Psalms 119:140 — Word Study
WLCצְרוּפָ֖ה אִמְרָתְךָ֥ מְאֹ֗ד וְֽעַבְדְּךָ֥ אֲהֵבָֽהּ׃
BSAYour promiseʼimrâh [proven true, dependable] is completelymᵉʼôd [exceedingly, very] puretsâraph [refined, tested] therefore Your servantʻebed [slave, one who loves and obeys] loves itʼâhab■ [has affection for, cherishes]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| צְרוּפָ֖ה | [has been] refined | Verb, Qal, participle (passive) feminine singular |
| אִמְרָתְךָ֥ | word your | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| מְאֹ֗ד | exceedingly | Adv |
| וְֽעַבְדְּךָ֥ | and servant your | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| אֲהֵבָֽהּ׃ | he loves it | Verb qal perfect third person masculine singular, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Your promise is completely pure; therefore Your servant loves it. |
| KJV | Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. |
| ASV | Thy word is very pure; Therefore thy servant loveth it. |
| YLT | Tried [is] thy saying exceedingly, And Thy servant hath loved it. |
| WEB | Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them. |
| BBE | Your word is of tested value; and it is dear to your servant. |
Where they part company is מְאֹ֗ד — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of a main clause with a subordinate clause explaining the servant's response, highlighting the connection between the purity of God's promise and the servant's love.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbצָרַף
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 119:140
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Greatness of God's Wordgenerated
Psalm 119:140 emphasizes the purity and reliability of God's promise, which is cherished by the psalmist. This verse is part of a larger meditation on the significance of God's law and word, reflecting the psalmist's commitment to obeying and loving God's commands, as seen throughout Psalm 119.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 119:128 | Therefore I admire all Your precepts and hate every false way. |
| 2 | Psalm 12:6 | The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold. |
| 3 | Psalm 18:30 | As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. |
| 4 | Psalm 19:8 | The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. |
| 5 | Proverbs 30:5 | Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 8 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — צְרוּפָ֖ה, tze.ru.Fahgenerated
The word צְרוּפָ֖ה (tze.ru.Fah) is a passive participle derived from the root צָרַף (tsaraph), which means to refine or purify. It conveys the idea of something that has been tested and proven to be pure, much like how metal is refined by removing impurities.
In this verse, it highlights the trustworthiness of God's promise, indicating that it has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely pure. This assurance leads the psalmist to love God's word deeply.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the term completely for מְאֹ֗ד and emphasizes the promise's purity. The KJV and ASV also use very, aligning with the sense of intensity.
Where translations differ is in the rendering of מְאֹ֗ד — very (ASV, KJV) versus exceedingly (YLT, LSV). Both communicate a strong emphasis on the quality of God's promise.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse consists of two main clauses linked by a conjunction. The first clause describes God's promise as pure, while the second expresses the psalmist's love for it. The structure emphasizes the relationship between the purity of God's promise and the psalmist's response of love.
The finite verbs are צְרוּפָ֖ה and אֲהֵבָֽהּ, indicating the state of God's promise and the action of the servant loving it, respectively.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates צְרוּפָ֖ה as πεπυρωμένον (pepyrōmenon), meaning 'having been burned' or 'refined by fire'. This choice highlights the idea of purification through intense testing, similar to the original Hebrew meaning.
This rendering suggests a focus on the process of refining, indicating that God's word is not only pure but has undergone a rigorous purification process.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 119:140 tells us that God's promise is completely pure, and because of this, the psalmist, who sees himself as God's servant, loves it. This reflects a deep appreciation for the reliability and truth of God's word.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that God's promise is free from any impurities or falsehoods, proven to be true and dependable.
The psalmist loves God's promise because it is pure and reliable, providing assurance and guidance.
We can trust in God's promises and cherish His word, knowing it is true and dependable.
Being a servant of God involves loving and obeying His commands, as the psalmist expresses in this verse.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced the purity of God's promises in my life?
- How can I deepen my love for God's word as the psalmist does?
- What does it mean for me to be a servant of God in my daily life?
- How can I encourage others to trust in the reliability of God's promises?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early Church Fathers also reflected on this verse, often discussing the nature of God's word and its impact on believers. Quotations from Origen and Augustine show their insights into the love for God's commandments.
Do you want me to show you how the fire goes out from the words of the Holy Spirit and ignites the hearts of believers? Hear David speaking in the psalm: "The declaration of the Lord has set him on fire." And again in the Gospel it was…Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →
Then considering with himself with what a flame of love he burned for the commandments of God: "Fiery," says he, "is Your word exceedingly,Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 119:140 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThy word is very pure,.... Or, "exceedingly purified" (w): as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times, Psalms 12:6; free from, all drossy matter; from any mixtures, or the
Read John Gill on Psalms 119 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. Thy word is very pure - literally, purified, like gold or silver refined of all dross by the fire (Psalms 12:6; Psalms 18:30).
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 119 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleVer. 140. Very pure; without the least mixture of any falsehood or sin, both which are frequent in the words or precepts of men. Therefore; because of that exact purity and holiness of it, for which very reason ungodly men either despise or hate it.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 119 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 119:140 Thy word [is] very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.Ver. 140. Thy word is very pure] And calleth for purity. Hence wicked men slight it; but saints the rather embrace it, desirous to be conformed to the heavenly pattern.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 119 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(140) Pure.—More literally, purged by trial. LXX. and Vulg., “fired.” It is not only the excellence, but the proved excellence, of the Divine Word, which is the object of love and adoration here.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 119 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 140. Thy word is very pure] צרופה tseruphah, it is purification. It is not a purified thing, but a thing that purifies. "Now ye are clean," said Christ, "by the word I have spoken unto you." God's word is a fire to purify as well as a hammer to break.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 119 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges140. pure] Lit. tried, or, refined: like pure gold without any admixture of dross. Cp. Psalms 18:30; Psalms 12:6.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 119 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThy word is very pure - Margin, “tried or refined.” See the word explained in the notes at Psalms 18:30. Therefore thy servant loveth it - Therefore I love it.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 119 →The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Your promise is completely pure; therefore Your servant loves it.
Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.
Your promise is completely pure; therefore Your servant loves it.
Your word is absolutely pure, and your servant loves it!
Tyndale line
Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.
Thy word is very pure; Therefore thy servant loveth it.
Thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it.
Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.
Thy word is prooued most pure, and thy seruant loueth it.
Strictly literal
Thy *word is exceeding pure, and thy servant loveth it.
Tried [is] thy saying exceedingly, And Thy servant hath loved it.
Your saying [is] tried exceedingly, || And Your servant has loved it.
Thy promise is greatly refined, and thy servant loveth it.
Your word has been tested very much, and your servant loves it.
Simplified
Your promises have been proved true, and that's why I, your servant, love them.
Your word is of tested value; and it is dear to your servant.
Word by word, the decisions they made
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in their wording, with all five words matched. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide partial evidence, with some words restored or supplied by an editor, but the core message remains consistent across these witnesses.
צְרוּפָ֖ה אִמְרָתְךָ֥ מְאֹ֗ד וְֽעַבְדְּךָ֥ אֲהֵבָֽהּ׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
צרופה אמרת׳ך מאד ועבד׳ך [אהב׳ה]
3 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 1 supplied entire by an editor.
צרופה אמרת׳כה מואד׳ה ועבד׳כה אהב׳ה
5 words on the leather.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 119:140
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
צָרַף (tsaraph) is a Hebrew verb meaning to smelt, refine, or test. It encompasses the processes of fusing metals and proving their purity, with forms indicating both the act of refining and the role of a refiner or goldsmith. The word appears in various contexts, including both literal and figurative uses of purification.
צָרַף vb. smelt, refine, test
Qal
smelt, refine
test
test (and prove true)
as n. smelter, refiner
Niph. many shall be refined
Pi. as n. a refiner
base
H6884 צָרַף smelt, refine, test
6884 tsaraph tsaw-raf'
a primitive root; to fuse (metal), i.e. refine (literally or
figuratively):--cast, (re-)fine(-er), founder, goldsmith,
melt, pure, purge away, try.
צָרַף (tsa.raph) — to refine.
1) to smelt, refine, test
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to smelt, refine
1a2) to test
1a3) to test (and prove true)
1a4) smelter, refiner, goldsmith (participle)
1b) (Niphal) to be refined
1c) (Piel) to be a refiner
1c1) refiner (participle)
V-Qal-Inf-c — Verb · Qal · participle (passive) feminine singularHVqsfsa
אִמְרָה (imrah) refers to an utterance, speech, or word, and can denote a word of God, including commands and promises. It also has a connotation of a threat, particularly in the context of divine judgment. The term is feminine and is derived from a related root, אֶמְרָה (emrah), which shares similar meanings.
ref
H565a אִמְרָה utternace, speech, word H565b אֶמְרָה id. [565a]
565 'imrah im-raw'
or memrah {em-raw'}; feminine of 561, and meaning the
same:--commandment, speech, word.
see HEBREW for 0561
אִמְרָה (im.rah) — word.
1) utterance, speech, word
1a) word of God (command and promise)
אֶמְרָה (im.rah) — threat.
threat (of judgement from God)
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp2ms
מְאֹד (m`od) refers to concepts of muchness, force, and abundance. It serves as an adverb meaning exceedingly or greatly, often used to intensify other words. The entries highlight its use in various idioms to express magnitude or degree, with a focus on might and intensity.
מְאֹד n.m. muchness, force, abundance, exceedingly
force, might
in diff. idioms (298 t.) to express the idea of exceedingly, greatly, very (whether of magnitude or degree)
base
H3966 מְאֹד muchness, force, abundance, exceedingly . force, might
. in diff. idiomns (298 t.) to express the idea of exceedingly, greatly, very (whether of magnitude or degree)
3966 m`od meh-ode'
from the same as 181; properly, vehemence, i.e. (with or
without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly,
speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or
superlative; especially when repeated):--diligently,
especially, exceeding(-ly), far, fast, good, great(-ly), X
louder and louder, might(-ily, -y), (so) much, quickly, (so)
sore, utterly, very (+ much, sore), well.
see HEBREW for 0181
מְאֹד (me.od) — much.
adv
1) exceedingly, much
subst
2) might, force, abundance
n m
3) muchness, force, abundance, exceedingly
3a) force, might
3b) exceedingly, greatly, very (idioms showing magnitude or degree)
3b1) exceedingly
3b2) up to abundance, to a great degree, exceedingly
3b3) with muchness, muchness
Adv — AdvHAcmsa
The Hebrew word עֶ֫בֶד (*ebed*) means 'slave' or 'servant' and encompasses various roles, including household servants, subjects, and worshippers of God. It can also refer to Israel as a collective servant of God and is used in polite address among equals. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to work' or 'to serve'.
עֶ֫בֶד 799 n.m. slave, servant
slave, servant of household
Subjects, of chief
Servants, worshippers of God
Servant of י׳, in a special sense
Israel as a people is servant of י׳
In polite address of equals or superiors the Hebrews used עַבְדְּךָ thy servant = 1 pers. sing., I
Phrases
base
H5650 עֶ֫בֶד slave, servant . slave, servant of household
. Subjects, of chief
. Servants, worshippers of God
. Servant of י׳, in a special sense
. Israel as a people is servant of י׳
. In polite address of equals or superiors the Hebrews used עַבְדְּךָ thy servant = 1 pers. sing., I
. Phrases
5650 `ebed eh'-bed
from 5647; a servant:--X bondage, bondman, (bond-)servant,
(man-)servant.
see HEBREW for 05647
עֶ֫בֶד (e.ved) — servant/slave.
1) slave, servant
1a) slave, servant, man-servant
1b) subjects
1c) servants, worshippers (of God)
1d) servant (in special sense as prophets, Levites etc)
1e) servant (of Israel)
1f) servant (as form of address between equals)
Aramaic equivalent: a.vad (עֲבַד "servant/slave" H5649)
Conj | N-ms | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHC/Ncmsc/Sp2ms
The Hebrew word אָהֵב (*'ahab*) means 'to love' and encompasses various forms of affection, including human love for others, love for God, and even appetites for things like food and wisdom. It can also refer to friendship and divine love towards humanity, particularly Israel. The entries indicate that it can function in different grammatical forms, such as participles for 'lovely' or 'loveable'.
אָהֵב 216 vb. love
Qal
human love to human object
less oft. of appetite
love to God
esp. Pt.
of divine love
Niph. Pt. pl. lovely, loveable
Pi.
friends
lovers
base
H157 אָהֵב love
157 'ahab aw-hab'
or raheb {aw-habe'}; a primitive root; to have affection for
(sexually or otherwise):--(be-)love(-d, -ly, -r), like,
friend.
אָהֵב (a.hav) — to love: lover.
: lover
1) to love
1a) (Qal)
1a1) human love for another, includes family, and sexual
1a2) human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom
1a3) human love for or to God
1a4) act of being a friend
1a4a) lover (participle)
1a4b) friend (participle)
1a5) God's love toward man
1a5a) to individual men
1a5b) to people Israel
1a5c) to righteousness
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) lovely (participle)
1b2) loveable (participle)
1c) (Piel)
1c1) friends
1c2) lovers (fig. of adulterers)
2) to like
Also means: a.hav (אָהֵב ": friend" H0157H)
אָהֵב (a.hav) — to love: friend.
: friend
1) to love
1a) (Qal)
1a1) human love for another, includes family, and sexual
1a2) human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom
1a3) human love for or to God
1a4) act of being a friend
1a4a) lover (participle)
1a4b) friend (participle)
1a5) God's love toward man
1a5a) to individual men
V-Qal-Perf-3ms | Suff — Verb qal perfect third person masculine singular · suffixHVqp3ms/Sp3fs