The Meaning of Psalms 119:53 Explained

Psalms 119:53

KJV: Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.

YLT: Horror hath seized me, Because of the wicked forsaking Thy law.

Darby: Burning indignation hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked who forsake thy law.

ASV: Hot indignation hath taken hold upon me, Because of the wicked that forsake thy law.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Horror  hath taken hold  upon me because of the wicked  that forsake  thy law. 

What does Psalms 119:53 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 119:49-64 - Comforted By God's Judgments
Rays of comfort begin to steal into the psalmist's heart. Thou hast caused me to hope; this is my comfort in my affliction; thy statutes have been my songs; at midnight I will rise to give thanks. Often prayer clears itself as it proceeds. It is the repeated testimony of all who have become proficient in the art of prayer that the seasons which begin with a struggle against depression, gloom, and the sense of absence, end in triumphant joy. Jeremy Taylor puts it thus: "So have I seen a lark rising from his bed of grass and soaring upward, singing as he rises, and hoping to get to heaven and climb above the clouds; but the poor bird was beaten back by the loud sighings of an eastern wind, his motion became inconstant and irregular, till the little creature was forced to sit down and pant, and stay till the storm was over; and then it made a prosperous flight, and did rise and sing, as if it had learned music and motion from an angel, as he was passing through the air about his ministries of mercy." [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 119

1  This psalm contains various prayers, praises, and professions of obedience
2  Aleph
9  Beth
17  Gimel
25  Daleth
33  He
41  Waw
49  Zayin
57  Heth
65  Teth
73  Yodh
81  Kaph
89  Lamedh
97  Mem
105  Nun
113  Samekh
121  Ayin
129  Pe
137  Tsadhe
145  Qoph
153  Resh
161  Sin and Shin
169  Taw

What do the individual words in Psalms 119:53 mean?

Indignation has taken hold of me because of the wicked who forsake Your law
זַלְעָפָ֣ה אֲ֭חָזַתְנִי מֵרְשָׁעִ֑ים עֹ֝זְבֵ֗י תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ

זַלְעָפָ֣ה  Indignation 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: זַלְעָפָה  
Sense: burning heat, raging heat.
אֲ֭חָזַתְנִי  has  taken  hold  of  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular, first person common singular
Root: אָחוּז 
Sense: grasp, take hold, seize, take possession.
מֵרְשָׁעִ֑ים  because  of  the  wicked 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
עֹ֝זְבֵ֗י  who  forsake 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ  Your  law 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.