Psalms 37:31
Context37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; 1
their 2 feet do not slip.
Psalms 119:72
Context119:72 The law you have revealed is more important to me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. 3
Psalms 19:7
Context19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life. 4
The rules set down by the Lord 5 are reliable 6
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. 7


[37:31] 1 tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[37:31] 2 tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.
[119:72] 3 tn Heb “better to me [is] the law of your mouth than thousands of gold and silver.”
[19:7] 5 tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.
[19:7] 6 tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the
[19:7] 7 tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
[19:7] 8 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.