Psalms 119:17 (KJV)

What does Psalms 119:17 mean?

Psalms 119:17 is a prayer for God’s generous help. The speaker asks for life with a purpose: to continue living in a way that follows what God has said.

The speaker calls himself God’s “servant,” placing the request within a relationship of service. “Deal bountifully” pictures the generous treatment the speaker seeks from the one he serves.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 119:17

• “Deal bountifully” — גָּמַל (gamal): This word can mean to deal with someone or to treat them in a certain way. Here, the request is for generous treatment, not merely for a small favor.
• “keep” — שָׁמַר (shamar): This word can mean to guard or watch over something, as well as to observe it. In this verse, “keep thy word” carries the sense of paying careful attention to God’s instruction and following it.
• “word” — דָּבָר (davar): This word can mean a spoken word, a message, or a matter. Here, “thy word” points to what God has communicated, rather than to a single word.

Why Psalms 119:17 matters

• The request joins receiving and doing. The speaker asks God to act first, and then names keeping God’s word as the purpose of continued life.
• The speaker’s request for help continues in the next verse, where the speaker asks for open eyes to see “wondrous things” in God’s law. That connection shows why understanding God’s instruction matters alongside keeping it.
• “GIMEL” marks the beginning of a new section of the psalm. The verses in this section begin with the same Hebrew letter, giving the prayer a patterned form.