Romans 8:7

8:7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so.

Job 23:12

23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion. ¹ 

Psalms 1:2

1:2 Instead ²  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ³ 

he meditates on ⁴  his commands ⁵  day and night.

Psalms 19:8-10

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ⁶ 

and make one joyful. ⁷ 

The Lord’s commands ⁸  are pure ⁹ 

and give insight for life. ¹⁰ 

19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right ¹¹ 

and endure forever. ¹² 

The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy

and absolutely just. ¹³ 

19:10 They are of greater value ¹⁴  than gold,

than even a great amount of pure gold;

they bring greater delight ¹⁵  than honey,

than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.

Psalms 40:8

40:8 I want to do what pleases you, ¹⁶  my God.

Your law dominates my thoughts.” ¹⁷ 

Psalms 119:16

119:16 I find delight ¹⁸  in your statutes;

I do not forget your instructions. ¹⁹ 

Psalms 119:24

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

they give me guidance. ²⁰ 

Psalms 119:35

119:35 Guide me ²¹  in the path of your commands,

for I delight to walk in it. ²² 

Psalms 119:47-48

119:47 I will find delight in your commands,

which I love.

119:48 I will lift my hands to ²³  your commands,

which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes.

Psalms 119:72

119:72 The law you have revealed is more important to me

than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. ²⁴ 

Psalms 119:92

119:92 If I had not found encouragement in your law, ²⁵ 

I would have died in my sorrow. ²⁶ 

Psalms 119:97-104

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

119:98 Your commandments ²⁷  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.

119:101 I stay away ²⁸  from the evil path,

so that I might keep your instructions. ²⁹ 

119:102 I do not turn aside from your regulations,

for you teach me.

119:103 Your words are sweeter

in my mouth than honey! ³⁰ 

119:104 Your precepts give me discernment.

Therefore I hate all deceitful actions. ³¹ 

Psalms 119:111

119:111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,

for they give me joy. ³² 

Psalms 119:113

ס (Samek)

119:113 I hate people with divided loyalties, ³³ 

but I love your law.

Psalms 119:127

119:127 For this reason ³⁴  I love your commands

more than gold, even purest gold.

Psalms 119:167

119:167 I keep your rules;

I love them greatly.

Psalms 119:174

119:174 I long for your deliverance, O Lord;

I find delight in your law.

Isaiah 51:7

51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,

you people who are aware of my law! ³⁵ 

Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;

don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!

John 4:34

4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me ³⁶  and to complete ³⁷  his work. ³⁸ 

Hebrews 8:10

8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put ³⁹  my laws in their minds ⁴⁰  and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. ⁴¹ 

[23:12]  ¹ tc The form in the MT (מֵחֻקִּי, mekhuqqi) means “more than my portion” or “more than my law.” An expanded meaning results in “more than my necessary food” (see Ps 119:11; cf. KJV, NASB, ESV). HALOT 346 s.v. חֹק 1 indicates that חֹק (khoq) has the meaning of “portion” and is here a reference to “what is appointed for me.” The LXX and the Latin versions, along with many commentators, have בְּחֵקִי (bÿkheqi, “in my bosom”).

[1:2]  ² tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

[1:2]  ³ tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

[1:2]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

[1:2]  ⁵ tn Or “his law.”

[19:8]  ⁶ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

[19:8]  ⁹ tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[19:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the fear of the Lord is clean.” The phrase “fear of the Lord” probably refers here to the law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense.

[19:9]  ¹² tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”

[19:9]  ¹³ sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.

[19:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “more desirable.”

[19:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).

[40:8]  ¹⁶ tn Or “your will.”

[40:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “your law [is] in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.

[119:16]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural here.

[119:24]  ²⁰ 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.

[119:35]  ²¹ tn Or “make me walk.”

[119:35]  ²² tn Heb “for in it I delight.”

[119:48]  ²³ tn Lifting the hands is often associated with prayer (Pss 28:2; 63:4; Lam 2:19). (1) Because praying to God’s law borders on the extreme, some prefer to emend the text to “I lift up my hands to you,” eliminating “your commands, which I love” as dittographic. In this view these words were accidentally repeated from the previous verse. (2) However, it is possible that the psalmist closely associates the law with God himself because he views the law as the expression of the divine will. (3) Another option is that “lifting the hands” does not refer to prayer here, but to the psalmist’s desire to receive and appropriate the law. (4) Still others understand this to be an action praising God’s commands (so NCV; cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).

[119:72]  ²⁴ tn Heb “better to me [is] the law of your mouth than thousands of gold and silver.”

[119:92]  ²⁵ tn Heb “if your law had not been my delight.”

[119:92]  ²⁶ tn Or “my suffering.”

[119:98]  ²⁷ 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).

[119:101]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”

[119:101]  ²⁹ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural.

[119:103]  ³⁰ tn Heb “How smooth they are to my palate, your word, more than honey to my mouth.” A few medieval Hebrew mss, as well as several other ancient witnesses, read the plural “your words,” which can then be understood as the subject of the plural verb “they are smooth.”

[119:104]  ³¹ tn Heb “every false path.”

[119:111]  ³² tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”

[119:113]  ³³ tn Heb “divided ones.” The word occurs only here; it appears to be derived from a verbal root, attested in Arabic, meaning “to split” (see HALOT 762 s.v. *סֵעֵף). Since the psalmist is emphasizing his unswerving allegiance to God and his law, the term probably refers to those who lack such loyalty. The translation is similar to that suggested by L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 131.

[119:127]  ³⁴ tn “For this reason” connects logically with the statement made in v. 126. Because the judgment the psalmist fears (see vv. 119-120) is imminent, he remains loyal to God’s law.

[51:7]  ³⁵ tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”

[4:34]  ³⁶ sn The one who sent me refers to the Father.

[4:34]  ³⁷ tn Or “to accomplish.”

[4:34]  ³⁸ tn The substantival ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as an English infinitive clause.

[8:10]  ³⁹ tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “mind.”

[8:10]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “I will be to them for a God and they will be to me for a people,” following the Hebrew constructions of Jer 31.