Psalms / Question
Psalm 1 links a person’s stability to delighting in the LORD’s instruction and meditating on it continually—“day and night” Psalm 1:2. The phrase presents steady attention to God’s instruction as the opposite of adopting corrupt counsel and habits Psalm 1:1.
In Psalm 1:2, the “blessed” person is described positively: what they enjoy and return to is Yahweh’s instruction. Their inner pleasure is not centered on other influences but on Yahweh’s law, and that delight shows up in a steady habit of reflecting on it. Psalm 1 functions as an opening doorway to the Psalms, setting out two contrasting ways of life and their outcomes (see Psalm 1:1–6). Verse 2 continues the portrait begun in verse 1 by moving from what the blessed person avoids to what they pursue.
Psalm 1:2 describes the “blessed” person by turning from what they avoid (verse 1) to what they positively want.
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with Psalms 1:2, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
2But his delight is in the law of Yahweh; On his law he meditates day and night.