Psalms Chapter 119-Aleph (1) |
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Psalms 119-Aleph
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Introduction to Psalm 119
This Psalm is quite long. It is divided into 22 sections according to the number of letters in the Hebrew Alphabet. Each section is named (in the KJ Transalation) after a Hebrew Letter. Every section consists of eight verses every one of which begins a word the first letter of which is the letter after which the section is named. The first section, for instance, is named "Aleph" (the equivalent of "A") after the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. It has eight verses. Every first word in each of the eight verses begins with the letter "A".
Verse 119:1 begins with the Hebrew word "Ashrei" whose first letter is "Aleph" and which is translated as BLESSED.
Verse 119:2 also begins with the Hebrew word "Ashrei" whose first letter is "Aleph" and which is translated as BLESSED.
Verse 119:3 begins with the Hebrew word "Af" whose first letter is "Aleph" and which is translated as THEY ALSO.
Verse 119:4 begins with the Hebrew word "Atoh" whose first letter is "Aleph" and which is translated as THOU.
Verse 119:5 begins with the Hebrew word "Acalei" whose first letter is "Aleph" and which is translated as O THAT.
Verse 119:6 begins with the Hebrew word "Az" whose first letter is "Aleph" and which is translated as THEN.
Verse 119:7 begins with the Hebrew word "Aoydecha" whose first letter is "Aleph" and which is translated as I WILL PRAISE THEE.
Verse 119:8 begins with the Hebrew word "Aet" whose first letter is "Aleph" and which is not translated but is hidden in the expression I WILL KEEP THY STATUTES. A more literal translation of the Hebrew might render this phrase as I WILL KEEP THE STATUTES OF THEE where the word we translate here as THE is Et (aet) and begins with Aleph.
Verse 119:9 begins another eight verses with every verse headed by a word beginning with "Beith" the second letter of the Alphabet and so on until the end of the Psalm.
Apart from the first letter of each verse in every stanza of 8-verses the Commentators sought to reveal other common denominators in each section.
The Sages also pointed out that each verse in this 176-verse long Psalm contains a reference to the Torah and Commandments.
For instance in the section under Aleph going from one verse to the other we have the expressions THE LAW OF THE LORD [Psalms 119:1], HIS TESTIMONIES [Psalms 119:2], HIS WAYS [Psalms 119:3], THY PRECEPTS [Psalms 119:4], THY STATUTES [Psalms 119:5],
THY COMMANDMENTS [Psalms 119:6], THY RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS [Psalms 119:71], THY STATUTES [Psalms 119:8] and so it continues for every verse throughout the Psalm.
ALEPH
[Psalms 119:1] BLESSED ARE THE UNDEFILED IN THE WAY, WHO WALK IN THE LAW OF THE LORD.
[Psalms 119:2] BLESSED ARE THEY THAT KEEP HIS TESTIMONIES, AND THAT SEEK HIM WITH THE WHOLE HEART.
Those that keep the commandments will be blessed. They will come to seek the Almighty. Not everybody immediately feels a strong spiritual impulse but by just doing as well as one can, keeping the Commandments in this case meaning doing what one must do, one may also come to seek the Almighty. One thing can lead to another.
[Psalms 119:3] THEY ALSO DO NO INIQUITY: THEY WALK IN HIS WAYS.
From doing what one must do and coming to seek God one will automatically want to avoid transgression and that will be followed by a dynamic urge to do what God wants, to walk in HIS ways.
[Psalms 119:4] THOU HAST COMMANDED US TO KEEP THY PRECEPTS DILIGENTLY.
God has directed us to go along this path.
The Lost Ten Tribes are not obliged at present to keep all the Commandments in the same way as the Jews of Judah are obliged. Nevertheless the principle behind these exhortations is a universal one and applicable to everyone. God wants us to do what we should do. Everyone has their individual goal in life, their own private task to fulfill. We should seek it out and fulfill it.
[Psalms 119:5] O THAT MY WAYS WERE DIRECTED TO KEEP THY STATUTES!
We should try to arrange our lives in accordance to the will of the Almighty. Everything should be intended to serve us along this path. This sounds very difficult but with a little worldly wisdom and self-forgiveness of ourselves for natural human weakness we may get on the right track and stay on it.
[Psalms 119:6] THEN SHALL I NOT BE ASHAMED, WHEN I HAVE RESPECT UNTO ALL THY COMMANDMENTS.
If we do what we can and try to meet the challenges that life puts in our path in accordance with Biblical principles we will be able to look our mirror-images in the eyes of others with respect.
[Psalms 119:7] I WILL PRAISE THEE WITH UPRIGHTNESS OF HEART, WHEN I SHALL HAVE LEARNED THY RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS.
Do good. Learn to do right. God will help us and reward us. We will be able to praise God with honesty with recognition that HIS path is a true one and HE has been faithful unto us.
[Psalms 119:8] I WILL KEEP THY STATUTES: O FORSAKE ME NOT UTTERLY.
O FORSAKE ME NOT, UTTERLY: The words translated as UTTERLY are "ad Moed". "ad" connotes towards or until and is the root of our English word "add" meaning "increase, join to".
Moed means "might" and is the root of the word "might".
Amos Chacham ("Daat Mikra") explains this expression to mean,
O FORSAKE ME NOT, [but do the opposite of forsaking, i.e. cleave unto me] UTTERLY.
The Aramaic Translation of Yehonatan supports this explanation.
Psalms Chapter 119-Aleph |
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