With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Psalm 119:10 NASB Let me wander – “The loving care of the Father in heaven is shown by the fact that he hears all prayers, that there is no seeking without finding and no knocking without opening.”[1] Is Lohmeyer right? Is…
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. Psalm 119:9 NASB How – The poet continues the acrostic with a sequence where every verse begins with bet. You won’t see this in the English translation, so here it is in Hebrew: בַּמֶּ֣ה יְזַכֶּה־נַּ֖עַר אֶת־אָרְח֑וֹ לִ֜שְׁמֹ֗ר כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ בְּכָל־לִבִּ֥י דְרַשְׁתִּ֑יךָ אַל־תַּ֜שְׁגֵּ֗נִי מִמִּצְוֹתֶֽיךָ…
I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly abandon me! Psalm 119:8 NASB Utterly abandon – The Hebrew text isn’t exactly like this English translation. The syntax in Hebrew is “not forsake me even with power.” “Utterly abandon” might capture the emotion but what’s interesting is the implication that God would deliberately, and with strength, leave…
I will give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments. Psalm 119:7 NASB Uprightness – It’s not a familiar English word although we have no trouble reading it. But what exactly does “uprightness” mean? Alter translates yōšer as “honest.” That’s better if we understand the literal meaning of the term….
Then I will not be ashamed when I look at all Your commandments. Psalm 119:6 NASB Not be ashamed – It’s worth reiterating the difference between our contemporary, psychological idea of “shame” and the ancient Hebrew idea. As we’ve discovered before: The primary meaning of this root is “to fall into disgrace, normally through failure, either…
Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes! Psalm 119:5 NASB 1995 Oh that – Pay attention to the first word in this aleph sequence: ʾaḥlâ אַחלָה It’s an emotional outburst. “Ah that!” is the TWOT rendering. Alter renders the verse: “Would that my ways be firm to observe Your statutes!” But notice the…
Where Were You? Today is 07/07. On my birthday this year I turned 77. I was in Mumbai, India. I never expected to have a birthday in Mumbai, and certainly not my 77th. So, on 07/07, now that I am 77, I just wanted to show you a few photos from that day. Who knows…
You have [c]ordained Your precepts, [d]that we are to keep them diligently. Psalm 119:4 NASB Precepts – Perhaps “ordained” isn’t quite the word we want. We’re more familiar with this term in regard to priests and ministers, but it has a second, and perhaps original, meaning as well. It means “to decree,” for example, when a king officially…
I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings and shall not be ashamed. Psalm 119:46 NASB Shall not be ashamed – If you’ve discovered anything at all in this vav section, it’s that each of these verses not only begins with a vav but also is a past statement of God’s faithfulness and the poet’s…
They also do no injustice; they walk in His ways. Psalm 119:3 NASB Injustice – Are those who keep God’s torah social justice activists? Well, that depends on how you translate ʿawlâ. Livingston comments: “ . . . in Hebrew the basic meaning of this root means to deviate from a right standard, to act contrary to…
