Psalms 119:158 (KJV)

Passage

I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.

Nearby Context

Psalms 119:156 Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments.

Psalms 119:157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.

Psalms 119:158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.

Psalms 119:159 Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness.

Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beheld", "transgressors", "grieved", "kept", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beheld" and "transgressors", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 157's "Many are my persecutors and mine enemies..." into verse 159's "Consider how I love thy precepts quicken...", so "beheld" and "transgressors" 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 "beheld" and "transgressors" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.