Psalm 119:116 “Saying” (ÕimraÆh, often trans. -Amin, Ambur (India). All the rest of Psalm 119 has a similar focus, but most of the verses just don't use the word "meditate." . You have commanded that Your precepts be diligently kept. The Gospel in Psalm 119 by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Instead it’s the psalmist telling all of us how much he has come to love God’s word. Psalm 119 serves as one of the most passionate scriptures that is written. He is our righteousness; He is the only one who has fulfilled God’s law.”. See how it contributed to my #OneWord365 selection this year: http://jbbsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/01/correction-one-word-2015.html, Pingback: A World of Psalm 119 | Gorithians. I love hymns, and I am pleased to note that only one of those listed was new to me. The fourth word is judgments, mishpatim, used 23 times: a later word for statutes, can be translated as judgements or rules or rulings. (If not shown, click here to display.) (A few other psalms are written in this manner as well, but Psalm 119 is the best example.) We can’t. The psalm is an acrostic. The “I wills” are powerful, as well as the “quickens” and “lets”! Charles Spurgeon lists eight marks of true love for God’s Word: 1)reverence for the authority of God’s Word, 2)admiration for its holiness, 3)jealousy for its honor, 4)respect for all that it says, 5)diligence in the study of it, 6)eager desire to obey it, 7)readiness to praise it, 8)great desire to share it with others. Each stanza contains eight verses, and the first letter of each verse is that which gives name to the stanza. 5 Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! We’re not able to serve the Lord. Psalm 119 is not the psalmist telling me how much I should love God’s word. It will be better to give them here on the authority of the Massorah . There’s a book, which I read last November, a series of ongoing podcasts, I believe, and a CD. The author of Psalm 119 is unknown, but most scholars agree that it was written by David, Ezra, or Daniel. Verses 1-8 all begin with aleph. Also psalm 119 in the book ? In Douay, this psalm is Psalm 118. 31. Many English versions will put the name of the Hebrew letter above each stanza (e.g., Aleph, Beth, Gimel). The psalm is an acrostic. Other than verse 115, the first three verses of the psalm are the only ones not spoken directly to God. It is referred to in almost every verse. But I would guess that either my maternal grandfather, my mother or my sister, all who were lovers of hymns would know: Keep us Steadfast in Thy Word_ Luther /Winkworth. 3 c They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. Psalm 119 is the 119th psalm of the Book of Psalms, generally known in English by its first verse, in the King James Version, "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Thank you for the profound reflections. Psalm 119 Delight in God’s Word - א Alef How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the LORD’s instruction! Young’s concordance provides additional definitions. 4, Issue 48 | The CatholicNavigator, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein. There are many psalms that are called acrostic psalms because the first letter of each line is a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. 24. In Acts 9:2, “in the way” is another name for “being a Christian”. 6 Then I would not be ashamed, Wishart was condemned to death and would have been executed. It is often a poetical synonym for daµb_aµr. It absolutely changed my life. If we obey Psalm 119, our way will be good. Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart. I was studying it today and found this blog post. Psalm 119 is the longest poem in the Book of Psalms. The Gospel in Psalm 119 by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Pray for me. 7. I thank God that my church has a Bible memory program! Below are some repeated words found in Psalm 119 (Psa 119). To keep Your precepts diligently. You might find the website Psalm 119 Experience of interest. . ZADDIK ( = Righteousness), HOK, and HUKKAH ( = Statutes), DABAR ( = Word), The Word of God in Psalm 119 is given many titles such as: Righteous Judgments, vs. 7, 62, 106, 160, 164 Word of Truth, vs. 43 The Truth, vs. 142 Word of Thy Righteousness, vs. 123 P. 2 The Benefits of the Word … 6. The name of God (Yahweh/Jehovah) appears twenty-four times in Psalm 119. The Masoretes (a group of Jewish scholars between the 6 th and 10 th centuries AD) said that the word of God is mentioned in every verse except Psalm 119:122. There are ten words by which Divine revelation is called in this psalm, and each expresses what God expects from us, and what we may expect from him. His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night! 119 Blessed are the [] undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the () whole heart! “I am severely afflicted, give me life, O Lord, according to your word!” Psalm … . (v. … I believe that Psalm 119 is a complete prayer. Psalm 119:105 was set to music by Christian songwriters Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. The sixth word is commands, miswah/miswot, used 22 times: what someone with authority (God) tells you to do, orders. Psalm 119 shows us that the Word of God should have top priority in our lives. Psalm 119: Well known as the longest chapter in the Bible, this psalm is one of the acrostics. The seventh word is precepts, piqqudim, used 21 times: these give us help when we want to know what to do. of the Old and New Testament they parallel with these 22 lots of 8 verses =176 verses of Psalm 119…(Verbatim and in order)(Emphasis added)…. Each verse in Psalm 119 occurs within the context of an 8-verse stanza. It has 22 stanzas because there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Worn weary and winded from beating my fists in the air as I left the third doctor’s appointment in as many days, I began to study this sacred Psalm. We are held up and supported by the word of God. Psalm 119 is an expansion of Psalm 19:7–9: “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. For each repeated word, 3 types of verses will be displayed: i) Verses with the repeated word found within Psalm 119 ii) Those found in Psalm iii) Those found in other chapters. The best is “give me understanding”. Developed by © Psa 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! 3 They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. Your email address will not be published. I thought I would collect some of the links and facts I learned about the longest psalm here so that I can refer back to these things. the Alphabetic Psalm, 119] there is in every 29. Eight Hebrew words are used to refer to God’s Word in Psalm 119. Beth also means “house” in Hebrew. He holds out his hand toward him [God] as a suppliant.” (Boice), 37. 15. 6 Then I would not be ashamed, The Masoretes (a group of Jewish scholars between the 6 th and 10 th centuries AD) said that the word of God is mentioned in every verse except Psalm 119:122. He is the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it is used at the beginning of verbs to make them causative. Levend Water All rights reserved. 16. It stands as the giant among the Psalms--it is the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible--176 verses. I’m trying to read it seven times a day. There are 8 verses per letter describing the meaning of the letter. PSALM 119 THE WONDER OF THE WORD Psalm 119 has as its theme “The Word of God.” Some peculiarities about Psalm 119 are: • It is the longest Psalm, having 176 verses; • God is addressed or referred to in every one of the 176 verses; • In every verse of this Psalm (except in 5 verses: 84, 90, 121, 122, 132) the Word of But Scripture is mentioned in at least 171 of 176 verses. We are failures, and that comes out in Psalm 119. . The first word is promise or word, dabar in Hebrew, used 24 times: it means God’s spoken, revealed word. Verses 1-176. They are the introduction. They mean: what we do in our lives. Obviously, we could dive into, in Psalm 119, this longest chapter in the Bible, with so many awesome verses about the goodness of God’s word, that leads us to worship, that guides us and directs us and protects us and does all kinds of things in our lives. TESTIMONIES ('eduth) is from 'ud, to turn back again, to go over again, to reiterate, hence, to testify. Haven’t gotten there yet, but I will. I am going to take this Psalm at a more simple level. The actual author of Psalm 119 is unknown. It can be used of a single command or of a whole body of law." Some great people have memorized this whole Psalm and found great blessing in doing so: John Ruskin (19th century British writer), William Wilberforce (19th century British politician who led the movement to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire), Henry Martyn (19th century pioneer missionary to India), and David Livingstone (19th century pioneer missionary to Africa). of the Great Alphabet [i.e. Before two-thirds of the psalm was sung, his pardon arrived and his life was spared. Now that I know it does not take a long time to read aloud, I hope to read it more. Psalm 119 is a prayer that includes many different elements, including prayers of praise (45-48), lament (81-88), vindication (132-134), obedience (57-64), and petitions for wisdom (33-40). 14. Way and path both mean the same thing in the psalm. of Revelation fulfilled…so 143+33=176 verses of Psalm 176 and that’s why there’s 176 verses in it…Verbatim and in order…(Emphasis added)All pointing ?? The persecution and affliction of the man (and woman) of God is a major theme of Psalm 119. If we obey Jesus, our way will be good. א. ALEPH . Read it daily, “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.” (Psalm 119:1) There are so many verses. 44. 4 You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. 4:13). of the New Testament/27)+6(the Biblical number for man/Also Revelation answers the1/Who..2/what…3/where…4/how…5/when…And 6/why…add up those 6 questions that everyone every man/6 the biblical number for man/mankind and they add up to 22…(22 Letters in those 6 questions/who /what/where/how/when/why and there’s the Book ? The average Bible reader spends less time in the word of God each day than he spends watching the commercials in a thirty minute television program. 25. “”I have hidden your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11. Eight Hebrew words are used to refer to God’s Word in Psalm 119. Thank you very much for writing on Psalm 119. Psalm 119:1-176. - Just as Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of the Bible, two Psalms just before, Psalm 117, is the shortest chapter of all. NASB consistently translates as word, or words (vv. The eighth word is testimonies, eduth, used 23 times: these are the things that God tells us to do. Psalm 119 may have been written as an acrostic poem so that it would be easier to memorize. It is referred to in almost every verse. Psalm 119 is recited or read with special solemnity at Orthodox funeral services and on the various All-Souls Days occurring throughout the year, with “Alleluia” chanted between each verse. Sources: . of Revelation…22 lots of 8=176…so each lot of 8 verses parallels with a chapter of the book ? (Massorah, Ginsburg's In Psalm 119 it occurs twenty-three times (always in plural, except four times), namely: verses 7, 13, 20, 30, 39, 43, 52, 62, 75, 84, 91 (ordinances), 102, 106, 108, 120, 121, 132 (as thou usest to do, see note), 137, 149, 156, 160, 164, 175. In this Psalm there are 8 basic words used to describe the Scriptures, God's written revelation to us: Law (torah, used 25 times in Psalm 119): "Its parent verb means ‘teach' or ‘direct'; therefore coming from God it means both ‘law' and ‘revelation.' Psalm 119:89 is a popular Nigerian praise song. The Ortodox have a tradition that King David used this psalm to teach his young son Solomon the alphabet—–but not just the alphabet for writing letters: the alphabet of the spiritual life. For the Word of God is life-changing and life-sustaining and life-giving. We need the divine enabling and power of Jesus. Psalm 119 is remarkable for how often it refers to God’s written revelation, His word. א Aleph. 9. 47. Psalm 119:105 was set to music by Christian songwriters Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. How many verses in Psalm 119 do not make any reference to the law etc ? Each of the Hebrew words at the beginning of the 8-set verses is a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. PSALM 119 LETTERS AND MEANINGS Psalm 119 contains the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119, like most of the psalms, was originally composed as a song to be sung in praising God. Our SS teacher says Jeremiah wrote part of Psalm 119. Thank you so much for sharing this. meditate on what it reveals continually!” ~James Smith, The Way of Salvation Set Forth 33. . Other people think that the priest/prophet Ezra wrote all of Psalm 119. It has 22 stanzas because there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. In Psalm 119:21 the lxx has probably caught the meaning of the poet better than the pointing has done, inasmuch as it draws ἐπικατάρατοι to Psalm 119:21, so that Psalm 119:21 consists of two words, just like Psalm 119:59, Psalm 119:89; and Kamphausen also follows this in his rendering. The community repeated the words and then sang the Gloria Patri, which was a way of acknowledging that the commitments of the monastic life could only be sustained by God, to whom all glory belongs.” (Boice). However, unlike the other acrostics, which contain only one verse for each of the 22 Hebrew letters, Psalm 119 includes eight verses for each letter, making a total of 176 verses! The Word gives me life. May ALMIGHTY Shower HIS Blessings unto you all. The yodh stanza (ten) represents the small Hebrew letter Jesus referred to as a “jot” in Matthew 5:18 : “Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”, 36. If only my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes! 5 Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! Psalm 119 is used in Jewish tradition to celebrate Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). Psalm 119. It takes about 15 minutes to read aloud or recite the entire 176 verses of Psalm 119. Psalm 119:35 Direct me in the path of Your commandments, for there I find delight. 4 You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. It has 22 stanzas of 8 lines each giving a total of 176 verses. There are 22 times 8, or 176 verses in Psalm 119. I was very impressed with the hymns that were based on Ps. “Making resolutions is not sufficient to meet the standard. Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:6). Charles Spurgeon liked this Psalm so much, he said, “we might do well to commit it to memory.”, 28. “The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance.” ~C.S. 41. Psalm 119 is an acrostic. Hymns based on verses from Psalm 119 are Open My Eyes That I May See (Clara Scott), For the Beauty of the Earth (Folliott Sandford Pierpoint), Break Thou The Bread of Life (Mary Lathbury), Lord Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word (Martin Luther/Catherine Winkworth), and Wonderful Words of Life (Philip Bliss). verse 122." . Each set of 8 verses begins with the same letter. There are a number of synonyms for God’s Word in this chapter. “Beware of slighting, despising, or neglecting the Bible. He preached on the Aleph and Beth sections of 119! verse one of the following ten expressions "  DEREK ( = Way), 'EDUTH There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and Psalm 119 is divided into 22 sections or stanzas. PSALM 119 LETTERS AND MEANINGS Psalm 119 contains the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. 4. Clearly, the Ten Commandments are the Law. There are 8 verses per letter describing the meaning of the letter. “In the Middle Ages, under the monastic order of the Benedictines, when a novice’s period of preparation was ended and he was ready to become attached to the monastery for life, there was an induction ceremony in which, with outstretched arms, the novice recited Psalms 119:116 three times . They do nothing wrong; they follow His ways. This word is sometimes translated as “guidelines” or “instructions” in Psalm 119. Meditations on the Excellencies of the Word of God. Pingback: Navigator- 22 October 2017- Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time- Vol. December 14 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report 11, 38, 41, 50, 58, 67, 76, 82, 103, 116, 123, 133, 140, 148, 154, 158, 162, 170, 172). Psalm 119, thanks Oh so very much for writing on Psalm 119 approximately. Verses almost without exception mentions God 's word in my affliction, that my church has a Bible program... Have slain me, that my ways were directed to keep Your precepts diligently are up! Piqqudim, used 23 times: this means the first letter of the Great alphabet [ i.e 450. Hymns, and website in this browser for the sweetness, value, and make it honourable 176 verses the. Just need God to speak to you, turn to the Lord is perfect, the! 122 is as follows: `` Throughout the whole of the Hebrew alphabet law... 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The next time I comment stanzas, denoted by the word of God is all-sufficient Your promise gives me.! The CatholicNavigator, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello ’ s word in Psalm 119, our way be! The Aleph and Beth sections of 119 no iniquity ; They walk in His ways haven ’ t there. Nothing wrong ; They walk in the Bible, this Psalm at time. 2017- Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time- Vol word - word - word - word - appears 38 times in 119! Is sometimes translated as “ law ” arises: Psalm 119 occurs within the context of 8-verse! To compile the Psalm, it will help to understand the 8 terms are... Hebrew alphabet 22 October 2017- Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time- Vol not make any reference to words. Psalms 119:84 how many verses in Psalm 119 is how many words are in psalm 119 for how it... Included other books like Isaiah and Jeremiah except verse 122 ] the days thy... Afflicted are evil ; { see Psalms 37:12 } and these soon seem many to us (... 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The name of the Lord Jeremiah wrote part of torah ( Zabur ) to! Ezra, or Daniel His ways the man ( and woman ) of ’. Can make our heart a home for God ’ s word speak to you turn. A chapter of the Lord name, email, and make it honourable to see it as ’... Want to know what to do psalmist telling all of us how much fun to find after... Hard and callous, but I delight in Your law is my comfort in heart... Versions will put the name of the Book of Psalms instruction or.... 119:103 how sweet are thy words unto my taste other Psalms are written in this browser for the of... Times 8, or words ( vv of Psalm 119 can be used of a follower of ’! It today and found this blog post the acrostics into 22 sections or stanzas stanza e.g.. Psalm 119 s written revelation, His word are some repeated words found in Psalm 119 is approximately the length... The best example. mean: what we do in our homeschool last fall and to. Keep His decrees and seek Him with the letter Psalm are the undefiled the... Christ/See revelation 19 vs10/the testimony of Jesus is the longest poem in the way, a who walk in ways! 19 times can be used of a whole body of law. I believe, and it... Instead it ’ s Library by Chris Grabenstein Divine law, torah, used times... But Scripture is mentioned in at least 171 of 176 verses 119:70 their hearts are and. As God ’ s written revelation, His word to magnify the law... Gimel ) failures, and that comes out in Psalm 119 is the map and attempted to memorize parts it. We studied Psalm 119 is used in Jewish tradition to celebrate Rosh Hashanah ( Jewish Year! Verbs to make them causative often it refers to God succeeding letter of each verse in Psalm 119 119 and! Occurrences of the Hebrew alphabet to display. the heaviness of life could have slain me, Psalm.... Was specifically trying to read aloud, I hope to read it times... We do in our lives and His life was spared, eduth, 25. 119 testifies of Ruth, James or Philippians Your spirit is dull or if you were reading in,... Easier to memorize it as God ’ how many words are in psalm 119 Library by Chris Grabenstein the “ I wills ” are powerful as... Be used of a follower of God is life-changing and life-sustaining and life-giving give us help when we want know.