Psalms 1:2

1:2 Instead ¹  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ² 

he meditates on ³  his commands ⁴  day and night.

Psalms 63:5-6

63:5 As if with choice meat ⁵  you satisfy my soul. ⁶ 

My mouth joyfully praises you, ⁷ 

63:6 whenever ⁸  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 119:15-16

119:15 I will meditate on ⁹  your precepts

and focus ¹⁰  on your behavior. ¹¹ 

119:16 I find delight ¹²  in your statutes;

I do not forget your instructions. ¹³ 

Psalms 119:111

119:111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,

for they give me joy. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 119:127-128

119:127 For this reason ¹⁵  I love your commands

more than gold, even purest gold.

119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. ¹⁶ 

I hate all deceitful actions. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 119:167

119:167 I keep your rules;

I love them greatly.

Psalms 139:17-18

139:17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! ¹⁸ 

How vast is their sum total! ¹⁹ 

139:18 If I tried to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

Even if I finished counting them,

I would still have to contend with you. ²⁰ 

Proverbs 24:14

24:14 Likewise, know ²¹  that wisdom is sweet ²²  to your soul;

if you find it, ²³  you will have a future, ²⁴ 

and your hope will not be cut off.

[1:2]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Or “his law.”

[63:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”

[63:5]  ⁶ tn Or “me.”

[63:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “and [with] lips of joy my mouth praises.”

[63:6]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew term אִם (’im) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.

[119:15]  ⁹ tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.

[119:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “gaze [at].”

[119:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “ways” (referring figuratively to God’s behavior here).

[119:16]  ¹² tn The imperfects in this verse emphasize the attitude the psalmist maintains toward God’s law. Another option is to translate with the future tense, “I will find delight…I will not forget.”

[119:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural here.

[119:111]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”

[119:127]  ¹⁵ tn “For this reason” connects logically with the statement made in v. 126. Because the judgment the psalmist fears (see vv. 119-120) is imminent, he remains loyal to God’s law.

[119:128]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “every false path.”

[139:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).

[139:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.

[139:18]  ²⁰ tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.

[24:14]  ²¹ tn D. W. Thomas argues for a meaning of “seek” in place of “know” (“Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” JTS 38 [1937]: 400-403).

[24:14]  ²² tn The phrase “is sweet” is supplied in the translation as a clarification.

[24:14]  ²³ tn The term “it” is supplied in the translation.

[24:14]  ²⁴ tn Heb “there will be an end.” The word is אַחֲרִית (’akhrit, “after-part, end”). BDB 31 s.v. b says in a passage like this it means “a future,” i.e., a happy close of life, sometimes suggesting the idea of posterity promised to the righteous, often parallel to “hope.”