I understand more than those who are old, because I have complied with Your precepts. Psalm 119:100 NASB More than – The grammatical error spreads. Consider the strikingly different translation of Chabad: “From the wise elders I gain understanding, for I kept Your precepts.” The NASB rearranges the syntax and translates מִזְּקֵנִ֥ים as “more than the aged”…
I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have revived me. Psalm 119:93 NASB Revived – The Hebrew verb ḥāyâ has a wide range of meanings: “live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live forever. Also be quickened, revive from sickness, discouragement, or even death.”[1] As if that weren’t enough, there are…
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…
The arrogant [z]have forged a lie against me; with all my heart I will comply with Your precepts. Psalm 119:69 NASB Forged – I’m not sure why the NASB translators decided to use the English verb “forge.” The Hebrew is ṭāpal, “to smear, to plaster over.” It’s only used three times (the other two are in Job 13:4; 14:17). Those…
I am a companion to all those who [x]fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts. Psalm 119:63 N ASB Companion – One of the biggest challenges in this modern world is picking the right friends. Social media has lowered the bar considerably. “Friends” are now those who click on my link. I may not know…
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…
I will meditate on Your precepts and [f]regard Your ways. Psalm 119:15 NASB Precepts – This Hebrew word is a derivative of the root pāqad. That means we may have some difficulties understanding what this means. “It has been said of this verb, which occurs more than three hundred times in the ot; ‘There is probably no other…
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…
