Joshua 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 

Psalms 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.

Psalms 19:14

19:14 May my words and my thoughts

be acceptable in your sight, ¹⁰ 

O Lord, my sheltering rock ¹¹  and my redeemer. ¹² 

Psalms 49:3

49:3 I will declare a wise saying; ¹³ 

I will share my profound thoughts. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 63:6

63:6 whenever ¹⁵  I remember you on my bed,

and think about you during the nighttime hours.

Psalms 77:12

77:12 I will think about all you have done;

I will reflect upon your deeds!”

Psalms 104:34

104:34 May my thoughts ¹⁶  be pleasing to him!

I will rejoice in the Lord.

Psalms 105:5

105:5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,

his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed, ¹⁷ 

Psalms 119:15

119:15 I will meditate on ¹⁸  your precepts

and focus ¹⁹  on your behavior. ²⁰ 

Psalms 119:23

119:23 Though rulers plot and slander me, ²¹ 

your servant meditates on your statutes.

Psalms 119:48

119:48 I will lift my hands to ²²  your commands,

which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes.

Psalms 119:97

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

Psalms 119:99

119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your rules.

Psalms 119:148

119:148 My eyes anticipate the nighttime hours,

so that I can meditate on your word.

Psalms 143:5

143:5 I recall the old days; ²³ 

I meditate on all you have done;

I reflect on your accomplishments. ²⁴ 

[1:8]  ¹ tn Heb “mouth.”

[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.”

[19:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “may the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable before you.” The prefixed verbal form at the beginning of the verse is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate the form as an imperfect continuing the thought of v. 14b: “[Then] the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart will be acceptable before you.”

[19:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”

[19:14]  ¹² tn Heb “and the one who redeems me.” The metaphor casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis.

[49:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “my mouth will speak wisdom.” According to BDB 315 s.v. חָכְמָה the plural חָכְמוֹת (khokhmot, “wisdom”) indicates degree or emphasis here.

[49:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and the meditation of my heart [i.e., mind] is understanding.” The Hebrew term הָגוּת (hagut, “meditation”), derived from הָגָה (hagah, “to recite quietly; to meditate”), here refers to thoughts that are verbalized (see the preceding line). The plural form תְבוּנוֹת (tÿvunot, “understanding”) indicates degree or emphasis (see GKC 397-98 §124.e).

[63:6]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew term אִם (’im) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.

[104:34]  ¹⁶ tn That is, the psalmist’s thoughts as expressed in his songs of praise.

[105:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”

[119:15]  ¹⁸ tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.

[119:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “gaze [at].”

[119:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “ways” (referring figuratively to God’s behavior here).

[119:23]  ²¹ tn Heb “though rulers sit, about me they talk together.” (For another example of the Niphal of דָּבַר (davar) used with a suffixed form of the preposition ב, see Ezek 33:30.)

[119:48]  ²² tn Lifting the hands is often associated with prayer (Pss 28:2; 63:4; Lam 2:19). (1) Because praying to God’s law borders on the extreme, some prefer to emend the text to “I lift up my hands to you,” eliminating “your commands, which I love” as dittographic. In this view these words were accidentally repeated from the previous verse. (2) However, it is possible that the psalmist closely associates the law with God himself because he views the law as the expression of the divine will. (3) Another option is that “lifting the hands” does not refer to prayer here, but to the psalmist’s desire to receive and appropriate the law. (4) Still others understand this to be an action praising God’s commands (so NCV; cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).

[143:5]  ²³ tn Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”

[143:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the work of your hands.”