Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 112

Praise ye the Lord - Margin, as in Hebrew, “Hallelujah.” See the notes at Psalms 106:1.

Blessed is the man - Hebrew, “The blessings of the man.” See the notes at Psalms 1:1. That is, Blessed, or happy, is such a person.

That feareth the Lord - In Psalms 111:10, the psalmist had referred to the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom, and had “alluded” to the success, prosperity, or happiness which attends the fear of the Lord, or true religion. This psalm is designed more fully “to illustrate” that thought.

That delighteth greatly in his commandments - See the notes at Psalms 1:2. It is a characteristic of true piety to find pleasure in the commands of God; in the commandments themselves, and in obedience to them.

His seed shall be mighty upon earth – His children; his posterity. That is, they will be prosperous, honored, and distinguished among people: distinguished for their virtues, their influence, and their success in life. This refers to what was regarded among the Hebrews as an object of great desire and is in accordance with the promises found everywhere in their Scriptures. See Psalm 25:13, note; Psalms 37:25–26, notes. Compare Genesis 12:2; Genesis 17:6; Exodus 20:6.

It is also in accordance with a general fact in the course of events. The best security for the virtue and success of children is the virtue and piety of parents; the surest inheritance pertaining to happiness, respectability, and usefulness in life is that which is derived from the example, the prayers, and the counsel of a pious father and mother.

The generation of the upright shall be blessed – The family; the children. Such promises are expected to be fulfilled generally; proper rules of interpreting language do not require that this is universally and always true.

Wealth and riches shall be in his house — The Septuagint and the Vulgate render this, “glory and riches shall be in his house.” The word, however, properly means riches or wealth, and the two terms are used apparently to convey the idea that wealth or property in “varied forms” would be in his house; that is, not merely gold and silver, but all that was understood to constitute wealth — variety of garments, articles of furniture, etc. This promise is of the same nature as that of the previous verse. It pertains to a general truth in regard to the influence of religion in promoting prosperity. (Compare the notes at 1 Timothy 4:8).

And his righteousness endureth for ever — That is, the effects of it shall be transmitted from age to age in the prosperity, the respectability, the wealth, the happiness of his descendants. It travels on from age to age, and blesses distant generations.

Unto the upright – The just; the pious; the man who fears God.

There arises light in the darkness – This is a new form of the blessing that follows the fear of the Lord, or another of the benefits that spring from true religion, and by which the pious man is distinguished from other people. The distinction is not that days of darkness will not come upon him as well as upon others, for he may be sick as others are, he may be bereaved as others are, he may lose his property as others do – since there are general laws that affect mankind in these respects. God has not promised that he will interpose to save his people from these things, but that he will save them in them.

The peculiarity in regard to those who fear God is that these things will not always continue; that they will not be overwhelmed by them; that it will not be uninterrupted and unmitigated gloom; that the sky will not always be overcast. Compare Psalm 97:11 and Job 11:17.

He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous – These words are designed to be applied to the upright man and are intended more fully to designate his character and to show why light will spring up to him when he is in darkness.

It is because his character is really pure and holy. Whatever cloud may come over it for a time, however it may be temporarily obscured, however he may be calumniated by men, or however God may for a time seem to forsake him and treat him as if he were a bad man—his character will ultimately appear as it really is.

Light will come in upon the darkness. The clouds will break away. The prejudices against him will be dispersed. Full justice will be done to his character by both man and God, and the world will see that he is a just and pious man.

See the notes on Psalm 37:5-6. Every man will ultimately be seen as he is; every man will attain the position and have the reputation that he ought to have.

A good man showeth favor - He has the means to show favor to others, or to promote their welfare, and he is disposed to do this. It is the characteristic of a good man—of a heart that is truly pious—to do good to others; to promote their welfare here, and to assist them in their endeavor to secure happiness in the world to come.

And lendeth - The original word here—לוה lâvâh—means to join oneself to anyone; to cleave to him; then, to form the union which is constituted between debtor and creditor, borrower and lender. Here it is used in the latter sense, and it means that a good man will accommodate another—a neighbor—with money, or with articles to be used temporarily and returned again. A man who always “borrows” is not a desirable neighbor; but a man who never lends—who is never willing to accommodate—is a neighbor that no one would wish to live near—a crooked, perverse, bad man. True religion will always dispose a man to do acts of kindness in any and every way possible.

He will guide his affairs - The word used here means literally to hold, contain; to hold up, or sustain; to nourish, to furnish the means of living (Genesis 45:11; Genesis 47:12; Genesis 50:21). Here it means that he would uphold or manage his business.

With discretion - Margin, “judgment;” so the Hebrew. He would do it prudently, sensibly, economically, wisely. This is, or should be, one of the characteristics of a good man. Religion prompts to this; religion will aid a man in doing this; religion will tend to check everything of a contrary nature. A man who neglects his “affairs,” who pays no attention to his business, who is indifferent whether he is successful or fails, is a man who gives precisely such evidence that he is a stranger to true religion.