Bible Strands
Psalms 119:120
My flesh trembles in awe of You; I stand in fear of Your judgments.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly within a poetic meditation on the law, immediately following a declaration that God discards the wicked like dross. The speaker positions himself in the aftermath of divine judgment, looking toward a plea for protection from oppressors.
The words — בְשָׂרִי (ve.sa.R/i) denotes "my flesh" and סָמַר (sa.Mar) translates literally to "it trembles," describing a physical reaction to divine presence. יָרֵאתִי (ya.Re.ti) means "I am afraid," paired with מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ (mi./mish.pa.Tei./kha) to specify fear directed toward God's judgments.
The thread — This physical terror before divine encounters echoes Daniel's loss of strength while gazing at a vision (Daniel 10:8) and Habakkuk's bodily shaking upon hearing God's voice (Habakkuk 3:16). The New Testament later notes that the terrifying sight at Sinai caused even Moses to confess, "I am trembling with fear" (Hebrews 12:21).
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that reverence for God's rulings produces a visceral, bodily response rather than mere intellectual assent. A reader must confront the reality that obedience to divine judgment requires enduring awe, not comfort.
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
My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.
Cross-references
- Daniel 10:8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless.
- Habakkuk 3:16 I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.
- Hebrews 12:21 The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
- Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
- Isaiah 66:2 Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.
- Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
- Leviticus 10:1 Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command.
- 2 Chronicles 34:21 “Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for those remaining in Israel and Judah concerning the words in the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that has been poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD by doing all that is written in this book.”
- 2 Samuel 6:8 Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
- 2 Chronicles 34:27 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.