Psalms 119:96 (DBY)

Passage

I have seen an end of all perfection: thy commandment is exceeding broad.

Nearby Context

Psalms 119:94 I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.

Psalms 119:95 The wicked have awaited me to destroy me; [but] I attend unto thy testimonies.

Psalms 119:96 I have seen an end of all perfection: thy commandment is exceeding broad.

Psalms 119:97 MEM. Oh how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Psalms 119:98 Thy commandments make me wiser than mine enemies; for they are ever with me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seen", "perfection", "commandment", "exceeding", and "broad". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seen" and "perfection", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 95's "The wicked have awaited me to destroy..." into verse 97's "MEM Oh how I love thy law...", so "seen" and "perfection" 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 "seen" and "perfection" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.