What Does Psalms 119:20 Mean?

My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. This verse expresses intense spiritual hunger. My soul breaketh (garsah nafshi, גָּרְסָה נַפְשִׁי) uses a verb meaning to crush, break, or shatter—depicting overwhelming, almost painful desire. The psalmist's innermost being (nephesh, נֶפֶשׁ) is consumed with longing (ta'avah, תַּאֲבָה), a word often describing craving or intense yearning. This is not casual interest but desperate hunger for God's judgments (mishpatekha, מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ), His authoritative decisions and moral verdicts.

The phrase at all times (bekhol-et, בְּכָל־עֵת) indicates constant, unrelenting desire—not intermittent interest but continuous craving. This echoes Jesus' beatitude: 'Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness' (Matthew 5:6). Such intense spiritual appetite is evidence of new birth; the unregenerate neither desire nor delight in God's law (Romans 8:7). As newborn babies crave milk, so believers should crave spiritual food (1 Peter 2:2).