Psalms 119:43-46

119:43 Do not completely deprive me of a truthful testimony, ¹ 

for I await your justice.

119:44 Then I will keep ²  your law continually

now and for all time. ³ 

119:45 I will be secure, ⁴ 

for I seek your precepts.

119:46 I will speak ⁵  about your regulations before kings

and not be ashamed.

[119:43]  ¹ tn Heb “do not snatch from my mouth a word of truth to excess.” The psalmist wants to be able to give a reliable testimony about the Lord’s loyal love (vv. 41-42), but if God does not intervene, the psalmist will be deprived of doing so, for the evidence of such love (i.e., deliverance) will be lacking.

[119:44]  ² tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the negated jussive (see v. 43).

[119:44]  ³ tn Or “forever and ever.”

[119:45]  ⁴ tn Heb “and I will walk about in a wide place.” The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive gives a further consequence of the anticipated positive divine response (see vv. 43-44). Another option is to take the cohortative as expressing the psalmist’s request. In this case one could translate, “and please give me security.”

[119:46]  ⁵ tn The series of four cohortatives with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive in vv. 46-48 list further consequences of the anticipated positive divine response to the request made in v. 43.