Psalms 119:1

Psalm 119 ¹ 

א (Alef)

119:1 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, ² 

who obey ³  the law of the Lord.

Psalms 119:27

119:27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean! ⁴ 

Then I can meditate ⁵  on your marvelous teachings. ⁶ 

Psalms 119:29-30

119:29 Remove me from the path of deceit! ⁷ 

Graciously give me ⁸  your law!

119:30 I choose the path of faithfulness;

I am committed to ⁹  your regulations.

Psalms 119:32-33

119:32 I run along the path of your commands,

for you enable me to do so. ¹⁰ 

ה (He)

119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes, ¹¹ 

so that I might observe it continually. ¹² 

[119:1]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”

[119:1]  ³ tn Heb “walk in.”

[119:27]  ⁴ tn Heb “the way of your precepts make me understand.”

[119:27]  ⁵ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “your amazing things,” which refers here to the teachings of the law (see v. 18).

[119:29]  ⁷ tn The “path of deceit” refers to a lifestyle characterized by deceit and disloyalty to God. It stands in contrast to the “way of faithfulness” in v. 30.

[119:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “be gracious to me.” The verb is used metonymically here for “graciously giving” the law. (See Gen 33:5, where Jacob uses this verb in describing how God had graciously given him children.)

[119:30]  ¹⁰ tn BDB 1000-1001 s.v. I שָׁוָה derives the verb from the first homonym listed, meaning “to agree with; to be like; to resemble.” It here means (in the Piel stem) “to be accounted suitable,” which in turn would mean by metonymy “to accept; to be committed to.” Some prefer to derive the verb from a homonym meaning “to place; to set,” but in this case an elliptical prepositional phrase must be understood, “I place your regulations [before me]” (see Ps 16:8).

[119:32]  ¹³ tn Heb “for you make wide my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and understanding. The Lord gives the psalmist the desire and moral understanding that are foundational to the willing obedience depicted metaphorically in the preceding line. In Isa 60:5 the expression “your heart will be wide” means “your heart will swell with pride,” but here the nuance appears to be different.

[119:33]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the way of your statutes.”

[119:33]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and I will keep it to the end.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative. The Hebrew term עֵקֶב (’eqev) is understood to mean “end” here. Another option is to take עֵקֶב (’eqev) as meaning “reward” here (see Ps 19:11) and to translate, “so that I might observe it and be rewarded.”