Bible Strands
Psalms 118:19
Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the Lord immediately after surviving severe discipline, requesting access to worship.
The words — The imperative פִּתְחוּ (pit.chu) commands "open," and צֶ֑דֶק (Tze.dek) specifies "righteousness," describing the nature of the gates being requested.
The thread — The request for righteous entry aligns with Isaiah 26:2’s call to open gates for a faithful nation, Revelation 22:14’s access to the city for the robed, and Psalms 9:13’s contrast with the gates of death.
Why it lands — The text states a petition for divine access followed by a vow of thanksgiving, requiring the reader to seek entry through righteousness rather than self-merit and to respond with immediate gratitude.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
Cross-references
- Isaiah 26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation may enter—one that remains faithful.
- Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.
- Psalms 9:13 Be merciful to me, O LORD; see how my enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death,
- Psalms 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.
- Psalms 66:13 I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—
- Psalms 95:2 Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.
- Psalms 116:18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,
- Isaiah 38:20 The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.
- Isaiah 38:22 And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”