Mazmur 19:7-11

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ¹ 

The rules set down by the Lord ²  are reliable ³ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ⁴ 

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ⁵ 

and make one joyful. ⁶ 

The Lord’s commands ⁷  are pure ⁸ 

and give insight for life. ⁹ 

19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right ¹⁰ 

and endure forever. ¹¹ 

The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy

and absolutely just. ¹² 

19:10 They are of greater value ¹³  than gold,

than even a great amount of pure gold;

they bring greater delight ¹⁴  than honey,

than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.

19:11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; ¹⁵ 

those who obey them receive a rich reward. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 119:97-104

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

119:98 Your commandments ¹⁷  make me wiser than my enemies,

for I am always aware of them.

119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your rules.

119:100 I am more discerning than those older than I,

for I observe your precepts.

119:101 I stay away ¹⁸  from the evil path,

so that I might keep your instructions. ¹⁹ 

119:102 I do not turn aside from your regulations,

for you teach me.

119:103 Your words are sweeter

in my mouth than honey! ²⁰ 

119:104 Your precepts give me discernment.

Therefore I hate all deceitful actions. ²¹ 

Mazmur 119:130

119:130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines. ²² 

They give ²³  insight to the untrained. ²⁴ 

[19:7]  ¹ tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

[19:7]  ² tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ³ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ⁴ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

[19:8]  ⁵ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.

[19:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

[19:8]  ⁸ tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  ⁹ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[19:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the fear of the Lord is clean.” The phrase “fear of the Lord” probably refers here to the law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense.

[19:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”

[19:9]  ¹² sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.

[19:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “more desirable.”

[19:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).

[19:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”

[19:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in the keeping of them [there is] a great reward.”

[119:98]  ¹⁷ tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the law (see Ps 19:8).

[119:101]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”

[119:101]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural.

[119:103]  ²⁰ tn Heb “How smooth they are to my palate, your word, more than honey to my mouth.” A few medieval Hebrew mss, as well as several other ancient witnesses, read the plural “your words,” which can then be understood as the subject of the plural verb “they are smooth.”

[119:104]  ²¹ tn Heb “every false path.”

[119:130]  ²² tn Heb “the doorway of your words gives light.” God’s “words” refer here to the instructions in his law (see vv. 9, 57).

[119:130]  ²³ tn Heb “it [i.e., the doorway] gives.”

[119:130]  ²⁴ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Pss 19:7; 116:6.