Psalms 119:21 (LSB)

Passage

You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.

Nearby Context

Psalms 119:19 I am a sojourner in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me.

Psalms 119:20 My soul is crushed with longing For Your judgments at all times.

Psalms 119:21 You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.

Psalms 119:22 Take away reproach and contempt from me, For I observe Your testimonies.

Psalms 119:23 Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your slave muses on Your statutes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rebuke", "arrogant", "cursed", "stray", and "commandments". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rebuke" and "arrogant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "My soul is crushed with longing For..." into verse 22's "Take away reproach and contempt from me...", so "rebuke" and "arrogant" 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 "rebuke" and "arrogant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.