Psalms 119:97
Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Psalms 119:97
Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The psalmist isn't just saying he likes God's law; he's expressing an almost astonished delight, as if surprised by the depth of his own affection. This isn't a casual reading but a constant, active engagement – "meditation" implies not just thinking about it, but letting it shape his very discourse and actions all day long.
This section of Psalm 119 begins a new stanza, marked by the Hebrew letter "Mem." The psalmist expresses an overwhelming love for God's law, revealing that it consumes his thoughts constantly. This deep affection is presented as a powerful testament to his faith, setting him apart from those who disregard divine instruction and contrasting his inner wisdom with external teachings.
Have you ever been surprised by the depth of your own feelings for something? The psalmist expresses an incredible, almost astonishing love for God's law.
This isn't just a casual appreciation; it's an intense, fervent love. Notice the exclamation: 'Oh how I love your law!' This suggests a feeling so strong it almost takes the psalmist by surprise. He appeals to God, knowing that this deep affection isn't natural but a gift. In a world where we might expect people to feel burdened by God's commands, the psalmist finds delight. This profound love isn't for a dry set of rules, but for the wisdom, truth, and life-giving promises contained within God's Word.
The psalmist doesn't just read God's Word; he meditates on it. What does that look like in our busy lives?
Meditation here isn't passive contemplation; it's an active, all-consuming engagement. "All the day" emphasizes that this isn't confined to quiet moments but permeates every aspect of life. It means the Word becomes the lens through which everything else is viewed. This constant dwelling on Scripture shapes thoughts, fuels conversation, and guides decisions. It's about letting God's truth sink deep, influencing not just our minds but also our actions and our very way of being.
Understand the original words
tôrâh · Hebrew Noun
The Torah; divine instruction or revelation. It encompasses God's revealed will, teaching, and moral guidance for His covenant people.
śîchâh · Hebrew Noun
To mutter, growl, or speak to oneself; used in this context for deep, continuous internal reflection, recitation, and engagement with God's word.
This passage echoes the psalmist's commitment, commanding us to meditate on God's law day and night so that we may be able to keep and act according to all that is written in it.
Psalm 1:1-3It beautifully describes the 'blessed' person whose delight and meditation are in the Lord's law, drawing a direct parallel to the psalmist's profound love and constant contemplation of God's word.
Colossians 3:16This New Testament passage calls believers to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly, encouraging them to teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and to sing with gratitude, reflecting the psalmist's deep affection and engagement with God's law.
Romans 7:22The apostle Paul expresses a similar inner delight in God's law, stating, 'For I inwardly rejoice in God's law,' which mirrors the intense love for God's commands that the psalmist proclaims.
gillPsalms 119:97: "MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day."
MEM.--The Thirteenth Part. MEM. O how love I thy law!.... The whole word of God, the preceptive part of it; the commands of the moral law, which are holy, just, and good, and to be loved: but they are not loved by carnal men, whose minds are enmity to them, and therefore are not and cannot be subject to them, but despise and reject them; but to a good man, on whose heart they are written, they are delightful, and loved…
pulpitPsalms 119:97: "MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day."
Verse 97. - O how love I Thy law! (comp. vers. 47, 48, 113, 119, 127, etc.). As the psalmist goes on with his meditation he becomes more and more rated with a deep love of the Law of God, which is not to him a restraint or a burden, but a solace and a "delight." It is my meditation all the day (see ver. 15, 23, 48, 78, etc.).
The psalmist isn't just saying he likes God's law; he's expressing an almost astonished delight, as if surprised by the depth of his own affection. This isn't a casual reading but a constant, active engagement – "meditation" implies not just thinking about it, but letting it shape his very discourse and actions all day long.
This section of Psalm 119 begins a new stanza, marked by the Hebrew letter "Mem." The psalmist expresses an overwhelming love for God's law, revealing that it consumes his thoughts constantly. This deep affection is presented as a powerful testament to his faith, setting him apart from those who disregard divine instruction and contrasting his inner wisdom with external teachings.
This section of Psalm 119 begins a new stanza, marked by the Hebrew letter "Mem." The psalmist expresses an overwhelming love for God's law, revealing that it consumes his thoughts constantly. This deep affection is presented as a powerful testament to his faith, setting him apart from those who disregard divine instruction and contrasting his inner wisdom with external teachings.
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"Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day." — The psalmist isn't just saying he likes God's law; he's expressing an almost astonished delight, as if surprised by the depth of his own affection. This isn't a casual reading but a constant, active…