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Lent · Fifth Sunday in Lent · Year B

Psalm 119:9-16

Oh, How I Love Your Law

March 14, 2027

Old Woman Reading a Lectionary, Gerrit Dou
Old Woman Reading a Lectionary, Gerrit Dou, c. 1631-1632Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
One lamp, one book, one pair of hands. The page is painted finely enough to read: the gospel of Luke, chapter 22.Psalm 119 is one long love of the written word, and here is the reading of it, done close and done daily.Gerrit DouRembrandt's first pupil (1613-1675), who went the opposite way from his master: very small panels, a magnifying glass, and a finish so fine the brushwork disappears.Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamThe Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
LSB Three-Year Lectionary
GospelMark 10:(32-34) 35-45Mk 10:(32-34) 35-45
EpistleHeb. 5:1-10Heb 5:1-10
Old TestamentJer. 31:31-34Jer 31:31-34
PsalterPs. 119:9-16Ps 119:9-16

Overview & Insights

“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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Commentary

Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 119Enduring Word Bible Commentary Ps 119 Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik on keeping the way pure by guarding it according to God's word.

Psalm 119:9 CommentariesPs 119:9 Commentaries BibleHub

Classic verse-by-verse commentaries on the Beth stanza and delighting in God's statutes.

Background & Word Study

Psalms 119Ps 119 Sefaria

The Hebrew text with classical Jewish commentary on the great acrostic psalm of the Torah.

Psalms | Enter the BiblePs | Enter the Bible Enter the Bible

Luther Seminary background on the Psalter's shape, genres, and use in worship.

The Church Fathers

Psalms 119 | Catena BiblePs 119 | Catena Bible Catena

Patristic comment on Psalm 119 gathered verse by verse.

Questions preachers ask

What do these verses of Psalm 119 celebrate?

The psalmist delights in God's word as wiser than his enemies, sweeter than honey, and a light for his path, keeping his feet from every evil way.

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