Psalms 119:1–8

In its context

Its words in the original

• אַשְׁרֵיashre· happy, blessed

  Happy, blessed: an exclamation for the good that someone has.

• תְמִימֵיtemime· blameless

  Complete, whole, without defect. Said of a person, blameless: of one piece, without falseness. It does not mean that he has never sinned.

• דָרֶךְdarech· way

  Way, road, journey. Figuratively, the way one lives or acts.

• הֹלְכִיםholchim· go, walk

  Go, walk, come. Figuratively, the way one lives ("walk with God").

• תוֹרַתtorat· instruction, law

  "Torah": instruction, teaching that gives direction; hence "law". Later it is the name of the five books of Moses. This translation uses "instruction", and "law" when the body of laws is meant.

• יְהוָהyehva· YHWH

  The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

• נֹצְרֵיnotsre· keep, guard

  Keep, watch over, preserve.

• עֵדֹתָיedotay· testimony, witness

  Testimony, witness: something that serves as evidence, such as a heap of stones or a gift set up as proof.

• לֵבlev· heart

  Heart. In Hebrew it is not only the place of feelings: it is the center of the person, where one thinks, decides and wills; also the middle of something.

• יִדְרְשׁוּyidrshu· seek, inquire

  Seek earnestly; inquire; require an account. Turned toward God, consult him or seek him.

• פָעֲלוּfaalu· do, make

  Do, make, carry out.

• עַוְלָהavla· injustice, wrong

  Injustice; what is crooked, what is not right.

• צִוִּיתָהtsivita· command

  Command, give an order; give charge to someone.

• פִקֻּדֶיfikude· precepts

  Precepts: what God has charged people to keep. It is used only in the plural and almost only in the Psalms.

• שְׁמֹרshemor· keep, guard

  Keep: watch over, guard, protect; also keep a command or a covenant, observe.

• מְאֹדmeod· very, much

  Very, greatly, exceedingly; a word that strengthens what goes with it. As a noun, strength, might.

• אַחֲלַיachalay· if only

  An exclamation of desire: "if only!", "how I wish that…!" It expresses something the person strongly wishes that has not yet happened. In 2 Kings 5:3 the captive girl says it.

• יִכֹּנוּyikonu· be firm, prepare

  Be firm, be set, be ready; in the causative form, set up, establish, prepare, make ready.

• חֻקֶּיchuke· statute, allotted portion

  What is fixed: an allotted portion, a rule, a statute; a limit.

• אֵבוֹשׁevosh· be ashamed; delay

  Be ashamed, feel shame; be disappointed. In another form, be long in coming, delay.

• הַבִּיטִhabiti· look

  Look intently, gaze; regard, pay attention to.

• מִצְוֺתֶיmitsvote· commandment

  Commandment: an order given by one in authority; above all, those of God.

• אוֹדְod· praise, give thanks; confess

  In one form of the verb, praise, give thanks. In another, confess: acknowledge sins or the name of God aloud. Its root sense is to throw.

• יֹשֶׁרyosher· uprightness

  Uprightness: what is straight and right.

• לֵבָבlevav· heart

  Heart: the inner part of the person, where one thinks, feels and decides.

• לָמְדִlamdi· teach, learn

  Teach; in another form of the verb, learn.

• מִשְׁפְּטֵיmishpte· justice, judgment

  What is right and the decision that establishes it: the judgment of a judge, someone's right, a rule or ordinance, a custom. "Do righteousness and justice" is to treat each one as is due.

• צִדְקֶtsidke· righteousness, what is right

  Righteousness: what is right, what is as it should be; just (weights, judgment).

• תַּעַזְבֵtaazve· leave, forsake

  Leave, forsake, abandon; also let go, leave behind for someone.