Discovery BoxPsalms 19:7-10
Context19:7 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
19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 10
and endure forever. 11
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just. 12
19:10 They are of greater value 13 than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight 14 than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
Psalms 19:1
ContextFor the music director; a psalm of David.
19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; 16
the sky displays his handiwork. 17
Colossians 3:2
Context3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,
Hebrews 5:12-13
Context5:12 For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, 18 you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. 19 You have gone back to needing 20 milk, not 21 solid food. 5:13 For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant.
[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
[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.
[19:9] 10 tn Heb “the fear of the
[19:9] 11 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”
[19:9] 12 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] 13 tn Heb “more desirable.”
[19:10] 14 tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).
[19:1] 15 sn Psalm 19. The psalmist praises God for his self-revelation in the heavens and in the Mosaic law. The psalmist concludes with a prayer, asking the Lord to keep him from sinning and to approve of his thoughts and words.
[19:1] 16 sn God’s glory refers here to his royal majesty and power.
[19:1] 17 tn Heb “and the work of his hands the sky declares.” The participles emphasize the ongoing testimony of the heavens/sky.
[5:12] 18 tn Grk “because of the time.”
[5:12] 19 tn Grk “the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God.”
[5:12] 20 tn Grk “you have come to have a need for.”
[5:12] 21 tc ‡ Most texts, including some early and important ones (א2 A B* D Ψ 0122 0278 1881 Ï sy Cl), have καί (kai, “and”) immediately preceding οὐ (ou, “not”), but other equally significant witnesses (Ì46 א* B2 C 33 81 1739 lat Or Did) lack the conjunction. As it was a natural tendency for scribes to add a coordinating conjunction, the καί appears to be a motivated reading. On balance, it is probably best to regard the shorter reading as authentic. NA27 has καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
