Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - Psalms 119:9 - 119:9

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Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - Psalms 119:9 - 119:9


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The eightfold Beth. Acting in accordance with the word of God, a young man walks blamelessly; the poet desires this, and supplicates God's gracious assistance in order to it. To purify or cleanse one's way or walk (זִכָּה, cf. Psa 73:13; Pro 20:9) signifies to maintain it pure (זַךְ, root זך, Arab. zk, to prick, to strike the eye, nitere;

(Note: The word receives the meaning of νικᾶν (vid., supra, p. 367), like Arab. ḏhr and bhr, from the signification of outshining = overpowering.)

vid., Fleischer in Levy's Chaldäisches Wörterbuch, i. 424) from the spotting of sin, or to free it from it. Psa 119:9 is the answer to the question in Psa 119:9; לִשְׁמֹר signifies custodiendo semetipsum, for שָׁמַר can also signify “to be on one's guard” without נַפְשֹׁו (Jos 6:18). The old classic (e.g., Psa 18:31) אִמְרָתֶךָ alternates throughout with דְּבָרֶךָ; both are intended collectively. One is said to hide (צָפַן) the word in one's heart when one has it continually present with him, not merely as an outward precept, but as an inward motive power in opposition to selfish action (Job 23:12). In Psa 119:12 the poet makes his way through adoration to petition. סִפַּרְתִּי in Psa 119:13 does not mean enumeration, but recounting, as in Deu 6:7. עֵֽדְוֹת is the plural to עֵדוּת; עֵדֹות, on the contrary, in Psa 119:138 is the plural to עֵדָה: both are used of God's attestation of Himself and of His will in the word of revelation. כְּעַל signifies, according to Psa 119:162, “as over” (short for כַּאֲשֶׁר עַל), not: as it were more than (Olshausen); the כְּ would only be troublesome in connection with this interpretation. With reference to הֹון, which has occurred already in Psa 44:13; Psa 112:3 (from הון, Arab. hawn, to be light, levem), aisance, ease, opulence, and concrete, goods, property, vid., Fleischer in Levy's Chald. Wórterb. i. 423f. אָרְחֹתֶיךָ, Psa 119:15, are the paths traced out in the word of God; these he will studiously keep in his eye.