John Gill Commentary Psalms 119:10

"With my whole heart have I sought thee: Oh let me not wander from thy commandments." — Psalms 119:10 (ASV)

With my whole heart have I sought thee
Not himself, his own honour and applause, as formal worshippers and self-righteous persons do; but the Lord and his glory, his face, his presence, and communion with him, his grace, and fresh supplies of it, to help in time of need; his doctrine, as the Targum; and to know more of it, and of him, and of his mind and will; and this he did in the most sincere manner, with all his heart and soul. The character of the good man, in (Psalms 119:2) ; the psalmist applies to himself; see (Isaiah 26:9) ; and uses it as an argument to obtain the following request:

O let me not wander from your commandments ;
the way of them. Good men are apt to go astray, as David, (Psalms 119:176) ; their hearts, their affections, and their feet, wander from, the way of their duty: there are many things which lead them aside, and cause them to turn to the right hand or the left, at least solicit them to do so; as a corrupt nature, an evil heart, a body of sin and death, the snares of the world, and the temptations of Satan; and, what is worst of all, when God leaves them to themselves, withdraws the influences of his grace, and brings them into such circumstances as expose them to going astray, which the psalmist here deprecates; "suffer me not to wander", but uphold my goings in your ways; preserve me by your grace, and keep me by your power; hold me by your right hand, and guide and direct me. Or, "cause me not to wander" ^F17 &c. a like petition to those in (Psalms 141:3) (Matthew 6:13) (Isaiah 63:17) ; with which last Kimchi compares these words.

---

FOOTNOTES:

• F17: (yngvt la) "ne errare facias me", Pagninus, Montanus.