Psalms 141:3–4
A prayer that God set a guard at the door of the lips
Study it word by word3Set, YHWH, a guard over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4Do not incline my heart to an evil thing, to practice deeds in wickedness with men who work wickedness; and let me not eat of their delicacies.
In its context
1A psalm of David. YHWH, I have called you; hurry to me; listen to my voice when I call to you.
2Let my prayer be established as incense before you, the lifting up of my palms as the evening offering.
…
5Let the righteous strike me— it is loyal love; and let him rebuke me— it is oil for the head; let my head not refuse it, for still is my prayer against their evils.
6They have been thrown down by the sides of the rock, their judges, and they will hear my sayings, for they are pleasant.
Its words in the original
- שִׁיתָshita· put, set
Put, place, set; appoint.
- 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.
- שָׁמְרָהshamra· guard, watch
A guard, a watch. It appears only in Psalm 141:3.
- פִfi· mouth
Mouth. Also what someone says or commands ("by the mouth of" = by the word of); the edge of a sword; "according to".
- נִצְּרָnitsra· keep, guard
Keep, watch over, preserve.
- דַּלdal· door
Door: the leaf that closes an entrance.
- שְׂפָתָsefata· lip, language, edge
Lip. From there, the way of speaking: speech or language. Also the shore or edge of something.
- תַּטtat· stretch out, turn aside
Stretch out, spread; pitch a tent. Also bend, incline; turn aside, pervert (justice).
- לִבִּlibi· 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.
- דָבָרdavar· word, matter, thing
Word; what is said. Also "matter" or "thing": what is spoken about, an affair, an event.
- רָעra· evil, bad, harm
Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.
- הִתְעוֹלֵלhitolel· deal harshly, glean
Deal harshly with someone, make him feel one's power. In other passages, glean what is left of the harvest.
- עֲלִלוֹתalilot· deed, doing
Deed, action: the works of God or of people; sometimes shameful deeds attributed to someone.
- רֶשַׁעresha· wickedness
Wickedness: what is unjust and evil.
- אִישִׁיםishim· man, husband, each
Man, male; with a possessive, husband. Also "each one", "anyone". It is "ish", distinct from "adam" (human being); it is used for the man in contrast with the woman ("ishah").
- פֹּעֲלֵיpoale· do, make
Do, make, carry out.
- אָוֶןaven· wickedness, trouble
Wickedness, trouble: what is empty and comes to nothing; also the evil and the affliction it brings.
- בַלval· not
Not: a negative proper to Hebrew poetry; it denies strongly ("it will not be moved").
- אֶלְחַםelcham· fight; eat
Fight, wage war. In a few passages, another verb with the same letters: eat (Proverbs 23:1).
- מַנְעַמֵּיmaname· delicacies
Delicacy, fine and tasty food.