May my heart be [ag]blameless in Your statutes, so that I will not be ashamed. Psalm 119:80 NASB Blameless – Martin Luther would have rejected the psalmist’s plea outright. A blameless heart was simply a human impossibility. Calvin would have had the same reaction. In fact, virtually all the Catholic theologians of the past followed the philosophical…
May those who [af]fear You turn to me, and those who know Your testimonies. Psalm 119:79 NASB Turn to me – šûb. 1050 times this verb is used in the Tanakh. We most often think of it in terms of repentance, that is, returning to God’s ways. “The Bible is rich in idioms describing man’s responsibility…
May the arrogant be put to shame, because they lead me astray with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts. Psalm 119:78 NASB Lead me astray – How many lies have you believed? How many of your usual assumptions about life are actually based on lies? Those seem to be particularly important questions in the political…
May Your compassion come to me so that I may live, for Your Law is my delight. Psalm 119:77 NASB Compassion – “Go for it!” Yes, that’s the sense of the “May come to me Your compassion.” You’ll notice I rearranged the syntax to match the Hebrew which begins with yebō’ûnî (from the verb bôʾ. Of course,…
May Your favor [ad]comfort me, according to Your [ae]word to Your servant. Psalm 119:76 NASB Comfort – We start this investigation by noting two things: 1) the opening in Hebrew is not translated in this NASB version. That opening is necessary for the acrostic pattern. It is יְהִי־נָ֣א, with a yod, and should probably be translated “O,…
I know, Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that You have afflicted me in faithfulness. Psalm 119:75 NASB You have afflicted me – So you want to be a witness for the Lord. You want people to see you and recognize a person whose life reflects the Creator. You want your actions to speak louder than your…
May those who [ab]fear You see me and be glad, because I [ac]wait for Your word. Psalm 119:74 NASB See me – Doctrinal discussions. Statements of faith. Creeds. Tracts. Testimonies. You’ve heard them all. Perhaps too many times. Lots and lots of words. Did they really make a difference? Were you compelled to pursue God because of any…
Your hands made me and fashioned me; enable me to understand, and I shall learn Your commandments. Psalm 119:73 Chabad Fashioned – First, the acrostic section that begins with yod. יָדֶ֣יךָ עָ֖שׂוּנִי וַיְכֽוֹנְנ֑וּנִי הֲ֜בִינֵ֗נִי וְאֶלְמְדָ֥ה מִצְוֹתֶֽיךָ יְרֵאֶיךָ יִרְא֣וּנִי וְיִשְׂמָ֑חוּ כִּ֖י לִדְבָֽרְךָ֣ יִחָֽלְתִּי יָדַ֣עְתִּי יְ֖הֹוָה כִּי־צֶ֣דֶק מִשְׁפָּטֶ֑יךָ וֶֽ֜אֱמוּנָ֗ה עִנִּיתָֽנִי יְהִי־נָ֣א חַסְדְּךָ֣ לְנַֽחֲמֵ֑נִי כְּאִמְרָֽתְךָ֥ לְעַבְדֶּֽךָ יְבֹא֣וּנִי רַֽחֲמֶ֣יךָ וְאֶֽחְיֶ֑ה…
The Law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:72 NASB Is better – We missed it! If you read this verse in Hebrew you would immediately notice that the same word we found in the previous verse (ṭôb- lî, “good for me”) is the opening word in this…
It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I may learn Your statutes. Psalm 119:71 NASB Good for me – Read it again. Slowly. Pause on the first phrase. Do you really believe what the poet writes? Is it goodto be humbled, oppressed, forced into submission, punished? Before you let your theological better…
