I hope for Your salvation, Lord, and do Your commandments. Psalm 119:166 NASB Hope – Plato’s view of religion sets the stage for the contrast we will explore. Plato also believed in hope. Well, sort of. His view was that religion was like wishing things would be better, that is, hoping that your wishes would come true. …
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…
My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation, and for Your righteous word. Psalm 119:123 NASB Longing for – Yesterday we discovered that the psalmist wants a guarantee about life. He asks God to act as his bond, to ensure he will not fall victim to his enemies. It sounds so good to hear that God cares enough to…
My soul languishes for Your salvation; I [ah]wait for Your word. Psalm 119:81 NASB כָּֽלְתָ֣ה לִתְשׁוּעָֽתְךָ֣ נַפְשִׁ֑י לִדְבָֽרְךָ֥ יִחָֽלְתִּי כָּל֣וּ עֵ֖ינַי לְאִמְרָתֶ֑ךָ לֵ֜אמֹ֗ר מָתַ֥י תְּֽנַֽחֲמֵֽנִי כִּֽי־הָ֖יִיתִי כְּנֹ֣אד בְּקִיט֑וֹר חֻ֜קֶּ֗יךָ לֹ֣א שָׁכָֽחְתִּי כַּמָּה יְמֵ֣י עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ מָתַ֬י תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה בְרֹֽדְפַ֣י מִשְׁפָּֽט כָּֽרוּ־לִ֣י זֵדִ֣ים שִׁיח֑וֹת אֲ֜שֶׁ֗ר לֹ֣א כְתֽוֹרָתֶֽךָ כָּל־מִצְוֹתֶ֥יךָ אֱמוּנָ֑ה שֶׁ֖קֶר רְדָפ֣וּנִי עָזְרֵֽנִי כִּמְעַט כִּלּ֣וּנִי בָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽ֜אֲנִ֗י לֹֽא־עָזַ֥בְתִּי פִקֻּדֶֽיךָ כְּחַסְדְּךָ֥ חַיֵּ֑נִי…
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. Psalm 119:9 NASB How – The poet continues the acrostic with a sequence where every verse begins with bet. You won’t see this in the English translation, so here it is in Hebrew: בַּמֶּ֣ה יְזַכֶּה־נַּ֖עַר אֶת־אָרְח֑וֹ לִ֜שְׁמֹ֗ר כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ בְּכָל־לִבִּ֥י דְרַשְׁתִּ֑יךָ אַל־תַּ֜שְׁגֵּ֗נִי מִמִּצְוֹתֶֽיךָ…
Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You. Psalm 88:1 (English) NASB Lord, the God – Make sure you realize why both of these words are found at the beginning of this poem. YHVH, of course, and ʾĕlōhîm. Today we consider both of these as designations of…
for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:10 NASB Resulting – You’ll need to read a few other English translations of this verse to see the issue. “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses…
But I am lowly and hurting. Your rescue, O LORD, will protect me. Psalm 69:30 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Rescue – By far the most common English rendition of this word is “salvation.” Virtually all the popular English Bible use “May Your salvation” or something similar. Given that the Hebrew is yĕšûʿât, it’s easy to…
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 NASB The word – A Christian website sent me a story about instructing pastors. The elder wrote: I thought about Paul’s instruction to the young preacher, Timothy, as he spoke in 2 Timothy 4:2 (NASB) “preach the word;…
But sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me [m]coveting of every kind; for apart [n]from the Law sin is dead. Romans 7:8 NASB Is dead – Want the absolutely guaranteed way to stop sinning? Die! Problem solved. Oh, wait. That’s not very convenient. Paul offers another “solution.” Live apart from the Law. Apart from the Law, sin is dead. …
