Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. Genesis 24:63 NASB 1995 To meditate – Hapax legomenon. That’s what the word śûaḥ’ is. A once only occurrence in the entire Tanakh. If you look in a lexicon, you will find…
My eyes preceded the watches to speak of Your word. Psalm 119:148 Chabad Watches – Unless you knew something about palaces in ancient times, this verse would probably be unintelligible. And even if you knew about night watches in the 10th Century B.C.E., the verse still might not make any sense. The only way to…
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…
Even though rulers sit and speak against me, your servant meditates on Your statutes. Psalm 119:23 NASB Against – You will translate this tiny preposition according to the way you read the previous verse. Why? Because bĕhas a very wide range of meanings and context is often the only way to tell which English word to use. Harris notes:…
I will meditate on Your precepts and [f]regard Your ways. Psalm 119:15 NASB Meditate – I think we’ve thoroughly modernized this one. Even Alter writes, “Let me dwell on Your decrees.” Both terms (meditate and dwell) move the thought from verbalization to contemplation. Both ignore the oral culture of the 10th Century B.C.E. Notice Cohen’s remark about the…
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success. Joshua 1:8 NASB Meditate – Pay…
Attend to me, and listen to me; I was vexed in my pondering and was troubled by the noise of an enemy and by the affliction of a sinner . . . Psalm 54:3-4a LXX Pondering – The Hebrew text of this verse uses the word śîaḥ, from a verb that means “meditate, muse, commune,…
I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone. Psalm 71:16 NASB Make mention – What do you think about the choice “make mention” for the verb zākar? Does it capture the feeling of this verse? Not for me! “I will come with the mighty deeds”…
My mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will be understanding. Psalm 49:3 NASB Meditation – “Do you meditate?” Whenever someone asks me that question, I’m never quite sure how to answer. Why? Because I’m not quite sure what meditation really means. Should I start chanting? Should I sit in the lotus position and…
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success. Joshua 1:8 NASB Mouth/ meditate/ careful…
