The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments is everlasting. Psalm 119:160 Sum – The head of the year. The chief of the tribe. The top of the mountain. The corner stone. The first of Mankind. rōʾš, and all its derivatives, are found more than 750 times in Scripture, with a wide…
Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, Lord, according to Your faithfulness. Psalm 119:159 NASB Consider – What does the Hebrew rāʾâ imply? Does it mean “to bring to mind (consider)”? Or does it mean something more? Perhaps you recognize the root, “to see.” It also means “to look at” and “to inspect.” The translation “consider”…
I see the treacherous and loathe them, because they do not keep Your word. Psalm 119:158 NASB Loathe – “Loathe” is not a verb we use often. That might be because it came into the English language only a few hundred years ago, or it might be because it has such an overpowering meaning that we shy away…
Many are my persecutors and my enemies, yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies. Psalm 119:157 NASB Persecutors – The Beatitudes are not Greek blessings. They are Hebrew character descriptions. If you don’t connect this verse in the Psalms with Yeshua’s remarks on the hillside, you’ve missed something important for both verses. Let’s start with Matthew…
Great are Your mercies, Lord; revive me according to Your judgments. Psalm 119:156 NASB Mercies – The first thing you need to know about God is His compassion. The second thing you need to know is that you can’t completely understand His compassion unless you’re a mother. Why? Because the Hebrew term raḥămîm isn’t just about…
Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes. Psalm 119:155 NASB Far from – As you know, English translations often rearrange the Hebrew syntax so that the resulting statements are grammatically correct. When this happens, the emphasis and contrasts of Hebrew are typically lost. In a way, it’s inevitable since transitioning from…
Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word. Psalm 119:154 NASB Redeem – The close-by-ness God listens. In fact, He listens even when we argue. That’s the sense of “plead my cause” (rîbā(h)’ rîbî). You might understand it better if we didn’t use synonyms: “Argue my argument.” The word is used twice. The…
Look at my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your Law. Psalm 119:153 NASB רְאֵה־עָנְיִ֥י וְחַלְּצֵ֑נִי כִּֽי־ת֜וֹרָֽתְךָ֗ לֹ֣א שָׁכָֽחְתִּי Look at my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your Law. רִיבָ֣ה רִ֖יבִֽי וּגְאָלֵ֑נִי לְאִמְרָֽתְךָ֥ חַיֵּֽנִי Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word. רָח֣וֹק מֵֽרְשָׁעִ֣ים יְשׁוּעָ֑ה כִּֽי־חֻ֜קֶּ֗יךָ לֹ֣א דָרָֽשׁוּ Salvation is far…
You are near, Lord, and all Your commandments are truth. Psalm 119:151 NASB Near – Yesterday we looked at qārab., the “wicked,” who are close at hand. You’ll remember the verb for “approach” or “draw near” was qārab. The wicked are in proximity. Would you be surprised to discover that the same verb is used here? It’s not…
From long ago I have known from Your testimonies that You have founded them forever. Psalm 119:152 NASB Long ago – The Hebrew perspective on time isn’t concerned with uniformity, event progression, or exactness. We, on the other hand, are time possessed. Since the industrial revolution, our days are consumed with the exact hour, minute, and second,…
