1:2 Instead 1 he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; 2
he meditates on 3 his commands 4 day and night.
63:5 As if with choice meat 5 you satisfy my soul. 6
My mouth joyfully praises you, 7
63:6 whenever 8 I remember you on my bed,
and think about you during the nighttime hours.
77:12 I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds!”
119:15 I will meditate on 9 your precepts
and focus 10 on your behavior. 11
119:16 I find delight 12 in your statutes;
I do not forget your instructions. 13
119:111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,
for they give me joy. 14
119:127 For this reason 15 I love your commands
more than gold, even purest gold.
119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. 16
I hate all deceitful actions. 17
119:167 I keep your rules;
I love them greatly.
139:17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! 18
How vast is their sum total! 19
139:18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you. 20
24:14 Likewise, know 21 that wisdom is sweet 22 to your soul;
if you find it, 23 you will have a future, 24
and your hope will not be cut off.
1 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.
2 tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the
3 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.
4 tn Or “his law.”
5 tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”
6 tn Or “me.”
7 tn Heb “and [with] lips of joy my mouth praises.”
8 tn The Hebrew term אִם (’im) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.
9 tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.
10 tn Heb “gaze [at].”
11 tn Heb “ways” (referring figuratively to God’s behavior here).
12 tn The imperfects in this verse emphasize the attitude the psalmist maintains toward God’s law. Another option is to translate with the future tense, “I will find delight…I will not forget.”
13 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
14 tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”
15 tn “For this reason” connects logically with the statement made in v. 126. Because the judgment the psalmist fears (see vv. 119-120) is imminent, he remains loyal to God’s law.
16 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.
17 tn Heb “every false path.”
18 tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).
19 tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.
20 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.
21 tn D. W. Thomas argues for a meaning of “seek” in place of “know” (“Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” JTS 38 [1937]: 400-403).
22 tn The phrase “is sweet” is supplied in the translation as a clarification.
23 tn The term “it” is supplied in the translation.
24 tn Heb “there will be an end.” The word is אַחֲרִית (’akhrit, “after-part, end”). BDB 31 s.v. b says in a passage like this it means “a future,” i.e., a happy close of life, sometimes suggesting the idea of posterity promised to the righteous, often parallel to “hope.”