Psalms 119:157 (DBY)

Passage

Many are my persecutors and mine oppressors; I have not declined from thy testimonies.

Nearby Context

Psalms 119:155 Salvation is far from the wicked; for they seek not thy statutes.

Psalms 119:156 Many are thy tender mercies, O Jehovah; quicken me according to thy judgments.

Psalms 119:157 Many are my persecutors and mine oppressors; I have not declined from thy testimonies.

Psalms 119:158 I beheld them that deal treacherously, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.

Psalms 119:159 See how I have loved thy precepts: quicken me, O Jehovah, according to thy loving-kindness.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "persecutors", "mine", "oppressors", "declined", and "testimonies". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "persecutors" and "mine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 156's "Many are thy tender mercies O Jehovah..." into verse 158's "I beheld them that deal treacherously and...", so "persecutors" and "mine" 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 "persecutors" and "mine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.