psalm 119:1-16 chiastic structure

psalm 119 introduction 29 sep 2014

Read Psalm 119 at Bible Gateway.

1a) Psa 119:1-8 aleph {p} Blessed are those who walk in Your ways / Do not forget me:

1) Psa 119:1-3, Blessed are those who walk in the Lord’s ways:

1a) Psa 119:1, Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!
central axis) Psa 119:2, Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!
2a) Psa 119:3, They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways;

2) Psa 119:4-5, Your mouth has directed us to keep Your precepts / statutes:

Psa 119:4, You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently;
Psa 119:5, Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes;

3) Psa 119:6, Then I would not be ashamed, when I consider all Your commandments;

4) Psa 119:7, I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments;

5) Psa 119:8, I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! {p}

1b) Psa 119:9a beth How can a young man cleanse his way?

1c) Psa 119:9b, By taking heed according to Your word;

central axis) Psa 119:10, With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

2c) Psa 119:11a, Your word I have hidden in my heart;

2b) Psa 119:11b, That I might not sin against You;

2a) Psa 119:12-16 {p} Blessed are You – teach me Your ways / I will not forget You:

1) Psa 119:12, Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes;

2) Psa 119:13, With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth;

4) Psa 119:14, I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches;

3) Psa 119:15, I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways;

5) Psa 119:16, I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. {p}

Some scholars have noted that just as each acrostic stanza of 8 verses is to be treated as a single unit; every two stanzas pair to likewise form eleven larger units within the psalm; and with the first two stanzas we see that they do in fact combine to form their own unit, as evidenced by the chiastic structure.  The A pair is divided into 5 matching parts, with the 3rd and 4th reversed in order in the 2A pair. Vs. 1-3 reveals that walking in His ways means walking in or conforming to His torah. In the 3rd element, the same Hebrew word appears, even though it is translated differently in English. Nabat (consider, vs. 6, and contemplate, vs. 15) is Strong’s H5027, and means, to look or behold, to regard or have regard for, and by extension, to respect, to reverence.

Parents, if you are wondering how to help your young men and women have regard and reverence for the word of the Lord, to walk in His ways, look at the B and C pair. We cannot forget that the Lord’s words are more than just ink on paper. It is a living and active thing, full of life and power, which, when it put on flesh, became the Lord Jesus Christ. Help your children hide His word in their hearts. Guide your family to memorize it, to recite it, to even have competitions and games to test everyone’s recall of it. The word, once hidden in the heart, becomes its own voice in the heart, providing counsel and wisdom for the best way to go. ♥

One last note: the theme of the central axis, which falls near the beginning of the beth stanza, is repeated in the aleph stanza:

vs. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
vs. 2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!

I am not wise enough to understand why they repeat … but thought it something worth noting. ♥

psalm 119:17-32 chiastic structure 01 oct 2014