Aleph
“Happy are those whose way is blameless!
They walk in the law of Yahweh.
Happy are those who keep his decrees!
They seek him with their whole heart.
They also do no wrong.
They walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precept.
You have commanded it to be kept diligently.
O that my ways may be steadfast!
That I may keep your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame.
I have my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart.
I will learn your righteous ordinances.
I will observe your statutes.
Do not utterly forsake me!”
Psalm 119 is one of the longest psalms. However, there are not any titles to this acrostic alphabet psalm about the importance of the law. There are 8 verses to every consonant letter of the Hebrew alphabet instead of just a line or two as in some of the other acrostic psalms. In this eulogy to the law, the happy ones are the blameless ones because they walk in the law of Yahweh. They are happy because they keep his decrees. They seek Yahweh with their whole hearts. They do not do anything wrong because they keep Yahweh’s commandments diligently. They are steadfast in their determination to follow the law. The psalmist will try not to be ashamed as he tries to follow the law. He gets personal since he has an upright heart. Using the first person singular, he wanted to learn all the right ordinances and statutes. He wanted to observe them. He asked Yahweh not to forsake him. This section on the first consonant letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph, comes to an end.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 