The Meaning of Psalms 119:59 Explained

Psalms 119:59

KJV: I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

YLT: I have reckoned my ways, And turn back my feet unto Thy testimonies.

Darby: I have thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

ASV: I thought on my ways, And turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I thought  on my ways,  and turned  my feet  unto thy testimonies. 

What does Psalms 119:59 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 119:59 mean?

I thought about my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies
חִשַּׁ֥בְתִּי דְרָכָ֑י וָאָשִׁ֥יבָה רַ֝גְלַ֗י אֶל־ עֵדֹתֶֽיךָ

חִשַּׁ֥בְתִּי  I  thought 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
דְרָכָ֑י  about  my  ways 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, first person common singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
וָאָשִׁ֥יבָה  and  turned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
רַ֝גְלַ֗י  my  feet 
Parse: Noun, fdc, first person common singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
עֵדֹתֶֽיךָ  Your  testimonies 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֵדָה  
Sense: testimony, witness.