Mazmur 119:113-128

ס (Samek)

119:113 I hate people with divided loyalties, ¹ 

but I love your law.

119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield.

I find hope in your word.

119:115 Turn away from me, you evil men,

so that I can observe ²  the commands of my God. ³ 

119:116 Sustain me as you promised, ⁴  so that I will live. ⁵ 

Do not disappoint me! ⁶ 

119:117 Support me, so that I will be delivered.

Then I will focus ⁷  on your statutes continually.

119:118 You despise ⁸  all who stray from your statutes,

for they are deceptive and unreliable. ⁹ 

119:119 You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag. ¹⁰ 

Therefore I love your rules. ¹¹ 

119:120 My body ¹²  trembles ¹³  because I fear you; ¹⁴ 

I am afraid of your judgments.

ע (Ayin)

119:121 I do what is fair and right. ¹⁵ 

Do not abandon me to my oppressors!

119:122 Guarantee the welfare of your servant! ¹⁶ 

Do not let the arrogant oppress me!

119:123 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance, ¹⁷ 

for your reliable promise to be fulfilled. ¹⁸ 

119:124 Show your servant your loyal love! ¹⁹ 

Teach me your statutes!

119:125 I am your servant. Give me insight,

so that I can understand ²⁰  your rules.

119:126 It is time for the Lord to act –

they break your law!

119:127 For this reason ²¹  I love your commands

more than gold, even purest gold.

119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. ²² 

I hate all deceitful actions. ²³ 

[119:113]  ¹ 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.

[119:115]  ² tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:115]  ³ 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.”

[119:116]  ⁴ tn Heb “according to your word.”

[119:116]  ⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:116]  ⁶ 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.

[119:117]  ⁷ 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.

[119:118]  ⁸ 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.”

[119:118]  ⁹ tn Heb “for their deceit [is] falsehood.”

[119:119]  ¹⁰ 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.

[119:119]  ¹¹ sn As he explains in the next verse, the psalmist’s fear of judgment motivates him to obey God’s rules.

[119:120]  ¹² tn Heb “my flesh.”

[119:120]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew verb סָמַר (samar, “to tremble”) occurs only here and in Job 4:15.

[119:120]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from fear of you.” The pronominal suffix on the noun is an objective genitive.

[119:121]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “do justice and righteousness.”

[119:122]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “be surety for your servant for good.”

[119:123]  ¹⁷ 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.

[119:123]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and for the word of your faithfulness.”

[119:124]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “do with your servant according to your loyal love.”

[119:125]  ²⁰ tn or “know.” The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:127]  ²¹ 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.

[119:128]  ²² 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 kaf (כ) on כֹּל (kol, “everything) with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the lamed (ל) with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 138.

[119:128]  ²³ tn Heb “every false path.”