Psalm 119:89-176

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Psalm 119:89 tn Heb “Forever, O Lord, your word stands firm in heaven,” or “Forever, O Lord, [is] your word; it stands firm in heaven.” The translation assumes that “your word” refers here to the body of divine instructions contained in the law (note the frequent references to the law in vv. 92-96). See vv. 9, 16-17, 57, 101, 105, 130, 139 and 160-61. The reference in v. 86 to God’s law being faithful favors this interpretation. Another option is that “your word” refers to God’s assuring word of promise, mentioned in vv. 25, 28, 42, 65, 74, 81, 107, 114, 147 and 169. In this case one might translate, “O Lord, your promise is reliable, it stands firm in heaven.”
2. Psalm 119:90 tn Heb “to a generation and a generation [is] your faithfulness.”
3. Psalm 119:92 tn Heb “if your law had not been my delight.”
4. Psalm 119:92 tn Or “my suffering.”
5. Psalm 119:95 tn Heb “the wicked wait for me to kill me.”
6. Psalm 119:96 tn Heb “to every perfection I have seen an end, your command is very wide.” God’s law is beyond full comprehension, which is why the psalmist continually studies it (vv. 95, 97).
7. Psalm 119:98 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).
8. Psalm 119:101 tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”
9. Psalm 119:101 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural.
10. Psalm 119:103 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.”
11. Psalm 119:104 tn Heb “every false path.”
12. Psalm 119:105 tn Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural (“words”).
13. Psalm 119:105 tn Heb “[is] a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”
14. Psalm 119:107 tn Heb “according to your word.”
15. Psalm 119:108 tn Heb “of my mouth.”
16. Psalm 119:109 tn Heb “my life [is] in my hands continually.”
17. Psalm 119:111 tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”
18. Psalm 119:112 tn Heb “I turn my heart to do.”
19. Psalm 119:113 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.
20. Psalm 119:115 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
21. Psalm 119:115 tn The psalmist has already declared that he observes God’s commands despite persecution, so here the idea must be “so that I might observe the commands of my God unhindered by threats.”
22. Psalm 119:116 tn Heb “according to your word.”
23. Psalm 119:116 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
24. Psalm 119:116 tn Heb “do not make me ashamed of my hope.” After the Hebrew verb בּוֹשׁ (bosh, “to be ashamed”) the preposition מִן (min, “from”) often introduces the reason for shame.
25. Psalm 119:117 tn Or “and that I might focus.” The two cohortatives with vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose/result after the imperative at the beginning of the verse.
26. Psalm 119:118 tn The Hebrew verb סָלָה (salah, “to disdain”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:15. Cognate usage in Aramaic and Akkadian, as well as Lam 1:15, suggest it may have a concrete nuance of “to throw away.”
27. Psalm 119:118 tn Heb “for their deceit [is] falsehood.”
28. Psalm 119:119 sn Traditionally “dross” (so KJV, ASV, NIV). The metaphor comes from metallurgy; “slag” is the substance left over after the metallic ore has been refined.
29. Psalm 119:119 sn As he explains in the next verse, the psalmist’s fear of judgment motivates him to obey God’s rules.
30. Psalm 119:120 tn Heb “my flesh.”
31. Psalm 119:120 tn The Hebrew verb סָמַר (samar, “to tremble”) occurs only here and in Job 4:15.
32. Psalm 119:120 tn Heb “from fear of you.” The pronominal suffix on the noun is an objective genitive.
33. Psalm 119:121 tn Heb “do justice and righteousness.”
34. Psalm 119:122 tn Heb “be surety for your servant for good.”
35. Psalm 119:123 tn Heb “my eyes fail for your deliverance.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See the similar phrase in v. 82.
36. Psalm 119:123 tn Heb “and for the word of your faithfulness.”
37. Psalm 119:124 tn Heb “do with your servant according to your loyal love.”
38. Psalm 119:125 tn or “know.” The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
39. Psalm 119:127 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.
40. Psalm 119:128 tn Heb “for this reason all the precepts of everything I regard as right.” The phrase “precepts of everything” is odd. It is preferable to take the כ (kaf) on כֹּל (kol, “everything) with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the ל (lamed) with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 138.
41. Psalm 119:128 tn Heb “every false path.”
42. Psalm 119:130 tn Heb “the doorway of your words gives light.” God’s “words” refer here to the instructions in his law (see vv. 9, 57).
43. Psalm 119:130 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doorway] gives.”
44. Psalm 119:130 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.
45. Psalm 119:131 tn The verb occurs only here in the OT.
46. Psalm 119:132 tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the Lord’s loyal followers. See Pss 5:11; 69:36; Isa 56:6.
47. Psalm 119:133 tn God’s “word” refers here to his law (see v. 11).
48. Psalm 119:134 tn Or “redeem me.”
49. Psalm 119:134 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
50. Psalm 119:135 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
51. Psalm 119:136 tn Heb “[with] flowing streams my eyes go down.”
52. Psalm 119:136 tn Heb “they”; even though somewhat generic, the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
53. Psalm 119:138 tn Heb “you commanded [in] justice your rules.”
54. Psalm 119:139 tn or “zeal.”
55. Psalm 119:139 tn Heb “destroys,” in a hyperbolic sense.
56. Psalm 119:139 tn Heb “your words.”
57. Psalm 119:142 tn Heb “your justice [is] justice forever.”
58. Psalm 119:142 tn Or “truth.”
59. Psalm 119:143 tn Heb “find.”
60. Psalm 119:144 tn Heb “just are your rules forever.”
61. Psalm 119:144 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
62. Psalm 119:146 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
63. Psalm 119:149 tn Heb “my voice.”
64. Psalm 119:149 tn Heb “according to.”
65. Psalm 119:149 tn Heb “according to your custom.”
66. Psalm 119:150 tn Heb “those who pursue.”
67. Psalm 119:151 tn Or “truth.”
68. Psalm 119:152 tn Heb “long ago I knew concerning your rules, that forever you established them.” See v. 89 for the same idea. The translation assumes that the preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “your rules” introduces the object of the verb יָדַע (yadaʿ), as in 1 Sam 23:23. Another option is that the preposition indicates source, in which case one might translate, “Long ago I realized from your rules that forever you established them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
69. Psalm 119:154 tn Or “argue my case.”
70. Psalm 119:154 tn Heb “and redeem me.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
71. Psalm 119:155 tn Heb “far from the wicked [is] deliverance.”
72. Psalm 119:156 tn Heb “according to your customs.”
73. Psalm 119:157 tn Heb “many [are] those who chase me and my enemies.”
74. Psalm 119:158 tn Heb “your word.”
75. Psalm 119:160 tn Heb “the head of your word is truth, and forever [is] all your just regulation.” The term “head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s instructions.
76. Psalm 119:161 tn Heb “and because of your instructions my heart trembles.” The psalmist’s healthy “fear” of the consequences of violating God’s instructions motivates him to obey them. See v. 120.
77. Psalm 119:162 tn Heb “like one who finds great plunder.” See Judg 5:30. The image is that of a victorious warrior who finds a large amount of plunder on the field of battle.
78. Psalm 119:164 tn The number “seven” is use rhetorically to suggest thoroughness.
79. Psalm 119:165 tn Heb “great peace [is] to the lovers of your law.”
80. Psalm 119:165 tn Heb “and there is no stumbling to them.”
81. Psalm 119:166 tn Heb “do.”
82. Psalm 119:168 tn Heb “for all my ways [are] before you.”
83. Psalm 119:169 tn Heb “may my cry approach before you.”
84. Psalm 119:170 tn Heb “may my appeal for mercy come before you.”
85. Psalm 119:170 tn Heb “according to your speech.”
86. Psalm 119:172 tn Heb “your word.”
87. Psalm 119:173 tn The words “to obey” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.
88. Psalm 119:175 tn Heb “my life.”
89. Psalm 119:175 tn God’s regulations will “help” the psalmist by giving him moral and ethical guidance.
90. Psalm 119:176 tn Heb “I stray like a lost sheep.” It is possible that the point of the metaphor is vulnerability: The psalmist, who is threatened by his enemies, feels as vulnerable as a straying, lost sheep. This would not suggest, however, that he has wandered from God’s path (see the second half of the verse, as well as v. 110).