Mazmur 119:44

119:44 Then I will keep ¹  your law continually

now and for all time. ² 

Mazmur 1:2

1:2 Instead ³  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ⁴ 

he meditates on ⁵  his commands ⁶  day and night.

Mazmur 119:18

119:18 Open ⁷  my eyes so I can truly see ⁸ 

the marvelous things in your law!

Mazmur 119:97

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

Mazmur 119:142

119:142 Your justice endures, ⁹ 

and your law is reliable. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 94:12

94:12 How blessed is the one ¹¹  whom you instruct, O Lord,

the one whom you teach from your law,

Mazmur 119:29

119:29 Remove me from the path of deceit! ¹² 

Graciously give me ¹³  your law!

Mazmur 119:34

119:34 Give me understanding so that I might observe your law,

and keep it with all my heart. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 119:51

119:51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. ¹⁵ 

Yet I do not turn aside from your law.

Mazmur 119:53

119:53 Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked,

those who reject your law.

Mazmur 119:55

119:55 I remember your name during the night, O Lord,

and I will keep ¹⁶  your law.

Mazmur 119:61

119:61 The ropes of the wicked tighten around ¹⁷  me,

but I do not forget your law.

Mazmur 119:70

119:70 Their hearts are calloused, ¹⁸ 

but I find delight in your law.

Mazmur 119:77

119:77 May I experience your compassion, ¹⁹  so I might live!

For I find delight in your law.

Mazmur 119:92

119:92 If I had not found encouragement in your law, ²⁰ 

I would have died in my sorrow. ²¹ 

Mazmur 119:109

119:109 My life is in continual danger, ²² 

but I do not forget your law.

Mazmur 119:113

ס (Samek)

119:113 I hate people with divided loyalties, ²³ 

but I love your law.

Mazmur 119:126

119:126 It is time for the Lord to act –

they break your law!

Mazmur 119:136

119:136 Tears stream down from my eyes, ²⁴ 

because people ²⁵  do not keep your law.

Mazmur 119:150

119:150 Those who are eager to do ²⁶  wrong draw near;

they are far from your law.

Mazmur 119:153

ר (Resh)

119:153 See my pain and rescue me!

For I do not forget your law.

Mazmur 119:163

119:163 I hate and despise deceit;

I love your law.

Mazmur 119:165

119:165 Those who love your law are completely secure; ²⁷ 

nothing causes them to stumble. ²⁸ 

Mazmur 119:174

119:174 I long for your deliverance, O Lord;

I find delight in your law.

Mazmur 119:85

119:85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me, ²⁹ 

which violates your law. ³⁰ 

Mazmur 89:30

89:30 If his sons reject my law

and disobey my regulations,

Mazmur 37:31

37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; ³¹ 

their ³²  feet do not slip.

Mazmur 40:8

40:8 I want to do what pleases you, ³³  my God.

Your law dominates my thoughts.” ³⁴ 

Mazmur 119:72

119:72 The law you have revealed is more important to me

than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. ³⁵ 

Mazmur 19:7

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ³⁶ 

The rules set down by the Lord ³⁷  are reliable ³⁸ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ³⁹ 

Mazmur 119:1

Psalm 119 ⁴⁰ 

א (Alef)

119:1 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, ⁴¹ 

who obey ⁴²  the law of the Lord.

Mazmur 78:10

78:10 They did not keep their covenant with God, ⁴³ 

and they refused to obey ⁴⁴  his law.

Mazmur 78:5

78:5 He established a rule ⁴⁵  in Jacob;

he set up a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to make his deeds known to their descendants, ⁴⁶ 

[119:44]  ¹ tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the negated jussive (see v. 43).

[119:44]  ² tn Or “forever and ever.”

[1:2]  ³ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

[1:2]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

[1:2]  ⁶ tn Or “his law.”

[119:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “uncover.” The verb form גַּל (gal) is an apocopated Piel imperative from גָּלָה (galah, see GKC 214 §75.cc).

[119:18]  ⁸ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:142]  ⁹ tn Heb “your justice [is] justice forever.”

[119:142]  ¹⁰ tn Or “truth.”

[94:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.

[119:29]  ¹² tn The “path of deceit” refers to a lifestyle characterized by deceit and disloyalty to God. It stands in contrast to the “way of faithfulness” in v. 30.

[119:29]  ¹³ tn Heb “be gracious to me.” The verb is used metonymically here for “graciously giving” the law. (See Gen 33:5, where Jacob uses this verb in describing how God had graciously given him children.)

[119:34]  ¹⁴ tn The two prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose/result after the introductory imperative.

[119:51]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”

[119:55]  ¹⁶ tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve to obey the law.

[119:61]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “surround.”

[119:70]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “their heart is insensitive like fat.”

[119:77]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and may your compassion come to me.”

[119:92]  ²⁰ tn Heb “if your law had not been my delight.”

[119:92]  ²¹ tn Or “my suffering.”

[119:109]  ²² tn Heb “my life [is] in my hands continually.”

[119:113]  ²³ 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.

[119:136]  ²⁴ tn Heb “[with] flowing streams my eyes go down.”

[119:136]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they”; even though somewhat generic, the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[119:150]  ²⁶ tn Heb “those who pursue.”

[119:165]  ²⁷ tn Heb “great peace [is] to the lovers of your law.”

[119:165]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and there is no stumbling to them.”

[119:85]  ²⁹ tn Heb “for me.”

[119:85]  ³⁰ tn Heb “which [is] not according to your law.”

[37:31]  ³¹ tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[37:31]  ³² tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.

[40:8]  ³³ tn Or “your will.”

[40:8]  ³⁴ tn Heb “your law [is] in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.

[119:72]  ³⁵ tn Heb “better to me [is] the law of your mouth than thousands of gold and silver.”

[19:7]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ³⁸ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ³⁹ 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.

[119:1]  ⁴⁰ sn Psalm 119. The psalmist celebrates God’s law and the guidance it provides his people. He expresses his desire to know God’s law thoroughly so that he might experience the blessings that come to those who obey it. This lengthy psalm exhibits an elaborate acrostic pattern. The psalm is divided into twenty-two sections (corresponding to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet), each of which is comprised of eight verses. Each of the verses in the first section (vv. 1-8) begins with the letter alef (א), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This pattern continues throughout the psalm as each new section highlights a successive letter of the alphabet. Each verse in section two (vv. 9-16) begins with the second letter of the alphabet, each verse in section three (vv. 17-24) with the third letter, etc. This rigid pattern creates a sense of order and completeness and may have facilitated memorization.

[119:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”

[119:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “walk in.”

[78:10]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the covenant of God.”

[78:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “walk in.”

[78:5]  ⁴⁵ tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).

[78:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).