the war. Thus, having taken the word into our hearts by a firm resolve to obey it, we have a lamp within our souls as well as in the Book, and our course will be light unto the end.
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Enduring Word
I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments. The psalmist showed a determination to obey the word of God. It was a double-decision, both sworn and confirmed.
I have sworn and confirmed: Bridges tells of a man named Pearce, who read a book titled Rise and Progress of Religion. From it, he decided that he would live a more dedicated and obedient life. He wrote out a covenant with God, and in a very serious and solemn way, he even signed it with his own blood. It wasn’t long until he started failing in his commitment to the covenant – first in small ways and then more and more. This plunged him into deep distress, almost to total despair. Then he considered that the arrangement he had made with God was actually legalistic and pharisaical, especially in the way that it relied on the power of his own vows and resolutions. So he took the covenant to the top of his house, tore it into small pieces, and threw it to the wind. He did not feel himself free from the promises themselves, only now he was of a mind to not rely on himself or his own vows, but only on the blood of Jesus Christ and the indwelling power of His Spirit. This led to a much better result, and he was close to the source of comfort and restoration when he did fail.
(David Guzik)
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Albert Barnes
I have sworn – I have solemnly purposed; I have given to this purpose the solemnity and sanction of an oath. That is, I have called God to witness; I have formed the purpose in his presence, and with the consciousness that his eye is upon me. So all who make a profession of religion solemnly vow or swear. They do it in the house of God; they do it in the presence of the Discerner of hearts; they do it at the communion table; they do it at the family altar; they do it in the closet, when alone with God.
And I will perform it – Hebrew, I will establish it, or make it to stand. It shall not be a mere purpose. It shall be accomplished. This is also the resolution of all who make a true profession of religion. It is their intention – their solemn determination – to carry out that vow to its full accomplishment, always, and in every place, while life lasts, and forever. A man who makes a profession of religion, intending “not” to carry out what is fairly implied in such a profession, is a hypocrite. Unless there is a solemn purpose to keep the law of God, and always to keep it – to do what is fairly implied in a profession of religion, and always to do it – to defend the truth according to his best means of knowing it, and always to defend it – he cannot possibly be a sincere friend of God; he cannot be truly a religious man. He cannot be loyal to his country who designs to violate any one of its just laws; he cannot be an obedient child who intends to disobey the laws of a parent.
That I will keep thy righteous judgments – Not implying that there are any of the judgments of God which are not righteous, but meaning to characterize all his judgments or laws as righteous.
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John Gill
I have sworn, and I will perform [it],…. Or, “I have performed it”. David had not only taken up a resolution in his mind, but he had openly declared with his mouth, and professed in a solemn manner, that he would serve the Lord; he had sworn allegiance to him as his King, and, through divine grace, had hitherto kept it; and hoped he ever should, and determined through grace he ever would; see Psalm 119:48;
that I will keep thy righteous judgments; the precepts of the word, the ordinances of the Lord, the doctrines of grace; all which are righteous, and to be kept, observed, and held to; though they cannot be perfectly kept unless in Christ the surety.
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Matthew Henry
The notion David had of religion; it is keeping God’s righteous judgments. God’s commands are his judgments, the dictates of infinite wisdom. They are righteous judgments, consonant to the eternal rules of equity, and it is our duty to keep them carefully.
The obligation he here laid upon himself to be religious, binding himself, by his own promise, to that which he was already bound to by the divine precept, and all little enough. “I have sworn (I have lifted up my head to the Lord, and I cannot go back) and therefore must go forward: I will perform it.“ Note,
(1.) It is good for us to bind ourselves with a solemn oath to be religious. We must swear to the Lord as subjects swear allegiance to their sovereign, promising fealty, appealing to God concerning our sincerity in this promise, and owning ourselves liable to the curse if we do not perform it.
(2.) We must often call to mind the vows of God that are upon us, and remember that we have sworn.
(3.) We must make conscience of performing unto the Lord our oaths (an honest man will be as good as his word); nor have we sworn to our own hurt, but it will be unspeakably to our hurt if we do not perform.
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Miscellaneous Comments
“Thy righteous judgments.” So David styles the word of God, because it judgeth most righteously between right and wrong, truth and falsehood. And, secondly, because according to the judgment given therein, God will act towards men. Let us take heed unto it; for the word contains God’s judgment of men and hath a catalogue of such as shall not inherit the kingdom of God, and another of such as shall dwell in God’s tabernacle; let us read and see in which of the two catalogues our two selves are; for according to that word will the judgment go.
—William Cowper.
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Additional Cross-References
Nehemiah 10:29 (KJV 1900)
29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;
John 1:9 (KJV 1900)
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
Romans 7:23 (KJV 1900)
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
1 Peter 2:7–8 (KJV 1900)
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
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נ NUN or נון NUN
105
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106
I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
107
I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
108
Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,
And teach me Your judgments.
109
My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
110
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
111
Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112
I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.
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