Read Psalm 119 at Bible Gateway.
You know how I said that I like the chiastic structures to be nice and neat, but I didn’t think Psa 119 was going to prove to be so? Okay, I take it all back, LOL. Something from yesterday’s study nagged at the back of my brain … so I went back to my notes. Yesterday’s pairing proved to be the key to unlock a nice neat structure for Psa 119:145-160, qoph + resh, which remained obscured until now, and also to improve the structure for Psa 119:33-48, hey + vav.
Psa 119:145-160, qoph + resh:
1a) Psa 119:145-152, qoph Revive me / truth + eternity of God’s commandments:
1) Psa 119:145-151a, Revive me according to Your justice:
1a) Psa 119:145-149a, My cry before the Lord reverse parallelism:
1a) Psa 119:145-146, I cry out/ hear me + save me/ I will keep Your statutes + testimonies:
145, I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes;
146, I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies;
1b) Psa 119:147, I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word;
2b) Psa 119:148, My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word;
2a) Psa 119:149a, Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
central axis) Psa 119:149b, O Lord, revive me according to Your justice;
2a) Psa 119:150-151a, The cause of my cry: the wicked draw near:
150, They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law;
151, You are near, O Lord;
2) Psa 119:151b-152, The truth of Your commandments / the eternity of Your testimonies:
151b, And all Your commandments are truth;
152, Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever. {p}
1b) Psa 119:153a, resh Consider my affliction and deliver me;
1c) Psa 119:153b-154a, I do not forget Your law / Plead my cause (because of my persecutors):
153b, For I do not forget Your law;
154a, Plead my cause and redeem me;
1d) Psa 119:154b, Revive me according to Your word;
central axis) Psa 119:155-156a, Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes; Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord;
2d) Psa 119:156b, Revive me according to Your judgments;
2c) Psa 119:157-158, Many are my persecutors / I do not turn from Your testimonies:
157, Many are my persecutors and my enemies, yet I do not turn from Your testimonies;
158, I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word;
2b) Psa 119:159a, Consider how I love Your precepts;
2a) Psa 119:159b-160, Revive me / truth + eternity of God’s word:
1) Psa 119:159b, Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness;
2) Psa 119:160, The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. {p}
Psa 119:33-48, hey + vav:
1a) Psa 119:33a, hey Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes;
1b) Psa 119:33b-35, I shall keep Your statutes to the end / Make me walk + my delight:
1) Psa 119:33b-34, I shall keep Your statutes to the end:
1a) Psa 119:33b, And I shall keep it to the end;
central axis) Psa 119:34a, Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;
2a) Psa 119:34b, Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart;
2) Psa 119:35, Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it;
1c) Psa 119:36-40, Turn away my reproach / I long for Your precepts:
1a) Psa 119:36-37, Incline my heart to Your testimonies / revive me in Your way:
1a) Psa 119:36a, Incline my heart to Your testimonies;
1b) Psa 119:36b, And not to covetousness;
2b) Psa 119:37a, Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things;
2a) Psa 119:37b, And revive me in Your way;
1b) Psa 119:38a, Establish Your word to Your servant;
1c) Psa 119:38b, Who is devoted to fearing You;
2c) Psa 119:39a, Turn away my reproach which I dread;
2b) Psa 119:39b, For Your judgments are good;
2a) Psa 119:40, Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness. {p}
central axis) Psa 119:41, vav Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—Your salvation according to Your word;
2c) Psa 119:42-43, I shall answer him who reproaches me / I hope in Your ordinances:
42 So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word;
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances;
2b) Psa 119:44-48a, I shall keep Your law forever / I will walk + my delight:
1) Psa 119:44, So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever;
2) Psa 119:45-48a, I will walk at liberty / I delight myself in Your commandments:
45 And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts;
46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed;
47 And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love;
48a My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, Which I love;
2a) Psa 119:48b, And I will meditate on Your statutes. {p}
This was the key that was needed in order to continue the whole psalm chiastic structure and to discover what happened to our missing Psa 119:17-32! Here it is:
Psa 119:1-176 chiastic structure:
introduction) Psa 119:1, Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!
1a) Psa 119:1-3 + 1-16 central axis, aleph + beth Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart; With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
1b) Psa 119:7 + 14, I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments; I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches;
1c) Psa 119:18-23 (repeated in 25-31), gimel + daleth My soul longs to understand Your wonderful law / Princes also sit and speak against me;
1d) Psa 119:33-48, hey + vav I shall keep Your law forever / Your mercies + salvation;
2d) Psa 119:145-160, qoph + resh Truth + eternity of God’s word / Salvation + Your tender mercies;
2c) Psa 119:161, shin + tau Princes persecute me without a cause; but my heart stands in awe of Your word;
2b) Psa 119:162 + 164 (repeated in 171-175), I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure; Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments;
2a) Psa 119:176a, I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant; {n}
conclusion) Psa 119:176b, For I do not forget Your commandments. {p}
To be continued …
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