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”…
Therefore I carefully follow all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way. Psalm 119:128 NASB Carefully follow – Step one: recognize that the miṣwōt are designed to ensure the success of society. Step two: do them! Now you know why ʿǎl-·kēn opens each of these last two verses in this section of the acrostic. There’s no…
I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart. Psalm 119:111 NASB Inherited – Two or three words matter here. The first is nāḥal (to inherit), the second is the familiar ʿēdût (testimony), and the third is joy (śāśôn). First, nāḥal. “The verb nāḥal basically signifies giving or receiving property which is…
The wicked have set a trap for me, yet I have not wandered from Your precepts. Psalm 119:110 NASB Trap – The Hebrew word translated “trap” is paḥ. It is literally a snare for birds. Its root is pāḥaḥ, to ensnare. Why would we want to be sure that we understand its use before we use “trap.” …
From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:104 NASB Get understanding – What does it mean to “get understanding.” In our word-intensive, dictionary-based culture, we would probably say that it means to gather useful information. For that we can (sometimes) just Google. What’s delivered is information, but that isn’t “understanding” in…
This has become mine, that I comply with Your precepts. Psalm 119:56 NASB Has become mine – My wife, Rosanne, carries an Italian identity card. Anywhere she goes in the EU, all she needs is this little card as her identification document. Of course, this is an entirely modern invention. In the past, identity was a…
And I will walk [q]at liberty, For I seek Your precepts. Psalm 119:45 NASB At liberty – “The high plateau in the heart of the Dolomites is a natural paradise in summer and winter and a wonderful destination for versatile day trips.”[1] Click on the footnote below if you want to see this fabulous place. And now I’ll…
Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me through Your righteousness. Psalm 119:40 NASB Long – Well, it’s not exactly a hapax legomenon, but it might as well be. tāʾeb, translated “long for,” is used only twice; once here and once in verse 174 (which we will eventually examine). Since it is only found in this…
yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34:7b NASB Inflicting – I like the NASB. I use it as my standard English Bible text. But in this verse, the translation couldn’t be worse! There is simply no…
Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth. Psalm 31:5 NASB I commit my spirit– Exodus 34:7. Yes, that’s right. The infamous verse about “visiting the iniquity of the fathers” uses the same verb we find here, pāqad. Speiser writes, “There is probably no other Hebrew verb that has caused translators…
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