“My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 119:120 Mean?
The psalmist describes the physical effect of encountering God's holiness: my flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.
My flesh trembleth (samar — to bristle, to shudder, to have the hair stand on end) for fear of thee — the trembling is physical. The body reacts to the awareness of God — goosebumps, shuddering, the involuntary response of a creature in the presence of its Creator. The fear (pachad — dread, terror, reverential awe) is not abstract theology. It is felt in the flesh. The body knows what the mind comprehends: God is to be feared.
And I am afraid (yare — to fear, to revere, to stand in awe) of thy judgments — the fear extends to God's judgments (mishpat — his rulings, his decrees, his judicial decisions). The psalmist is not merely afraid of God's person. He is afraid of God's pronouncements — the decisions God makes about right and wrong, reward and punishment, life and death. The judgments are weighty, and the weight produces fear.
The verse sits within Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, devoted entirely to the praise of God's word. The psalmist who celebrates the law (v.97: O how love I thy law!) also trembles before the lawgiver. The love and the fear coexist. The delight in God's word (v.111: thy testimonies are my heritage) and the dread of God's judgments are not contradictory. They are complementary: the person who truly knows the beauty of God's word also knows the terror of God's authority.
The trembling is a mark of spiritual health, not weakness. Isaiah 66:2: to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. God looks with favor on the one who trembles — because trembling indicates an accurate perception of who God is. The person who does not tremble has not yet understood what they are dealing with.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does physical trembling before God reveal about the fear of the LORD — and how is it different from abstract theology?
- 2.How can the psalmist both love God's law (v.97) and tremble at God's judgments (v.120) — and what does that combination teach?
- 3.What does Isaiah 66:2 (God looks favorably on the one who trembles at his word) add to the significance of this trembling?
- 4.Where has your encounter with God's word produced delight without trembling — and what would it mean to recover the fear?
Devotional
My flesh trembleth for fear of thee. The body shakes. The skin bristles. The hair stands. The fear of God is not just a concept you hold in your mind. It is something your body feels — the physical response of a finite creature encountering the infinite God. The flesh knows what the theology textbook describes: this God is to be feared.
And I am afraid of thy judgments. Not just afraid of God in general. Afraid of his judgments — his rulings, his decisions, his pronouncements about right and wrong. The psalmist looks at what God has decreed and trembles. Not because the judgments are unfair. Because they are real. Because they have weight. Because the God who judges does not get it wrong — and what he decides stands forever.
This verse comes from the person who wrote 176 verses celebrating God's word. The same psalmist who says 'O how love I thy law!' (v.97) says 'my flesh trembleth' (v.120). The love and the fear are not contradictory. They are the two responses of someone who has actually encountered God's word: beauty that produces delight and authority that produces trembling. If you have one without the other, you have not fully encountered the word.
The trembling is not a defect. It is the sign that you understand what you are reading. Isaiah 66:2: God looks with favor on the one who trembles at his word. The trembling is what God looks for — the recognition that his word is not a suggestion you can take or leave. It is a judgment you stand under.
Do you tremble? Not in terror that paralyzes. In reverence that sobers. Does your flesh register what your mind knows — that the God whose word you read has the authority to judge every thought, every action, every hidden motive? The trembling is not the enemy of love. It is the companion of love. And the person who loves God's word without trembling at God's judgments has not yet fully understood either.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
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