Obey the Lord's Precepts
Psalm 119:4-6
It is to be noticed that in verse 4 the Hebrew word translated precepts appears only in the Psalms. The Hebrew verb “to keep” is used in verses 4b and 5b (see its use in verse 2a); again, it means to follow, to “obey.”
In verse 5 the wish represented by O that … may be expressed by “I hope that” or “I wish that.” NJB has “May my ways be steady in doing your will.”
In verse 6 be put to shame is the public shame to which a pious Israelite would be subjected who did not fully obey the law of Yahweh; failure to obey the Law would be obvious from the disgrace or the suffering which would overtake such a person. TEV in verse 6 has inverted the order of the Hebrew text, putting first line b, “If I pay attention to all your commands,” so as to make the psalmist’s statement easier to understand. RSV having my eyes fixed on means “because I have my eyes fixed on.” The Hebrew phrase “fix one’s eyes on” means to “pay attention to,” to observe, to obey. In some languages the expression be put to shame will have to be expressed in the active. Furthermore, in some languages an idiomatic phrase will be more natural; for example, “people will not cause my face to burn” or “people will not heat my blood.”
Bratcher, Robert G., and William David Reyburn. A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms. New York: United Bible Societies, 1991. Print. UBS Handbook Series.
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