Obey the Lord's Precepts
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 at...