In Psalm 119 verse 126, Who are "they" and What specifically is the voided "Law"?

Question

In the King James Version of Tehillim, we read :

Psalm 119:126 [KJV]

"It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for [they] have made [void - thy law]."

Who are "they" and What [specifically] is the voided "Law" in Psalm 119 verse 126?

• Does "Thy Law" refer to All of His Commandments from [verse 6]?
• Psalm 119:6 [KJV] "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto [All] thy [Commandments]."

Answer 1

A few verses earlier, we have:

119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
therefore I love your statutes.

The "they" refers to the wicked people of the earth.

From the opening of the psalm, we have:

1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.

The "law" refers to the law of the Lord.

The whole psalm with 176 verses talks in terms of generalities. I don't think the psalmist was trying to be specific.

Answer 2

Ps 119:126 is part of a series of similar verses that ask God to act in order to remove the lawless; for example:

• Ps 94:3 - How long, LORD, shall the wicked— How long shall the wicked triumph?
• Ps 4:2 - You sons of man, how long will my honor be treated as an insult? How long will you love what is worthless and strive for a lie? Selah
• Num 14:11 - And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?
• Dan 8:13 - Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?”
• Ps 89:14 - How long, LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire?

In Ps 119:126 we have another case where the Psalmist is pleading with God to stop the wicked and assert His divine justice for all to see. Ps 73 is an extended hymn on this subject of "When will you Acts, O LORD?" The entire stanza of "Ayin" has this same theme -

121 I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.

122 Ensure Your servant’s well-being; do not let the arrogant oppress me.

123 My eyes fail, looking for Your salvation, and for Your righteous promise.

124 Deal with Your servant according to Your loving devotion, and teach me Your statutes.

125 I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies.

126 It is time for the LORD to act, for they have broken Your law.

127 Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even the purest gold.

128 Therefore I admire all Your precepts and hate every false way.

Thus, we see a contrast between the frustration of the righteous of love God's law and the arrogance of the wicked who appear to prosper despite having contempt for the law, or "voiding" the law, or regarding the law as worthless, or ignoring the law.