John Calvin Commentary Psalms 119:55

"I have remembered thy name, O Jehovah, in the night, And have observed thy law." — Psalms 119:55 (ASV)

By night I remembered your name, O Jehovah! As the second clause of the verse depends on the first, I consider the whole verse as setting forth one and the same truth. Therefore, the prophet means that he was motivated by his remembrance of God to keep the law.

Contempt of the law originates in this: that few have any regard for God. Thus, the Scripture, in condemning human impiety, declares that they have forgotten God (Psalms 50:22; Psalms 78:11; Psalms 106:21). To rectify this, David teaches that the remembrance of God is the only remedy for preserving us in His fear and in the observance of His law. Assuredly, as often as His majesty occurs to our minds, it will tend to humble us, and the very thought of it will move us to cultivate godliness.

The word night is not intended by him to mean remembering God merely for a short time, but a perpetual remembrance of Him. He, however, refers to that season in particular because then almost all our senses are overpowered by sleep. The prophet says, “When other people are sleeping, God occurs to my thoughts during my sleep.”

He has another reason for alluding to the night season, so that we may understand that even though there was no one to observe him and no one to remind him of it—indeed, even though he was shrouded in darkness—he was still as diligent in cherishing the remembrance of God as if he occupied the most public and conspicuous place.