Psalms 101:2–3
The psalmist resolves not to set before his eyes anything worthless
Study it word by word2I will give heed to the way of blamelessness; when will you come to me? I will walk in the integrity of my heart within my house.
3I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness; the doing of those who turn aside I hate; it will not cling to me.
In its context
1Of David. A psalm. Loyal love and justice I will sing; to you, YHWH, I will sing psalms.
…
4A crooked heart will depart from me; evil I will not know.
5Whoever slanders in secret his neighbor, him I will destroy; whoever is high of eyes and wide of heart, him I will not endure.
Its words in the original
- אַשְׂכִּילָהaskila· act wisely, understand
Act wisely, understand, have insight; make wise, teach. Also succeed, prosper.
- דֶרֶךְderech· way
Way, road, journey. Figuratively, the way one lives or acts.
- תָּמִיםtamim· blameless
Complete, whole, without defect. Said of a person, blameless: of one piece, without falseness. It does not mean that he has never sinned.
- מָתַיmatay· when?
When? How long?
- תָּבוֹאtavo· come, go in, bring
Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.
- אֶתְהַלֵּךְethalech· go, walk
Go, walk, come. Figuratively, the way one lives ("walk with God").
- תָםtam· integrity
Integrity: acting without falseness, with a clean intention; innocence.
- לְבָבִlevavi· heart
Heart: the inner part of the person, where one thinks, feels and decides.
- קֶרֶבkerev· inside, midst
The inside, what is within; "in the midst of", "within".
- בֵּיתִbeti· house, household
House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".
- אָשִׁיתashit· put, set
Put, place, set; appoint.
- נֶגֶדneged· in front of, counterpart
In front of, opposite, before. The full phrase "as in front of him" means someone who corresponds to him, a counterpart.
- עֵינַena· eye
Eye. "In someone's eyes" means "in his opinion"; "find favor in the eyes of" is to please him. Also a spring of water.
- דְּבַרdevar· word, matter, thing
Word; what is said. Also "matter" or "thing": what is spoken about, an affair, an event.
- בְּלִיָּעַלbeliyaal· worthlessness, wickedness
Worthlessness, a thing of no value: "sons of belial" are worthless people who do evil. Later it was used as a name for the evil one (2 Corinthians 6:15).
- עֲשֹׂהaso· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- סֵטִיםsetim· turn aside
To turn aside: to leave the path to go after something else.
- שָׂנֵאתִיsaneti· hate
Hate. In Hebrew it ranges from the hatred of an enemy to simply "loving less". "Those who hate you" are enemies.
- יִדְבַּקyidbak· cling
Cling, stay firmly joined to something or someone. It is also used for faithfulness to God (Deuteronomy 10:20).