Psalms 119:111

Heritage - Allotment; possession.

As a heritage - In Psalm 119:57 he says, God is my portion, חלקי chelki. In this he says, Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage, נחל nachal. To these he was heir; he had inherited them from his fathers, and he was determined to leave them to his family for ever. If a man can leave nothing to his child but a Bible, in that he bequeaths him the greatest treasure in the universe.

Thy testimonies - Thy law; thy revealed will; the revelation which thou hast given considered as thy solemn "testimony" as to what is true and right.

Have I taken as an heritage for ever - As my inheritance; as my property; as that which I consider to be of real and permanent value. The Hebrew word used here - נחל nachal - means to receive as a possession; to acquire; to possess as wealth; and then, to inherit. It is usually applied to the possession of the promised land as an inheritance. Here it means that the law of God was to him as such a possession. He regarded it as one does a rich inheritance. He chose it as his portion above all things else.

For they are the rejoicing of my heart - My happiness is in them. I find constant comfort in them. See Psalm 119:77, Psalm 119:92. Compare the notes at Psalm 1:2.