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Psalm 119[a]

A Prayer to God, the Lawgiver

Aleph

Blessed those whose way is blameless,
    who walk by the law of the Lord.(A)
Blessed those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with all their heart.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 119 This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. Several expected elements do not appear in the Psalm: Mount Sinai with its story of God’s revelation and gift to Israel of instruction and commandments, the Temple and other institutions related to revelation and laws (frequent in other Psalms). The Psalm is fascinated with God’s word directing and guiding human life. The poem is an acrostic; its twenty-two stanzas (of eight verses each) are in the order of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within a stanza begins with the same letter. Each verse contains one word for “instruction.” The translation here given attempts to translate each Hebrew word for “instruction” with the same English word. There are, however, nine words for “instruction,” not eight, so the principle of a different word for “instruction” in each verse cannot be maintained with perfect consistency. The nine words for “instruction” in the translation are: law, statute, commandment, precept, testimony, word, judgment, way, and promise.

You have given them the command
    to observe your precepts with care.
May my ways be firm
    in the observance of your statutes!

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Gimel

17 Be kind to your servant that I may live,
    that I may keep your word.
18 Open my eyes to see clearly
    the wonders of your law.

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He

33 Lord, teach me the way of your statutes;
    I shall keep them with care.(A)
34 Give me understanding to keep your law,
    to observe it with all my heart.

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