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Psalms 119:149 — Word Study

Depth

WLCק֭וֹלִי שִׁמְעָ֣ה כְחַסְדֶּ֑ךָ יְ֝הוָ֗ה כְּֽמִשְׁפָּטֶ֥ךָ חַיֵּֽנִי׃

BSAHearshâmaʻ [listen attentively to] my voiceqôwl O LORDYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, the Lord God] according to Your loving devotionchêçêd [kindness, mercy] give me lifechâyâh [revive me, quicken me] according to Your justicemishpâṭ [righteous judgment, ordinances]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 119
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 149 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (chai.Ye.ni) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 119:149quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist calls on the LORD to hear his voice and grant him life based on God's loving devotion and justice.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, addressing the LORD directly.
Where we areA prayerful plea within Psalm 119, which focuses on the importance of God's word and the psalmist's reliance on it.
The hard wordחַיֵּֽנִי
Take awayThe psalmist seeks revival and life through God's justice and loving kindness.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

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 119:149

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 — A Prayer for Life and Justicegenerated

148My eyes anticipate the watches of night, that I may meditate on Your word.
149Hear my voice, O LORD, according to Your loving devotion; give me life according to Your justice.
150Those who follow after wickedness draw near; they are far from Your law.
151You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are true.

Psalm 119:149 is part of a larger meditation on the psalmist's relationship with God's word. The psalmist expresses a deep desire for God to listen to his voice, invoking God's loving kindness and justice as the basis for his plea for life. This reflects the overarching theme of Psalm 119, which emphasizes the significance of God's law and the believer's dependence on it for spiritual sustenance.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 5:2–3Attend to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
2Psalm 55:2Attend to me and answer me. I am restless in my complaint, and distraught
3Psalm 64:1Hear, O God, my voice of complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
4Psalm 51:1Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
5Psalm 69:16Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving devotion is good; turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 8 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word ק֭וֹלִי, Ko.ligenerated

The word ק֭וֹל (qol) means 'voice' or 'sound,' and can refer to various auditory expressions including speech, music, or even the sound of nature. In this verse, it signifies the psalmist's earnest cry for attention from God, indicating a personal and intimate communication with the divine.

This noun is in the singular construct form, indicating possession, as it is directly tied to the psalmist. The use of this form emphasizes the personal nature of the plea, as the psalmist seeks to convey his unique voice and situation to God.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb חַיֵּֽנִי, give me life, governs the entire verse, with three phrases elaborating on the conditions of that plea: an imperative phrase calling for God to listen, a prepositional phrase detailing the basis of the request, and a second prepositional phrase regarding God's judgments.

The structure emphasizes the psalmist's urgent request to be heard and revived, highlighting the relationship between God's attributes and the psalmist's need for life.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates ק֭וֹלִי as μου (mou), meaning 'my' in Greek, which retains the personal nature of the psalmist's plea. This choice underscores the intimacy of the relationship between the speaker and God.

The Greek word ἄκουσον (akouson) for 'hear' aligns closely with the Hebrew imperative, emphasizing the call for attentive listening from God.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 119:149 is a heartfelt prayer where the psalmist asks the LORD to listen to his voice. He appeals to God's loving kindness and justice, asking for life and revival based on these attributes. This verse highlights the deep connection between the psalmist's needs and God's character.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the psalmist mean by asking God to hear his voice?

The psalmist is expressing a desire for God to pay attention to his plea, indicating a personal relationship where he seeks God's intervention and support.

How does God's loving devotion relate to the psalmist's request for life?

The psalmist connects his plea for life to God's loving devotion, suggesting that he believes God's kindness and mercy are the basis for his hope and restoration.

What is the significance of the word 'justice' in this verse?

Justice here refers to God's righteous judgment, indicating that the psalmist trusts in God's fairness and moral order as he seeks revival.

How does this verse reflect the overall theme of Psalm 119?

This verse encapsulates the psalm's focus on reliance on God's word and character, emphasizing the importance of divine attributes in the believer's life.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways have I experienced God's loving devotion in my life?
  2. How can I be more attentive to God's voice in my daily prayers?
  3. What does it mean for me to seek life and revival from God?
  4. How can I reflect God's justice in my interactions with others?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

The earliest known commentary on this verse comes from Augustine of Hippo, who reflects on the themes of mercy and revival in his exposition.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 119 354–430
"Hear my voice, O Lord, according to Your loving-mercy; and quicken Thou me according to Your judgment" [Psalms 119:149].
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 119:149 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness,.... Not according to his own merits and deserts, or works of righteousness done by him, for the sake of which he did not present his supplications to

Read John Gill on Psalms 119 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD quicken me according to thy judgment Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 119 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ver. 149. According to thy word, which is oft called God’ s judgment; or, according to thy custom or manner of dealing with me and with others of thy people; as this word is taken above, .

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 119 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 119:149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.Ver. 149. Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness] Showed heretofore to others of thy servants, and to me frequently. Quicken me according to thy judgment] i.e. According to thy promise.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 119 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(149) According to Thy judgment.—See Note, Psalms 119:132. We must certainly here give the Hebrew noun the meaning of a “custom,” which it bears there. (Comp. Prayer Book version, “according as Thou art wont.”)

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 119 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

149. according to thy judgment] Or, ordinance, “the gracious rule of action Thou hast laid down for Thyself; Thy method of dealing with those that seek Thee early” (Kay). P.B.V. and R.V. marg. as thou art wont take mishpâṭ ? (‘judgement’) to mean rule, custom. Cp. A.V. of Psalms 119:132. The LXX, Targ. and Jer. support the singular, but if the plural be read, according to the Massoretic vocalisation, as in Psalms 119:156, the sense will not differ greatly. Thy judgements will mean the various examples of God’s rule of action which declare His will to preserve the life of His servants.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 119 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Hear my voice, according unto thy loving-kindness - According to thy mercy; thy goodness. Let that be the rule in answering me; not my deserts, or even the fervour of my prayers.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 119 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

÷, Koph.145-152. I cried with my whole heart—Here we see the spirit of Samuel among them that called upon God.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon 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

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Hear my voice, O LORD, according to Your loving devotion; give me life according to Your justice.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Hear my voice according to your loving kindness. Revive me, Yahweh, according to your ordinances.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Hear my voice, O LORD, according to Your loving devotion; give me life according to Your justice.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Listen to me because of your loyal love! O Lord, revive me, as you typically do!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: Quicken me, O Jehovah, according to thine ordinances.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy judgments.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Hear my voice, according to thy loving-kindness: O LORD, revive me according to thy judgment.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Heare my voyce according to thy louing kindenesse: O Lord, quicken me according to thy iudgement.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Hear my voice according to thy loving-kindness: O Jehovah, quicken me according to thy judgment.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

My voice hear, according to Thy kindness, Jehovah, according to Thy judgment quicken me.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Hear my voice, according to Your kindness, || YHWH, quicken me according to Your judgment.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Hear my voice according to thy kindness: O Lord, according to thy decree do thou grant me life.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Hear my voice in your covenant faithfulness; keep me alive, Yahweh, as you have promised in your righteous decrees.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Listen to what I have to say, Lord, because of your trustworthy love. Keep me alive, Lord, because you always do what's right.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Let my voice come to you, in your mercy; O Lord, by your decisions give me life.

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.

clausenoun phrase · objectק֭וֹלִvoiceיmyverb phrase · verbשִׁמְעָ֣hearהprepositional phrase · prepositionalכְaccordingnoun phraseחַסְדֶּ֑toךָyour.covenant.loyaltyclauseclauseיְ֝הוָ֗הO.Yahwehclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalכְּֽaccordingnoun phraseמִשְׁפָּטֶ֥toךָyour.judgmentsverbחַיֵּֽpreserveobjectנִיme.alive

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 largely agree in content, with four of the six words matching directly. The differences in word order and structure reflect the distinct linguistic styles of Hebrew and Greek but do not alter the fundamental meaning of the verse.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

ק֭וֹלִי שִׁמְעָ֣ה כְחַסְדֶּ֑ךָ יְ֝הוָ֗ה כְּֽמִשְׁפָּטֶ֥ךָ חַיֵּֽנִי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
ק֭וֹלִיμουשִׁמְעָ֣הἄκουσονכְּֽמִשְׁפָּטֶ֥ךָσουחַיֵּֽנִי׃με

4 of the 6 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.

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.

Psalms 119:149קוֹלvoice myvoice myקוֹלשָׁמַעhear !hear !שָׁמַעחֶ֫סֶדaccording taccording to coחֶ֫סֶדיהוהO YahwehO Yahwehיהוהמִשְׁפָּטaccording taccording to juמִשְׁפָּטחָיָהpreserve alpreserve alive חָיָהחָסַדbe kindbe kindחָסַדהָיָהto beto beהָיָהשָׁפַטto judgeto judgeשָׁפַטחָוָהto explainto explainחָוָהתְּרוּעָהshoutshoutתְּרוּעָהשֹׁפָרtrumpettrumpetשֹׁפָרקוֹלvoice: souvoice: soundקוֹלקָשַׁבto listento listenקָשַׁבאֱמֶתtruth: faitruth: faithfulאֱמֶתרֶ֫חֶםwombwombרֶ֫חֶםנְאֻםutteranceutteranceנְאֻםצָבָאarmyarmyצָבָאחֻקָּהstatutestatuteחֻקָּהחֹקstatute: dstatute: decreeחֹקצְדָקָהrighteousnrighteousnessצְדָקָה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 119:149

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.

voice my hear ! according to covenant loyalty your O Yahweh according to judgments your preserve alive me
ק֭וֹלִיKo.li voice my H6963 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
506× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A voice or sound, it can refer to the sound of a person speaking, an animal, or a musical instrument. In the Bible, it is often used to describe God's voice or the sound of praise and worship.
Tyndale gloss
voice: sound
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קוֹל (qol) primarily means 'voice' or 'sound,' encompassing various contexts such as music, noise, and even thunder. It can also denote lightness or frivolity. The word is built from a root meaning to call aloud and appears in various forms throughout the Old Testament, including a reference in Jeremiah 3:9.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

קוֹל 506 n.m. sound, voice

base

קֹל n.[m.] lightness, frivolity;—Je 3:9

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6963a קוֹל sound, voice H6963b קֹל lightness, frivolity

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6963 qowl kole

or qol {kole}; from an unused root meaning to call aloud; a

voice or sound:--+ aloud, bleating, crackling, cry (+ out),

fame, lightness, lowing, noise, + hold peace, (pro-)claim,

proclamation, + sing, sound, + spark, thunder(-ing), voice, +

yell.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קוֹל (qol) — voice.

: voice/shout/loud

1) voice, sound, noise

1a) voice

1b) sound (of instrument)

קֹל (qol) — frivolity.

lightness, frivolity

קוֹל (qol) — voice: sound.

: sound/noise

1) voice, sound, noise

1a) voice

1b) sound (of instrument)

קוֹל (qol) — voice: thunder.

: thunder

1) voice, sound, noise

1a) voice

1b) sound (of instrument)

קוֹל (qol) — voice: message.

: message/proclaim

1) voice, sound, noise

1a) voice

1b) sound (of instrument)

קוֹל (qol) — voice: [sound of].

: [sound_of](THING)

1) voice, sound, noise

1a) voice

1b) sound (of instrument)

קוֹל (qol) — voice: listen.

: listen

1) voice, sound, noise

1a) voice

1b) sound (of instrument)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp1bs
voice my hear ! according to covenant loyalty your O Yahweh according to judgments your preserve alive me
שִׁמְעָ֣הshim.'Ah hear ! H8085 Verb qal imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
1,160× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To hear and listen is what this Hebrew word means, often implying attention and obedience. In Exodus and Deuteronomy, it is used when God speaks to the people, and they must listen and obey.
Amplified meaning
listen attentively to
Tyndale gloss
to hear: hear
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַע (shama`) means 'to hear' and encompasses a range of meanings including listening, obeying, and proclaiming. It is built from a primitive root and can imply attention and understanding. The entries highlight various grammatical forms, such as Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances of hearing and obeying. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁמַע 1152 vb. hear

Qal 1052

subj. pers. hum.

י׳ (God) subj.

Niph. 42 be heard, of voice, sound

be heard of

be regarded, obeyed

= (favourable) hearing was granted to their voice.

Pi. he caused the people to hear

Hiph. 63

of man

י׳ subj.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8085 שָׁמַע hear

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8085 shama` shaw-mah'

a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with

implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to

tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X

carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content,

declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make

to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be)

obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish,

regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell,

understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַע (sha.ma) — to hear: hear.

: hear

v

1) to hear, listen to, obey

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)

1a2) to hear of or concerning

1a3) to hear (have power to hear)

1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to

1a5) to understand (language)

1a6) to hear (of judicial cases)

1a7) to listen, give heed

1a7a) to consent, agree

1a7b) to grant request

1a8) to listen to, yield to

1a9) to obey, be obedient

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound)

1b2) to be heard of

1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed

1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound

1d2) to sound aloud (musical term)

1d3) to make proclamation, summon

1d4) to cause to be heard

n m

2) sound

שָׁמַע (sha.ma) — to hear: obey.

: obey

v

1) to hear, listen to, obey

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)

1a2) to hear of or concerning

1a3) to hear (have power to hear)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Impv-2ms | Suff — Verb qal imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
HVqv2ms/Sh
voice my hear ! according to covenant loyalty your O Yahweh according to judgments your preserve alive me
כְחַסְדֶּ֑ךָkhe.chas.De.kha according to covenant loyalty your H2617 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
247× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to kindness, mercy, or pity, often used to describe God's loving actions towards humanity. It is translated as 'favour', 'kindness', or 'mercy' in the KJV. It emphasizes God's loving character.
Amplified meaning
kindness, mercy
Tyndale gloss
kindness
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חֶ֫סֶד (che.sed) primarily means kindness or goodness, often referring to the kindness of people towards one another, especially towards the needy. It can also denote God's lovingkindness and mercy. Additionally, it has a secondary meaning of shame or reproach. The entries reflect a range of uses, from human interactions to divine attributes.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חֶ֫סֶד 247 n.m. goodness, kindness

of man:

kindness of men toward men, in doing favours and benefits

kindness (especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable), mercy

(rarely) affection of Isr. to י׳, love to God, piety

lovely appearance

of God: kindness, lovingkindness in condescending to the needs of his creatures.

base

חֶ֫סֶד n.m. shame, reproach

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2617a חֶ֫סֶד goodness, kindness . of man: . kindness of men toward men, in doing favours and benefits

. kindness (especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable), mercy

. (rarely) affection of Isr. to י׳, love to God, piety

. lovely appearance

. of God: kindness, lovingkindness in condescending to the needs of his creatures.

H2617b חֶ֫סֶד shame, reproach

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2617 checed kheh'-sed

from 2616; kindness; by implication (towards God) piety:

rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) beauty:--favour,

good deed(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-)kindness, merciful

(kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing.

see HEBREW for 02616

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חֶ֫סֶד (che.sed) — kindness.

goodness, kindness, faithfulness

חֶ֫סֶד (che.sed) — shame.

a reproach, shame

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms
voice my hear ! according to covenant loyalty your O Yahweh according to judgments your preserve alive me
יְ֝הוָ֗הYah.weh O Yahweh H3068 Noun proper
6,528× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Yehovah is another name for God, often translated as 'the Lord'. It is a national name for God in the Jewish faith. This name is used throughout the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
Yehovah, the Lord God
Tyndale gloss
The Lord
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'

from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish

national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

see HEBREW for 01961

see HEBREW for 03050

see HEBREW for 03069

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.

Jehovah = "the existing One"

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.

Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.

Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpt
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
voice my hear ! according to covenant loyalty your O Yahweh according to judgments your preserve alive me
כְּֽמִשְׁפָּטֶ֥ךָke.mish.pa.Te.kha according to judgments your H4941 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
422× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Mishpat means justice or judgment, and is often used to describe God's righteous judgment, as well as human laws and decisions, in books like Deuteronomy and Isaiah.
Amplified meaning
righteous judgment, ordinances
Tyndale gloss
justice: judgement
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) primarily means judgment or justice and encompasses various aspects such as legal rights, ordinances, and decisions. It is derived from a root meaning to pronounce a verdict, covering both human and divine law. The entries highlight its application in legal contexts, including the act of deciding cases and the attributes of justice and rectitude.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִשְׁפָּט 422 n.m. judgment

judgment

justice, right, rectitude

ordinance

decision

one's (legal) right, privilege, due

proper, fitting, measure

custom, manner

what manner of

plan

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4941 מִשְׁפָּט judgment . judgment

. justice, right, rectitude

. ordinance

. decision

. one's (legal) right, privilege, due

. . proper, fitting, measure

. custom, manner

. what manner of

. plan

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4941 mishpat mish-pawt'

from 8199; properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable)

pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree

(human or (participant's) divine law, individual or

collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the

crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a

participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or

even a style:--+ adversary, ceremony, charge, X crime,

custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due,

fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly),

(manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order,

ordinance, right, sentence, usest, X worthy, + wrong.

see HEBREW for 08199

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִשְׁפָּט (mish.pat) — justice: judgement.

: judgement/punishment

1) judgment, justice, ordinance

1a) judgment

1a1) act of deciding a case

1a2) place, court, seat of judgment

1a3) process, procedure, litigation (before judges)

1a4) case, cause (presented for judgment)

1a5) sentence, decision (of judgment)

1a6) execution (of judgment)

1a7) time (of judgment)

1b) justice, right, rectitude (attributes of God or man)

1c) ordinance

1d) decision (in law)

1e) right, privilege, due (legal)

1f) proper, fitting, measure, fitness, custom, manner, plan

מִשְׁפָּט (mish.pat) — justice.

: justice/right/righteousness

1) judgment, justice, ordinance

1a) judgment

1a1) act of deciding a case

1a2) place, court, seat of judgment

1a3) process, procedure, litigation (before judges)

1a4) case, cause (presented for judgment)

1a5) sentence, decision (of judgment)

1a6) execution (of judgment)

1a7) time (of judgment)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms
voice my hear ! according to covenant loyalty your O Yahweh according to judgments your preserve alive me
חַיֵּֽנִי׃chai.Ye.ni preserve alive me H2421 Verb piel imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
282× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To live or have life is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which can also mean to revive or be quickened. It is used in the Bible to describe God's power to sustain life and restore people to health, as seen in the stories of the prophets and Jesus' miracles.
Amplified meaning
revive me, quicken me
Tyndale gloss
to live
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חָיָה (chayah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to live or have life, encompassing both literal and figurative senses. It includes various nuances such as reviving, preserving life, and restoring health. The entries detail its use in different stems, with Qal focusing on living and being quickened, while Piel and Hiphil emphasize giving life and reviving. No specific verse references are provided.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חָיָה 283 vb. live

Qal 203

live

be quickened, revive

Pi.

preserve alive, let live

give life

quicken, revive, refresh

Hiph.

preserve alive, let live

quicken, revive

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2421 חָיָה live .. live

. be quickened, revive

. . preserve alive, let live

. give life

. quicken, revive, refresh

. . preserve alive, let live

. quicken, revive

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2421 chayah khaw-yaw'

a primitive root (compare 2331, 2421); to live, whether

literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive:--keep

(leave, make) alive, X certainly, give (promise) life, (let,

suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken,

recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (X God) save

(alive, life, lives), X surely, be whole.

see HEBREW for 02331

see HEBREW for 02421

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חָיָה (cha.yah) — to live.

1) to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to live

1a1a) to have life

1a1b) to continue in life, remain alive

1a1c) to sustain life, to live on or upon

1a1d) to live (prosperously)

1a2) to revive, be quickened

1a2a) from sickness

1a2b) from discouragement

1a2c) from faintness

1a2d) from death

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to preserve alive, let live

1b2) to give life

1b3) to quicken, revive, refresh

1b3a) to restore to life

1b3b) to cause to grow

1b3c) to restore

1b3d) to revive

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to preserve alive, let live

1c2) to quicken, revive

1c2a) to restore (to health)

1c2b) to revive

1c2c) to restore to life

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Piel-Impv-2ms | Suff — Verb piel imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
HVpv2ms/Sp1bs
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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