Psalms 118:19 (ASV)

Passage

Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto Jehovah.

Nearby Context

Psalms 118:17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of Jehovah.

Psalms 118:18 Jehovah hath chastened me sore; But he hath not given me over unto death.

Psalms 118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto Jehovah.

Psalms 118:20 This is the gate of Jehovah; The righteous shall enter into it.

Psalms 118:21 I will give thanks unto thee; for thou hast answered me, And art become my salvation.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "open", "gates", "righteousness", "enter", "give", "thanks", and "jehovah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "open" and "gates", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Jehovah hath chastened me sore But he..." into verse 20's "This is the gate of Jehovah The...", so "open" and "gates" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "open" and "gates" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.