Psalms 119:9

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ¹  maintain a pure life? ² 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ³ 

Psalms 37:25

37:25 I was once young, now I am old.

I have never seen a godly man abandoned,

or his children ⁴  forced to search for food. ⁵ 

[119:9]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ³ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[37:25]  ⁴ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.