Yosua 1:8

1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! ¹  You must memorize it ²  day and night so you can carefully obey ³  all that is written in it. Then you will prosper ⁴  and be successful. ⁵ 

Mazmur 1:2

1:2 Instead ⁶  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ⁷ 

he meditates on ⁸  his commands ⁹  day and night.

[1:8]  ¹ tn Heb “mouth.”

[1:8]  sn This law scroll must not leave your lips. The ancient practice of reading aloud to oneself as an aid to memorization is in view here.

[1:8]  ² tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 1:237).

[1:8]  ³ tn Heb “be careful to do.”

[1:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”

[1:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

[1:2]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Or “his law.”