Turn my eyes away from looking at what is worthless, and revive me in Your ways. Psalm 119:37 NASB Worthless – “That the primary meaning of šāwʾ is ‘emptiness, vanity’ no one can challenge. It designates anything that is unsubstantial, unreal, worthless, either materially or morally. Hence, it is a word for idols (in the same way…
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to dishonest gain. Psalm 119:36 NASB Dishonest gain – What is the strategy that prevents humanity from seeking profit by unrighteous means? Ah, the answer is simple. History! Incline your heart to God’s testimonies. What are those? You’ll recall that “testimonies” is the plural of ʿēdût, a word that…
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Psalm 119:35 NASB Make me – What do you suppose would happen if you asked God to make you do something? If He responded to that request, do you think there is any chance it wouldn’t happen? Could you resist the ultimate omnipotence…
Give me understanding, so that I may comply with Your Law and keep it with all my heart. Psalm 119:34 NASB Understanding – Do you find this request a bit odd? The general pattern of God’s instructions in Torah do not require explanation. In fact, the methodology of Torah learning is not about figuring out why God asks what…
Teach me, the way of Your statutes, Lord, and I shall comply with it to the end. Psalm 119:33 NASB To the end – The next acrostic begins each verse with hey (ה). The entire section looks like this: הוֹרֵ֣נִי יְ֖הֹוָה דֶּ֥רֶךְ חֻקֶּ֗יךָ וְאֶצְּרֶ֥נָּה עֵֽקֶב הֲבִינֵנִי וְאֶצְּרָ֥ה תֽ֜וֹרָתֶ֗ךָ וְאֶשְׁמְרֶ֥נָּה בְכָל־לֵֽב הַדְרִיכֵנִי בִּנְתִ֣יב מִצְוֹתֶ֑יךָ כִּ֖י ב֥וֹ חָפָֽצְתִּי…
I shall run the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart. Psalm 119:32 NASB Enlarge – The Hebrew verb rāḥab has two completely different sematic contexts. The first is used with open spaces like broad plains. The second, as we find here, is about the physical body. “ . . its most frequent…
I cling to Your testimonies; Lord, do not put me to shame! Psalm 119:31 NASB Put me to shame – In order to feel the impact of the psalmist’s plea, we must notice his use of dābaq, the word first found in Genesis 2:24. Looking back a few verses, we see the poet’s deliberate allusion to…
I have chosen the faithful way; I have [l]placed Your judgments before me. Psalm 119:30 NASB Placed – What does “I have placed” really mean? TWOT notes the difficulty with this word in translation: “The use of šāwâ in Ps 119:30 is open to question. Is it, ‘Your judgments have I “placed” before me,’(šāwâ II); or, ‘Your…
Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your Law. Psalm 119:29 NASB False way – dĕrĕk šĕqĕr. We know dĕrĕk, the common Hebrew word for the pathway of life, the journey we travel from birth to death, and, in particular, the right road of God. Now we add šĕqĕr. “šāqar [the root…
My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word. Psalm 119:28 NASB Weeps – The psalmist likes unusual words. That’s stock and trade for poetry. It makes the reader pay attention. So, here he uses dālap, found in only two other places (Job 16:20 and Ecclesiastes 10:18). The context tells us that once it…
