Mazmur 119:113

ס (Samek)

119:113 I hate people with divided loyalties, ¹ 

but I love your law.

Mazmur 119:115

119:115 Turn away from me, you evil men,

so that I can observe ²  the commands of my God. ³ 

Mazmur 119:119

119:119 You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag. ⁴ 

Therefore I love your rules. ⁵ 

Mazmur 119:128

119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. ⁶ 

I hate all deceitful actions. ⁷ 

[119:113]  ¹ tn Heb “divided ones.” The word occurs only here; it appears to be derived from a verbal root, attested in Arabic, meaning “to split” (see HALOT 762 s.v. *סֵעֵף). Since the psalmist is emphasizing his unswerving allegiance to God and his law, the term probably refers to those who lack such loyalty. The translation is similar to that suggested by L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 131.

[119:115]  ² tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:115]  ³ tn The psalmist has already declared that he observes God’s commands despite persecution, so here the idea must be “so that I might observe the commands of my God unhindered by threats.”

[119:119]  ⁴ sn Traditionally “dross” (so KJV, ASV, NIV). The metaphor comes from metallurgy; “slag” is the substance left over after the metallic ore has been refined.

[119:119]  ⁵ sn As he explains in the next verse, the psalmist’s fear of judgment motivates him to obey God’s rules.

[119:128]  ⁶ tn Heb “for this reason all the precepts of everything I regard as right.” The phrase “precepts of everything” is odd. It is preferable to take the kaf (כ) on כֹּל (kol, “everything) with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the lamed (ל) with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 138.

[119:128]  ⁷ tn Heb “every false path.”