Psalm 119: theme and variation on ten words

Hammerhof Hinterglasbild Psalm 119, 22. "Aufer a me opprobrium et contemptum" (Psalm 119:22)

For years, my heart would sort of sink when my annual Bible-reading cycle took me to Psalm 119. I found each of the acrostic sections to have such similar language I couldn’t make head or tail of it.

One year, I looked up all the original Hebrew words that began each verse of the sections— all the ‘aleph’ words, all the ‘bet’ words, etc.— and penciled them in my Bible, circling the English word they translated. For example, in the first verse, I circled the word ‘blessed’ which in Hebrew can be transliterated ‘ashray”, or in verse 27, the first word in Hebrew is ‘derech’ corresponding to the English words ‘the ways’. I looked up translations of Psalm 119 that tried to shoehorn the syntax into starting with the same word in English as it did in Hebrew or that tried to find English words beginning with the same sound to start each verse. 

It was an interesting exercise, but I still didn’t feel like the psalm was resonating with my spirit the way other psalms did.

One Saturday morning, I did a Google search on Psalm 119 and came across a video by Rabbi Mendel Kaplan called “The Secret Matrix of Psalm 119”. It was long and technical and culturally somewhat foreign to me, but God used it to help me understand at last what was missing in my reading of this glorious psalm. The gist of Rabbi Kaplan’s teaching can also be found on this Christian website just in case you were wondering whether it was a purely judaic interpretation.

Let me share with you what I learned, in the hope that God also deepens your understanding and appreciation for the genius of the Holy Spirit working through the psalmist.

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As you’ve gathered from my other blog posts, I love structure. Today, however, I’m just going to give it a passing remark because that’s not the key. Psalm 119 is an acrostic. Each of the 22 sections is composed of eight verses, or statements, that begin with one letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Why eight and not seven? Good question- I’ll try to summarize orthodox Jewish thought on that near the end of the article. So the structure is simply 22 sections of 8 statements containing many parallelisms and chaisms, as we’d expect from Hebrew poetry.

But the carousel effect of Psalm 119 actually turns out to be the key.

One of ten nearly synonymous words is found in every verse but one (verse 122). It can feel redundant until you understand the precise meanings of those ten words. And then the Psalm comes to life.

• 1. Torah - INSTRUCTION. A literal, technical description of a mitzvah (good deed/commandment). It’s the answer to the prayer, “Just show me exactly what you want, God.” The remarkable thing about God’s Law is just how precise it is. For instance, the ark of the covenant had to have certain dimensions. God says, ‘Make the tabernacle according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain.’ (Ex 25:40) This is an example of God’s grace- he tells us to walk in his way and doesn’t leave us guessing. Under the new covenant in Jesus’ blood, we have the Holy Spirit as our constant instructor. The ESV and NKJV translate torah ‘law’.
• 2. Derech - PATH, or WAY. This refers to following a lifestyle. For Christians, it points to Jesus- He is the Way. Before Christians were called Christians, they were simply called ‘followers of the Way’- they had an identifiably different lifestyle.

• 3. Chukim - STATUTES. These are supra-rational decrees, things we do even if we don’t understand. For Jews who don’t yet acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, there are a lot of strange decrees that only make sense when we see them fulfilled in him. But even for followers of Jesus, we could ask ‘Why only beaten olive oil for the lamp? And why must it burn continually, even during the day?’ (Exodus 27:20-21) Even though we understand that these are pictures of the Holy Spirit, they are still beyond our human comprehension. We need revelation to grasp their full meaning.
• 4. Mishpatim - ORDINANCES/JUDGMENTS. These are rules that govern society. They are a legal way to solve problems. One example would be: What do you do if your animal falls into your neighbour’s uncovered pit? Well, he has to pay money to the owner to replace it, and he has to deal with the dead animal. (Exodus 21:33-34). The ESV translates this word ‘rules’, the NKJV ‘judgments’. Hear God’s gavel when you read this word.
• 5. Edut-TESTIMONY.  This is an act that hearkens back to an event. For instance, the Sabbath speaks of God resting after his work of creation. Passover speaks of God leading the children of Israel out of ‘the house of bondage’. The Lord’s Supper speaks of Jesus’ death on our behalf. When we keep the testimonies we are also bearing witness to those events. (Although in the case of the Sabbath and Passover, Romans 14:5 reminds us that we have liberty.)

Alessandro Allori, The Last Supper, 1582, oil on canvas, 215 x 750 cm, Palazzo della Ragione, Bergamo

• 6. Piqqudim - PRECEPTS. These are God’s commandments that make sense or resonate with us in a special way. They are mitzvahs that bring forth natural abilities from our heart. We are all born unique, with a certain potential, but to harness our full potential requires direction from God. If you’ve ever been reading the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit highlights a word or verse for you, that’s a piqqud. This word of the ten really hit me. God has made me with a certain potential, and his Word contains the key to developing it fully, like Psalm 138: 8a says, ‘The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me’ or Ephesians 2:10 ‘We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.’
• 7. Tzedek/Tzadak- RIGHTEOUSNESS/RIGHTEOUS. Other synonyms for this word are ‘just’, ‘moral’. It’s the only word of the ten also expressed as an adjective.
• 8. Dabar - WORD (spoken or written). The verb form would be ‘speak’. These are forceful words, spoken from the heart. This might correspond to the Greek word ‘logos’
• 9. Imrah - PROMISES. The verb form would be ‘say’. Like, ‘dabar’, ‘imrah’ also means word, but is translated ‘promises’ in the ESV. Some suggest these are God’s intimate words to us. The Greek word might be ‘Rhema’. It’s not always easy to tease out the distinctions between ‘dabar’ and ‘imrah’, so here they are in one verse: The Lord spoke (dabar) to Moses, saying (imrah)…’ (Lev 23:1). Still puzzled? This site could provide more insight. 
• 10. Mitzvah- COMMANDMENTS. These are good deeds that God commands us to do.

Hebrew letter 'nun' (n)

​That’s a brief overview, but for me, it was enough to start understanding the psalm on a whole new level. Let me give you an example, from the Nun section, Psalm 119:105-112, of how I understand the verses in the light of these word definitions.

​Your WORD is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - Just as God’s Word made light shine out of darkness at creation, God’s Word creates light in my darkness, guiding me forward.

I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your RIGHTEOUS RULES - Two words here, ‘tzadak’ and ‘mishpatim’. First, God’s legal decisions are just and moral. Second, I make a binding commitment to carry out his sentences.
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I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your WORD. - Here we have ‘word’ again. It reminds me of the verse, ‘He sent forth his word and healed them.’ (Psalm 107:20. Just as God’s word created, it also heals.

Accept my freewill offering of praise, Lord, and teach me your RULES. - Instead of fearing his judgments, I draw near with praise, asking God to teach me his ways of solving problems.

I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your LAW. - Perilous times are no excuse. The psalmist remembers God’s specific instructions on what to do and how to do it. ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ Romans 12:21)

The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your PRECEPTS. - Even though there are evil people (and spirits) trying to prevent me from fulfilling God’s purposes for me, I will reach my full potential if I don’t deviate from what his Word says.

Your TESTIMONIES are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. - So beautiful! This connects to making the Sabbath our delight (Isaiah 58:13), or, say, the joy that wells up within us at a baptism.

I incline my heart to perform your STATUTES forever, to the end. - Even though I don’t understand with my mind all that God is saying, my heart says yes.

Now, why eight verses per stanza, not seven?
There are a few possible explanations.

One rabbi suggests that the 5 senses plus the 3 parts of the soul add up to 8. The eight verses of each stanza could then be a symbol of the fullness of the human experience.

Usually, however, the numbers seven and ten do represent fullness or completion. Let’s take seven: if you put seven spheres or circles on a surface, you get a bigger circle. But you need an eighth, larger circle to hold them all together, one that goes beyond the seven.

The idea is that seven is indeed fullness or perfection on one level, but eight is transcendent.
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Another rabbi taught there are eight levels of creation, and you can quibble with this if you like.

1. Mineral
2. Vegetable
3. Animal
4. Human
5. Spiritually-alive human
6. Heavenly bodies
7. Angelic reality
8. God himself

The point is, that the first seven are all created, but the eighth is the Creator. The seven are all bound to some extent by time and space, but not the eighth. Both rabbis end up at the same concept of "going beyond".

Perhaps Psalm 119:96 (incidentally, the eighth verse of the lamed section) confirms this: I have seen a limit to all perfection (seven), but your commandment is exceedingly broad (eight).

Was this helpful to you? Let me know in the comments below.