The Meaning of Psalms 112:5 Explained

Psalms 112:5

KJV: A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

YLT: Good is the man -- gracious and lending, He sustaineth his matters in judgment.

Darby: It is well with the man that is gracious and lendeth; he will sustain his cause in judgment.

ASV: Well is it with the man that dealeth graciously and lendeth; He shall maintain his cause in judgment.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

A good  man  sheweth favour,  and lendeth:  he will guide  his affairs  with discretion. 

What does Psalms 112:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 112:1-10 - Prosperity In Serving The Lord
Here are the two conditions of the blessed life: first, to fear the Lord; second, to delight greatly in His commandments. And then the blessed results: a mighty seed; a blessed generation; wealth and riches; enduring influence; light amid darkness; and many suchlike things. The psalm is replete with the beatitudes that alight on the heart of the man who lives for God alone.
Around us may be the encircling gloom, in which evil men and tidings lurk as savages in the shadow of the forest, but within there is the blessed sense of the presence of God, like the circle of fire within which the traveler is secure. The voice of God assures him that he shall never be moved, and the heart is so established that it cannot yield to fear. It is good to have that quiet, unperturbed confidence in God. Moses had it at the Red Sea, Exodus 14:13; Asa, before the overwhelming hosts that threatened to submerge his little army, 2 Chronicles 14:9-12; Jehoshaphat, when confronted by the hordes of Ammon, 2 Chronicles 20:12; and Hezekiah, when the Assyrian threatened to invade Judah, 2 Chronicles 32:6-8. Such a life is full of the "Hallelujah Chorus," in accord with the opening note of the psalm. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 112

1  Godliness has the promises of this life
4  And of the life to come
10  The prosperity of the godly shall be an eyesore to the wicked

What do the individual words in Psalms 112:5 mean?

Good a man deals graciously and lends He will guide his affairs with discretion
טֽוֹב־ אִ֭ישׁ חוֹנֵ֣ן וּמַלְוֶ֑ה יְכַלְכֵּ֖ל דְּבָרָ֣יו בְּמִשְׁפָּֽט

טֽוֹב־  Good 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
אִ֭ישׁ  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
חוֹנֵ֣ן  deals  graciously 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: חָנַן 
Sense: to be gracious, show favour, pity.
וּמַלְוֶ֑ה  and  lends 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: לָוָה 
Sense: to join, be joined.
יְכַלְכֵּ֖ל  He  will  guide 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כּוּל  
Sense: to seize, contain, measure.
דְּבָרָ֣יו  his  affairs 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
בְּמִשְׁפָּֽט  with  discretion 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.