James 2:12

2:12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. ¹ 

Psalms 19:7-10

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ² 

The rules set down by the Lord ³  are reliable ⁴ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ⁵ 

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ⁶ 

and make one joyful. ⁷ 

The Lord’s commands ⁸  are pure ⁹ 

and give insight for life. ¹⁰ 

19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right ¹¹ 

and endure forever. ¹² 

The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy

and absolutely just. ¹³ 

19:10 They are of greater value ¹⁴  than gold,

than even a great amount of pure gold;

they bring greater delight ¹⁵  than honey,

than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.

Psalms 119:32

119:32 I run along the path of your commands,

for you enable me to do so. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 119:45

119:45 I will be secure, ¹⁷ 

for I seek your precepts.

Psalms 119:96-105

119:96 I realize that everything has its limits,

but your commands are beyond full comprehension. ¹⁸ 

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

119:98 Your commandments ¹⁹  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 ²⁰  from the evil path,

so that I might keep your instructions. ²¹ 

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! ²² 

119:104 Your precepts give me discernment.

Therefore I hate all deceitful actions. ²³ 

נ (Nun)

119:105 Your word ²⁴  is a lamp to walk by,

and a light to illumine my path. ²⁵ 

Romans 7:12

7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

Romans 7:22-23

7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. 7:23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members.

[2:12]  ¹ tn Grk “a law of freedom.”

[19:7]  ² 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]  ³ tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ⁴ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

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

[19:8]  ⁹ tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[19:9]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”

[19:9]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “more desirable.”

[19:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).

[119:32]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for you make wide my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and understanding. The Lord gives the psalmist the desire and moral understanding that are foundational to the willing obedience depicted metaphorically in the preceding line. In Isa 60:5 the expression “your heart will be wide” means “your heart will swell with pride,” but here the nuance appears to be different.

[119:45]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and I will walk about in a wide place.” The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive gives a further consequence of the anticipated positive divine response (see vv. 43-44). Another option is to take the cohortative as expressing the psalmist’s request. In this case one could translate, “and please give me security.”

[119:96]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “to every perfection I have seen an end, your command is very wide.” God’s law is beyond full comprehension, which is why the psalmist continually studies it (vv. 95, 97).

[119:98]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”

[119:101]  ²¹ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural.

[119:103]  ²² 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]  ²³ tn Heb “every false path.”

[119:105]  ²⁴ tn Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural (“words”).

[119:105]  ²⁵ tn Heb “[is] a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”