Romans 15:4

15:4 For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.

Psalms 19:8

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ¹ 

and make one joyful. ² 

The Lord’s commands ³  are pure ⁴ 

and give insight for life. ⁵ 

Psalms 119:98-100

119:98 Your commandments ⁶  make me wiser than my enemies,

for I am always aware of them.

119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your rules.

119:100 I am more discerning than those older than I,

for I observe your precepts.

Psalms 119:104-105

119:104 Your precepts give me discernment.

Therefore I hate all deceitful actions. ⁷ 

נ (Nun)

119:105 Your word ⁸  is a lamp to walk by,

and a light to illumine my path. ⁹ 

Psalms 119:130

119:130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines. ¹⁰ 

They give ¹¹  insight to the untrained. ¹² 

Proverbs 6:23

6:23 For the commandments ¹³  are like ¹⁴  a lamp, ¹⁵ 

instruction is like a light,

and rebukes of discipline are like ¹⁶  the road leading to life, ¹⁷ 

Proverbs 6:2

6:2 if ¹⁸  you have been ensnared ¹⁹  by the words you have uttered, ²⁰ 

and have been caught by the words you have spoken,

Proverbs 3:15-17

3:15 She is more precious than rubies,

and none of the things ²¹  you desire ²²  can compare ²³  with her. ²⁴ 

3:16 Long life ²⁵  is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

3:17 Her ways are very pleasant, ²⁶ 

and all her paths are peaceful.

[19:8]  ¹ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  ² tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.

[19:8]  ³ tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

[19:8]  ⁴ tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  ⁵ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[119:98]  ⁶ tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the law (see Ps 19:8).

[119:104]  ⁷ tn Heb “every false path.”

[119:105]  ⁸ tn Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural (“words”).

[119:105]  ⁹ tn Heb “[is] a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”

[119:130]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the doorway of your words gives light.” God’s “words” refer here to the instructions in his law (see vv. 9, 57).

[119:130]  ¹¹ tn Heb “it [i.e., the doorway] gives.”

[119:130]  ¹² 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. See Pss 19:7; 116:6.

[6:23]  ¹³ tn Heb “the commandment” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[6:23]  ¹⁴ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[6:23]  ¹⁵ sn The terms “lamp,” “light,” and “way” are all metaphors. The positive teachings and commandments will illumine or reveal to the disciple the way to life; the disciplinary correctives will provide guidance into fullness of life.

[6:23]  ¹⁶ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[6:23]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the way of life” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV, NLT “the way to life.” The noun “life” is a genitive following the construct “way.” It could be an attributive genitive modifying the kind of way/course of life that instruction provides, but it could also be objective in that the course of life followed would produce and lead to life.

[6:2]  ¹⁸ tn The term “if” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[6:2]  ¹⁹ tn The verb יָקַשׁ (yaqash) means “to lay a bait; to lure; to lay snares.” In the Niphal it means “to be caught by bait; to be ensnared” – here in a business entanglement.

[6:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “by the words of your mouth.” The same expression occurs at the end of the following line (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). Many English versions vary the wording slightly, presumably for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[3:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “all of your desires cannot compare with her.”

[3:15]  ²² tn Heb “your desires.” The 2nd person masculine singular suffix on the noun probably functions as subjective genitive.

[3:15]  ²³ tn The imperfect tense verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish be like; to resemble”) has a potential nuance here: “can be compared with.”

[3:15]  ²⁴ tn Heb “All of your desires do not compare with her.”

[3:16]  ²⁵ tn Heb “length of days” (so KJV, ASV).

[3:17]  ²⁶ tn Heb “her ways are ways of pleasantness” (so KJV, NRSV). The present translation contracts this expression for the sake of smoothness. The plural of דֶרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) is repeated for emphasis. The noun נֹעַם (no’am, “pleasantness”) functions as an attributive genitive: “pleasant ways.”