Bible Strands
Psalms 119:57
The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly within a structured poem focused on obedience. This declaration follows a statement of habitual obedience to divine precepts and precedes a plea for grace based on God's promise.
The words — חֶלְקִי (chel.K/i) translates literally as "my portion," while דְּבָרֶיךָ (de.va.Rei./kha) means "your words." These terms anchor the verse's dual focus on divine inheritance and human commitment.
The thread — The phrase "The LORD is my portion" recurs in Lamentations 3:24, Psalm 16:5, and Psalm 142:5. Each occurrence ties personal trust in Yahweh to steadfast hope or refuge.
Why it lands — The text asserts that Yahweh constitutes the speaker's inheritance and commands the preservation of divine instruction. A reader must acknowledge this exclusive reliance on God and commit to active obedience rather than passive belief.
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
ח CHETH. Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.
Cross-references
- Lamentations 3:24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
- Psalms 16:5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
- Psalms 142:5 I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
- Psalms 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
- Jeremiah 10:16 The Portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance—the LORD of Hosts is His name.
- Psalms 119:115 Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may obey the commandments of my God.
- Joshua 24:15 But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”
- Joshua 24:18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because He is our God!”
- Joshua 24:21 “No!” replied the people. “We will serve the LORD!”
- Joshua 24:24 So the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey His voice.”