Psalm 119:1-8

“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97)

Psalm 119 is an extended meditation on “walking” according to the law of the LORD, as stated in its opening verse. Other such torah psalms are Psalms 1 (cf. esp. 119:15, 47, 77, 97, 174) and 19 (cf. 119:103, 127). Eight synonyms are used throughout: law (always sing., Hb. tôrâ ), word (Hb. dābār ), laws (always pl. in the NIV, Hb. mišpāṭîm ), statutes (or better “testimonies,” Hb. ʿēdût , usually pl.), commands (Hb. miṣwâ , usually pl.), decrees (Hb. ḥuqqîm ), precepts (Hb. peqûdîm ), and promise (lit. “word,” Hb. ʾimrâ ). The psalm’s structure is an acrostic, with eight verses (perhaps an echo of the eight synonyms) given to each of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These terms point to Yahweh’s written “torah.” To modern ears this sounds like a preoccupation with laws and legalism, but we must first recognize that the term “torah” itself means “instruction” or “teaching,” not “law” in a formal sense.

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