Psalms 118:9 (DRB)

Passage

By what doth a young man correct his way? by observing thy words.

Nearby Context

Psalms 118:7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned the judgments of thy justice.

Psalms 118:8 I will keep thy justifications: O! do not thou utterly forsake me.

Psalms 118:9 By what doth a young man correct his way? by observing thy words.

Psalms 118:10 With my whole heart have I sought after thee: let me not stray from thy commandments.

Psalms 118:11 Thy words have I hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "doth", "young", "correct", "observing", and "words". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "doth" and "young", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "I will keep thy justifications O do..." into verse 10's "With my whole heart have I sought...", so "doth" and "young" 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 "doth" and "young" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.