Psalms 18:21-22

18:21 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; ¹ 

I have not rebelled against my God. ² 

18:22 For I am aware of all his regulations, ³ 

and I do not reject his rules. ⁴ 

Psalms 119:1

Psalm 119 ⁵ 

א (Alef)

119:1 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, ⁶ 

who obey ⁷  the law of the Lord.

Psalms 138:5

138:5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds, ⁸ 

for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent. ⁹ 

Hosea 14:9

Concluding Exhortation

14:9 Who is wise?

Let him discern ¹⁰  these things!

Who is discerning?

Let him understand them!

For the ways of the Lord are right;

the godly walk in them,

but in them the rebellious stumble.

Acts 13:10

13:10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, ¹¹  you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness – will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? ¹² 

[18:21]  ¹ tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the Lord.” The phrase “ways of the Lord” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord. In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.

[18:21]  ² tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical; the idea is, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”

[18:22]  ³ tn Heb “for all his regulations [are] before me.” The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf. Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf. vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf. v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.

[18:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” 2 Sam 22:23 reads, “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; the psalmist here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf. v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).

[119:1]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”

[119:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “walk in.”

[138:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “ways.”

[138:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “great.”

[14:9]  ¹⁰ tn The shortened form of the prefix-conjugation verb וְיָבֵן (vÿyaven) indicates that it is a jussive rather than an imperfect. When a jussive comes from a superior to an inferior, it may connote exhortation and instruction or advice and counsel. For the functions of the jussive, see IBHS 568-70 §34.3.

[13:10]  ¹¹ tn Or “unscrupulousness.”

[13:10]  ¹² sn “You who…paths of the Lord?” This rebuke is like ones from the OT prophets: Jer 5:27; Gen 32:11; Prov 10:7; Hos 14:9. Five separate remarks indicate the magician’s failings. The closing rhetorical question of v. 10 (“will you not stop…?”) shows how opposed he is to the way of God.