Mazmur 119:176

119:176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep. ¹ 

Come looking for your servant,

for I do not forget your commands.

Mazmur 119:1

Psalm 119 ² 

א (Alef)

119:1 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, ³ 

who obey ⁴  the law of the Lord.

1 Samuel 24:9-11

24:9 David said to Saul, “Why do you pay attention when men say, ‘David is seeking to do you harm’? 24:10 Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you – this very day – into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity ⁵  on you and said, ‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s chosen one.’ ⁶  24:11 Look, my father, and see the edge of your robe in my hand! When I cut off the edge of your robe, I didn’t kill you. So realize and understand that I am not planning ⁷  evil or rebellion. Even though I have not sinned against you, you are waiting in ambush to take my life.

1 Samuel 26:9-11

26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one ⁸  and remain guiltless?” 26:10 David went on to say, “As the Lord lives, the Lord himself will strike him down. Either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be swept away. 26:11 But may the Lord prevent me from extending my hand against the Lord’s chosen one! Now take the spear by Saul’s head and the jug of water, and let’s get out of here!”

Amsal 24:29

24:29 Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;

I will pay him back ⁹  according to what he has done.” ¹⁰ 

Roma 12:17-21

12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. ¹¹  12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. ¹²  12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, ¹³  for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” ¹⁴  says the Lord. 12:20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. ¹⁵  12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

[119:176]  ¹ tn Heb “I stray like a lost sheep.” It is possible that the point of the metaphor is vulnerability: The psalmist, who is threatened by his enemies, feels as vulnerable as a straying, lost sheep. This would not suggest, however, that he has wandered from God’s path (see the second half of the verse, as well as v. 110).

[119:1]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”

[119:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk in.”

[24:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “it had pity,” apparently with the understood subject being “my eye,” in accordance with a common expression.

[24:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “anointed.”

[24:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “there is not in my hand.”

[26:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “anointed” (also in vv. 11, 16, 23).

[24:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “repay to the man.” The verb is שׁוּב (shuv), which in the Hiphil stem means “to restore; to repay; to return” (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT “I’ll get even”). The idea is that of repaying someone for what he did.

[24:29]  ¹⁰ sn Rather than give in to the spirit of vengeance, one should avoid retaliation (e.g., Prov 20:22; Matt 5:43-45; Rom 12:9). According to the Talmud, Hillel said, “Do not do to others what you would not have them do unto you” (b. Sanhedrin 31a).

[12:17]  ¹¹ tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.

[12:18]  ¹² tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.

[12:19]  ¹³ tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as the remainder of the verse shows.

[12:19]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.

[12:20]  ¹⁵ sn A quotation from Prov 25:21-22.