Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
Parallel translations
- WEB You are good, and do good. Teach me your statutes.
- BSB You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your 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 art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
- Ps 106:1Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
- Exod 34:6–7And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
- Ps 86:5For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
- Matt 19:17And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
- Ps 107:1O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
- Matt 5:45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
- Exod 33:18–19And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
- Luke 18:19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
- Ps 25:8–9Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
- Mark 10:18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
- Isa 63:7I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
- Ps 119:26I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
- Ps 145:7–9They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.