Psalms 19:7-8

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ¹ 

The rules set down by the Lord ²  are reliable ³ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ⁴ 

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ⁵ 

and make one joyful. ⁶ 

The Lord’s commands ⁷  are pure ⁸ 

and give insight for life. ⁹ 

Psalms 119:128

119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. ¹⁰ 

I hate all deceitful actions. ¹¹ 

Romans 7:12-14

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

7:13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin. ¹² 

Romans 7:16

7:16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. ¹³ 

Romans 7:22

7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being.

[19:7]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ³ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

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

[19:8]  ⁹ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[119:128]  ¹⁰ 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.

[119:128]  ¹¹ tn Heb “every false path.”

[7:14]  ¹² tn Grk “under sin.”

[7:16]  ¹³ tn Grk “I agree with the law that it is good.”