You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes.
Parallel translations
- WEB You are good, and do good. Teach me your statutes.
- KJV Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
- NKJV You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes.
- NASB You are good and You do good; Teach me Your statutes.
- NLT You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God is good and does good, so the psalmist asks to be taught His statutes. It matters because God's good character is the foundation for trusting and learning His word.
Overview
The psalmist confesses that God is good in His very nature and good in all His works, then prays to learn His statutes. God's goodness assures him that His commands are good as well. This supreme goodness is displayed in the gospel, where the good God gives His own Son for our salvation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Ps 119:12Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes.
- Ps 106:1Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
- Exod 34:6–7Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
- Ps 86:5For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
- Matt 19:17“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
- Ps 107:1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
- Matt 5:45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
- Exod 33:18–19Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.”
- Luke 18:19“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.
- Ps 25:8–9Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He shows sinners the way.
- Mark 10:18“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.
- Isa 63:7I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD has done for us—the many good things for the house of Israel according to His great compassion and loving devotion.
- Ps 119:26I recounted my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.
- Ps 145:7–9They will extol the fame of Your abundant goodness and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 119:68 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.