Psalm 119: Investigation and Commentary, by Skip Moen, D.Phil

When I considered writing about the 119th Psalm, I was a little overwhelmed with the task. The psalm is, of course, the longest and perhaps the most complex given its linguistic and poetic structure. But it is also a psalm which is often taken piecemeal. We cite a few verses without recognizing the overall themes and the continuous loops in the whole masterpiece. These are the things I wanted to explore. I’ve tried to do that by looking at every verse, often with reflections on previous sections, and at the same time, commenting on these verses in terms of their impact on the believer. I hope you will find the effort enlightening and inspiring.

As is my usual investigative process, I will look at each verse, sometimes more than once, examining a particularly important word or phrase in its Hebraic context. I’ll provide the Hebrew with multiple translations in an attempt to explain why the author chose this particular word and what it would have meant to the original audience. Then I’ll give my own interpretation of the text offering some modern applications.

So, let’s begin, one verse at a time, and see what we learn, what we feel, and how we grow.