Psalms 119:1-39

Psalm 119 ¹ 

א (Alef)

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

who obey ³  the law of the Lord.

119:2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,

and seek him with all their heart,

119:3 who, moreover, do no wrong,

but follow in his footsteps. ⁴ 

119:4 You demand that your precepts

be carefully kept. ⁵ 

119:5 If only I were predisposed ⁶ 

to keep your statutes!

119:6 Then I would not be ashamed,

if ⁷  I were focused on ⁸  all your commands.

119:7 I will give you sincere thanks, ⁹ 

when I learn your just regulations.

119:8 I will keep your statutes.

Do not completely abandon me! ¹⁰ 

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ¹¹  maintain a pure life? ¹² 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ¹³ 

119:10 With all my heart I seek you.

Do not allow me to stray from your commands!

119:11 In my heart I store up ¹⁴  your words, ¹⁵ 

so I might not sin against you.

119:12 You deserve praise, ¹⁶  O Lord!

Teach me your statutes!

119:13 With my lips I proclaim

all the regulations you have revealed. ¹⁷ 

119:14 I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules ¹⁸ 

as if ¹⁹  they were riches of all kinds. ²⁰ 

119:15 I will meditate on ²¹  your precepts

and focus ²²  on your behavior. ²³ 

119:16 I find delight ²⁴  in your statutes;

I do not forget your instructions. ²⁵ 

ג (Gimel)

119:17 Be kind to your servant!

Then I will live ²⁶  and keep ²⁷  your instructions. ²⁸ 

119:18 Open ²⁹  my eyes so I can truly see ³⁰ 

the marvelous things in your law!

119:19 I am like a foreigner in this land. ³¹ 

Do not hide your commands from me!

119:20 I desperately long to know ³² 

your regulations at all times.

119:21 You reprimand arrogant people.

Those who stray from your commands are doomed. ³³ 

119:22 Spare me ³⁴  shame and humiliation,

for I observe your rules.

119:23 Though rulers plot and slander me, ³⁵ 

your servant meditates on your statutes.

119:24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;

they give me guidance. ³⁶ 

ד (Dalet)

119:25 I collapse in the dirt. ³⁷ 

Revive me with your word! ³⁸ 

119:26 I told you about my ways ³⁹  and you answered me.

Teach me your statutes!

119:27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean! ⁴⁰ 

Then I can meditate ⁴¹  on your marvelous teachings. ⁴² 

119:28 I collapse ⁴³  from grief.

Sustain me by your word! ⁴⁴ 

119:29 Remove me from the path of deceit! ⁴⁵ 

Graciously give me ⁴⁶  your law!

119:30 I choose the path of faithfulness;

I am committed to ⁴⁷  your regulations.

119:31 I hold fast ⁴⁸  to your rules.

O Lord, do not let me be ashamed!

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

for you enable me to do so. ⁴⁹ 

ה (He)

119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes, ⁵⁰ 

so that I might observe it continually. ⁵¹ 

119:34 Give me understanding so that I might observe your law,

and keep it with all my heart. ⁵² 

119:35 Guide me ⁵³  in the path of your commands,

for I delight to walk in it. ⁵⁴ 

119:36 Give me a desire for your rules, ⁵⁵ 

rather than for wealth gained unjustly. ⁵⁶ 

119:37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless! ⁵⁷ 

Revive me with your word! ⁵⁸ 

119:38 Confirm to your servant your promise, ⁵⁹ 

which you made to the one who honors you. ⁶⁰ 

119:39 Take away the insults that I dread! ⁶¹ 

Indeed, ⁶²  your regulations are good.

[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.”

[119:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[119:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “you, you commanded your precepts, to keep, very much.”

[119:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “if only my ways were established.”

[119:6]  ⁷ tn Or “when.”

[119:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “I gaze at.”

[119:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “I will give you thanks with an upright heart.”

[119:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “do not abandon me to excess.” For other uses of the phrase עַד מְאֹד (’ad mÿ’od, “to excess”), see Ps 38:6, 8.

[119:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ¹² tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:11]  ¹⁴ tn Or “hide.”

[119:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[are] blessed.”

[119:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “of your mouth.”

[119:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in the way of your rules.”

[119:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “as upon,” meaning “as if” (see 2 Chr 32:19).

[119:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “all wealth.” The phrase refers to all kinds of wealth and riches. See Prov 1:13; 6:31; 24:4; Ezek 27:12, 18.

[119:15]  ²¹ tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.

[119:15]  ²² tn Heb “gaze [at].”

[119:15]  ²³ tn Heb “ways” (referring figuratively to God’s behavior here).

[119:16]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural here.

[119:17]  ²⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a cohortative indicating purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:17]  ²⁷ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the imperative that begins the verse.

[119:17]  ²⁸ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as several ancient versions read the plural here.

[119:18]  ²⁹ tn Heb “uncover.” The verb form גַּל (gal) is an apocopated Piel imperative from גָּלָה (galah, see GKC 214 §75.cc).

[119:18]  ³⁰ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:19]  ³¹ tn Heb “I am a resident alien in the land.” Resident aliens were especially vulnerable and in need of help. They needed to know the social and legal customs of the land to avoid getting into trouble. The translation (note the addition of “like”) assumes the psalmist is speaking metaphorically, not literally.

[119:20]  ³² tn Heb “my soul languishes for longing for.”

[119:21]  ³³ tn Heb “accursed.” The traditional punctuation of the Hebrew text takes “accursed” with the previous line (“arrogant, accursed ones”), but it is preferable to take it with the second line as the predicate of the statement.

[119:22]  ³⁴ tn Heb “roll away from upon me.” Some derive the imperatival form גַּל (gal) from גָּלָה (galah, “uncover,” as in v. 18), but here the form is from גָּלַל (galal, “roll”; see Josh 5:9, where חֶרְפָּה [kherpah, “shame; reproach”] also appears as object of the verb). Some, following the lead of a Dead Sea scroll (11QPs^a), emend the form to גֹּל (gol).

[119:23]  ³⁵ tn Heb “though rulers sit, about me they talk together.” (For another example of the Niphal of דָּבַר (davar) used with a suffixed form of the preposition ב, see Ezek 33:30.)

[119:24]  ³⁶ tn Heb “men of my counsel.” That is, God’s rules are like advisers to the psalmist, for they teach him how to live in a godly manner that refutes the accusations of his enemies.

[119:25]  ³⁷ tn Heb “my soul clings to the dirt.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[119:25]  ³⁸ tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural “your words.”

[119:26]  ³⁹ tn Heb “my ways I proclaimed.”

[119:27]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the way of your precepts make me understand.”

[119:27]  ⁴¹ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:27]  ⁴² tn Heb “your amazing things,” which refers here to the teachings of the law (see v. 18).

[119:28]  ⁴³ tn Some translate “my soul weeps,” taking the verb דָלַף (dalaf) from a root meaning “to drip; to drop” (BDB 196 s.v. דֶּלַף). On the basis of cognate evidence from Arabic and Akkadian, HALOT 223 s.v. II דלף proposes a homonymic root here, meaning “be sleepless.” Following L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 127, 135) the translation assumes that the verb is cognate with Ugaritic dlp, “to collapse; to crumple” in CTA 2 iv. 17, 26. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 44, 144.

[119:28]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural “your words.”

[119:29]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ 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).

[119:31]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “cling to.”

[119:32]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the way of your statutes.”

[119:33]  ⁵¹ 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.”

[119:34]  ⁵² tn The two prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose/result after the introductory imperative.

[119:35]  ⁵³ tn Or “make me walk.”

[119:35]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “for in it I delight.”

[119:36]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “turn my heart to your rules.”

[119:36]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and not unjust gain.”

[119:37]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “Make my eyes pass by from looking at what is worthless.”

[119:37]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “by your word.”

[119:38]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “word.”

[119:38]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “which [is] for your fear,” that is, the promise made to those who exhibit fear of God.

[119:39]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “my reproach that I fear.”

[119:39]  ⁶² tn Or “for.”