Psalm 119:105
New Living Translation
Nun
105
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
Your written word is a light upon my feet
Brightening my steps as I walk my journey
What is the meaning of your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path?

Apart from God we are walking in the dark spiritually speaking and can only see a short distance in front of us. As we come to trust in Jesus and follow in his footsteps our path becomes easier to see and we learn from the scriptures how we should live and treat others.
What is a lamp unto our feet?
Lamp Unto My Feet was an American ecumenical religious program that was produced by CBS Television and broadcast from 1948 to 1979 on Sunday mornings. The title comes from Psalms 119: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki
How does a man keep his way pure?

The Psalmist asks thus: How can a young man keep his way pure? Thus he follows to give his answer and added considerations: Note, (1) By guarding it according to your word: The young man knows his way shall be made pure, only by guarding it according to God’s revealed will in his word.Sep 24, 2019
What Does Psalm 119:105 Mean? ►
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105(NLT)
Verse Thoughts
We journey through a fallen world with many dangerous pitfalls, slippery places, and dark foes seeking to destroy our close fellowship with our Lord, but in Psalm 119, we are given a beautiful promise and an eternal truth… that God’s Word is a gleaming lamp to our feet that will guide us through the darkness of this fallen world and it is a shining light to brighten the pathway we take.
Not only are there external difficulties and dangers to face in life’s journey, but also there are internal failings and weaknesses that lurk deep within our soul which can cause us to walk away from our ‘First Love’… but God’s Word provides a sure foundation upon which to stand in a darkened world that is falling apart.
Scripture is our secure guidebook to return us into a right relationship with the Lord when we abandon the road of righteousness or stray from the path of peace.
The Word of God is an inextinguishable lamp to guide us along the right path, and it is a radiant light that banishes the shadows of uncertainty, by illuminating the next step in this sin-soaked world.
Opening-up of the pages of Scripture will brighten the path we take, re-energise our hope in Christ, and provide understanding to the one who walks humbly before the Lord.
God’s Word is the light of truth that is written for our learning to lead us away from each shadowy danger that crosses our path and to strengthen our faith in our Saviour as He gently leads us. It lifts the darkness before us… and straightens every crooked path.
His Word not only brightens our pathway, guards us on our journey through life, and warns us of each lurking danger, but it is a treasure-trove of precious gemstones to be hidden deep within our heart – for it contains words of wisdom to guide our thinking, precious promises to encourage our hearts, godly instruction on how to live as the Lord desires us to live, and it is the perfect pattern for Christian living as well as the qualified adjudicator of our daily conduct.
The Bible is the sure Word of the living God, Who has told us the end from the beginning, and all God’s children do well to take heed to its precious pages as unto a light that shines in a dark place.
We do well to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Word of God, and to guard it within our hearts, for it is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path, and it brightens up every corner of our lives – for it is God’s instrument to lead us into holiness and to guide our feet into His way of truth.
My Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your written Word which provides me with such strength for today and great hope for tomorrow. As I step out into the darkness of this fallen world, I pray that Your Word would truly lighten the way I take and lead me in the path of righteousness. Help me to hide its truths in my heart, and may I be ready and willing to follow Your will for my life as I face the difficulties and trials that lies ahead, in the strength of Your mighty power. Thank You for Your Word of light and truth in this dark world. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.
Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/psalm-119-105
QUESTION
How is God’s Word a lamp to my feet (Psalm 119:105)?
ANSWER
Psalm 119 is a long acrostic poem dedicated singularly to honoring and proclaiming the value of God’s Word. In verse 105, the psalmist declares to the Lord, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (ESV). Just as a lamp brightens a path for our feet to walk, God’s Word provides the illumination and guidance we need to walk in this world.
The word translated “lamp” in this passage is ner in the original Hebrew. It refers to a small clay lantern with a solitary wick. The psalmist describes the Word of God as a lamp carried on his journey to distinguish the way and keep him from stumbling off course and going astray. The light of God’s Word allows us to see the right direction. It is God’s guidance for our travels through life on earth.
Proverbs 6:23 offers a companion thought: “For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.” The guidance referred to by the biblical writers is not the advice of career counselors or pop magazines but rock-solid truth for navigating difficult moral choices in a dark and fallen world.
Ideas like moral relativism, situational ethics, and subjectivism make staying on the right path all the more challenging and perplexing. Worldly voices claim, “There are many paths to God,” “There’s no such thing as absolute truth,” and “Just do what feels right to you.” If we aren’t careful about the choices we make, if we listen to these voices rather than rely on God’s illuminating truth to guide us on the right roads, we will quickly encounter grief and ruin.
Only God’s Word provides the direction we need. Second Peter 1:19 describes it as a reliable lamp shining in a dark place: “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
The apostle Paul told his young protégé, Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NLT). If we study God’s Word frequently and diligently, if we give it our full attention, it will provide us with the direction, correction, and wisdom we need to succeed in life and do the Lord’s work.
Obeying God’s Word brings blessings and rewards: “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:1–3, NLT; see also Exodus 15:26; Psalm 128:1; James 1:22–25). On his deathbed, King David told his son Solomon, “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn” (1 Kings 2:3, ESV).
God’s Word has extraordinary power, says Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Word of God is alive because He is a living God (Hebrews 3:12; 2 Corinthians 6:16). His words are full of energy, life, power, and productivity—they cause things to happen (Psalm 33:9). If we allow it to, if we don’t ignore it, God’s Word will take an active presence in our lives. We can trust the Word of God to accomplish whatever purpose God intends for it and to prosper wherever He sends it (Isaiah 55:11). For this reason, we ought to study it (2 Timothy 2:15), meditate on it (Psalm 119:97), hold firmly to it (Philippians 2:16), and hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).
Christians can say to God, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” because the Word of God is the living energy that actively provides illumination, insight, direction, and guidance for our pilgrimage through a dark and sinful world.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Psalms: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary by Longmann, Garland, & VanGemeren
More insights from your Bible study – Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
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What does it mean that “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118:26 and others)?
Why is the book of Psalms divided into five books?
Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet – The Power of the Word of God as a Lamp
I believe one of the most amazing ways we see the power of the Word of God, especially when you feel like you are in a dark place, is how it guides each and every one our steps each day. The Word says it is both a lamp and a light. Let’s look at the Word as a “lamp”.

The word “lamp” as used in this verse is from the Hebrew word “niyr“, which, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, means ‘to glisten, a candle or light’. A candle or a “glistening lamp” gives off a very small amount of visible light. It is just enough to see right in front of you.
It is not a broad, glaring amount of light, like we would see in modern day flood lights. Rather, picture what you are able to see when you are using candlelight when the power goes out, or while eating a romantic dinner with your spouse.
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When you walk through your home in a power outage using just a candle, you can see only a short distance in front of you. It doesn’t illuminate everything around you in a way that makes them clear. But it allows you to see enough.
And a Light Unto My Path – The Power of the Word of God as a Light
The other way the power of the Holy Bible is seen is by being a light to our path.
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The Hebrew word for “light” in this verse is the word “‘owr” and means “a light, bright, clear, like morning”. This is a much brighter kind of light. It is a light that is bright enough to see what it around you. It is clear like morning! It is illuminated!
It’s the kind of light you might have on your street or on your home’s walkway, so that people can walk along the path at night safely and can see any dangers that might exist around them.
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