Psalms 119:40 — Word Study
WLCהִ֭נֵּה תָּאַ֣בְתִּי לְפִקֻּדֶ֑יךָ בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ חַיֵּֽנִי׃
BSAHowhinnêh [with great intensity, deeply] I longtâʼab■ for Your preceptspiqqûwd [yearn after, have a strong desire for, commands, divine instructions] Revive mechâyâh [quicken, give me life] in Your righteousnesstsᵉdâqâh [justice, moral integrity, holiness]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| הִ֭נֵּה | here! | Particle |
| תָּאַ֣בְתִּי | I long | Verb, Qal, perfect first person common singular |
| לְפִקֻּדֶ֑יךָ | for precepts your | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ | in righteousness your | Preposition, noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| חַיֵּֽנִי׃ | preserve alive me | Verb piel imperative second person masculine singular, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | How I long for Your precepts! Revive me in Your righteousness. |
| KJV | Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. |
| ASV | Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: Quicken me in thy righteousness. ו VAV. |
| YLT | Lo, I have longed for Thy precepts, In Thy righteousness quicken Thou me, |
| WEB | Behold, I long for your precepts! Revive me in your righteousness. VAV |
| BBE | See how great is my desire for your orders: give me life in your righteousness. VAU |
Where they part company is חַיֵּֽנִי — see How Translations Differ.
Two main clauses with prepositional phrases that clarify the longing and the request for revival.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbתָּאַב
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 119:40
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 — Meditation on God's Lawgenerated
Psalm 119:40 expresses the psalmist's heartfelt yearning for God's precepts, highlighting the significance of divine instruction in life. This verse is part of a larger reflection on the beauty and necessity of God's laws, as seen throughout Psalm 119, where the psalmist repeatedly emphasizes the importance of adhering to God's commands and the desire for spiritual renewal.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 119:5–20 | Oh, that my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes! |
| 2 | Matthew 26:41 | “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” |
| 3 | Romans 7:24 | What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? |
| 4 | 2 Corinthians 7:1 | Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. |
| 5 | Galatians 5:17 | For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 13 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — תָּאַ֣בְתִּי, ta.'Av.tigenerated
The verb תָּאַ֣בְתִּי (ta'ab) is a perfect form in the first person singular, indicating a completed action — the psalmist has longed for something. This longing is not casual; it conveys a deep desire for God's precepts, which are seen as essential for a righteous life.
This word captures the essence of yearning, as the psalmist expresses a profound need for the divine instructions that guide moral and ethical living. The context of the verse reinforces this longing as a vital aspect of the psalmist's relationship with 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 structure of the verse is straightforward, with two main clauses: the first expressing the psalmist's longing, תָּאַ֣בְתִּי, I long, and the second making a request, חַיֵּֽנִי, revive me. The prepositional phrases לְפִקֻּדֶ֑יךָ and בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ provide clarity on what the longing and request pertain to.
The Hebrew word order emphasizes the psalmist's emotional state first, followed by the specific requests, highlighting the importance of divine precepts and righteousness in the psalmist's life.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates תָּאַ֣בְתִּי as ἐπεθύμησα (epethymēsa), which also conveys a strong desire, aligning with the psalmist's expression of longing. This choice reflects the translators' understanding of the depth of the psalmist's yearning.
For חַיֵּֽנִי, the Septuagint uses με (me), indicating a direct plea for personal revival, which matches the Hebrew's intent to seek life through divine righteousness.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 119:40 shows the psalmist's deep longing for God's commands and a plea for revival in His righteousness. This verse emphasizes how vital divine instructions are for living a righteous life.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The psalmist expresses a deep desire for God's commands, recognizing their importance in guiding a righteous life.
The request for revival signifies a need for spiritual renewal and strength to live according to God's standards.
We can seek to understand and follow God's instructions in our lives, recognizing their value in shaping our moral and ethical decisions.
Being revived in righteousness implies being restored to a state of spiritual vitality and alignment with God's will.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What are some specific ways I can seek to understand and follow God's precepts in my daily life?
- How do I express my longing for God's guidance and instruction?
- In what areas of my life do I need revival or renewal in God's righteousness?
- How can I encourage others to seek God's commands and experience revival in their lives?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early interpretations of this verse include Augustine of Hippo, who emphasizes the psalmist's desire for divine commandments and revival in righteousness.
"Behold, I have coveted Your commandments: O quicken Thou me in Your righteousness" [Psalms 119:40].Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 119:40 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBehold, I have longed after thy precepts,.... After a greater degree of knowledge of them, and an opportunity of hearing them explained and enforced, and of yielding obedience to them; see Psalms
Read John Gill on Psalms 119 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBehold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness - according to thy righteousness, whereby thou savest them who trust in thee.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 119 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleAfter thy precepts; after a more solid knowledge and constant performance of thy precepts. Quicken me; do thou preserve and maintain both my natural and spiritual life. In thy righteousness; according to thy justice or faithfulness, which obligeth thee to make good thy promises.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 119 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 119:40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.Ver. 40. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts] This he could boldly and safely say to God, offering himself to his trial for the truth of his desires. See Hebrews 13:18. Quicken me in thy righteousness] His desires and affections were not so large and lively but that he needed to be yet farther quickened Nemo est ex omni parte beatus. No one is from evert parted blessed.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 119 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(40) Quicken me in thy righteousness—i.e., Let the sense of thy eternal justice give me vigour and life. Or the thought may be of the invigorating influence of a complete surrender to a righteous law, as in Wordsworth’s Ode to Duty;— “I myself commend Unto thy guidance from this hour. Oh let my weakness have an end! Give unto me, made lowly, wise, The spirit of self-sacrifice. The confidence of reason give, And in the light of truth thy bondsman let me live.”
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 119 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 40. Behold, I have longed] Thou searchest the heart; thou knowest that I have long desired thy salvation; thou seest that this desire still remains. Behold it! it is thy work; and through thy mercy I breathe after thy mercy. Quicken me] I am dying; O give me the spirit of life in Christ Jesus! ANALYSIS OF LETTER HE. - Fifth Division In this part, which is wholly precatory, the psalmist prays, - I. That God would illuminate his mind. II. That he would remove all those hinderances which might prevent him from doing his duty. I. 1. The first petition is for illumination: "Teach me;" point me out what I am to learn, and how I am to learn it. 2. The second is, "Give me understanding." Let…
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 119 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges40. His will is good; but he needs fresh strength, and for this he prays on the ground of God’s righteousness, that attribute in virtue of which He must needs be true to His covenant-promises. Cp. Psalms 5:8, note.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 119 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleBehold, I have longed after thy precepts - I have earnestly desired them. See the notes at Psalms 119:20. Quicken me in thy righteousness - Make me to live; to live in obedience to thy righteous laws.
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
How I long for Your precepts! Revive me in Your righteousness.
Behold, I long for your precepts! Revive me in your righteousness. VAV
How I long for Your precepts! Revive me in Your righteousness.
Look, I long for your precepts. Revive me with your deliverance!
Tyndale line
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: Quicken me in thy righteousness. ו VAV.
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: revive me in thy righteousness.
Beholde, I desire thy commandements: quicken me in thy righteousnesse,
Strictly literal
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.
Lo, I have longed for Thy precepts, In Thy righteousness quicken Thou me,
Behold, I have longed for Your precepts, || Quicken me in Your righteousness,
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: through thy righteousness do thou give my life.
See, I have longed for your instructions; revive me in your righteousness.
Simplified
I always want to do what you say. Please let me live, for you do what is right. Waw
See how great is my desire for your orders: give me life in your righteousness. VAU
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 reads: הִ֭נֵּה תָּאַ֣בְתִּי לְפִקֻּדֶ֑יךָ בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ חַיֵּֽנִי׃. The Septuagint aligns closely with the Masoretic Text, matching all five words in a word-by-word correspondence. The Dead Sea Scrolls also support the Masoretic Text, with 4Q89 reading: הנה תאבתי לפקדי׳ך בצדקת׳ך חי׳ני, and 11Q5 slightly differing in the word for
using פקודי׳כה instead of פקודֶיךָ, but still conveying the same overall meaning. Overall, the witnesses agree in substance, with minor variations in wording.
הִ֭נֵּה תָּאַ֣בְתִּי לְפִקֻּדֶ֑יךָ בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ חַיֵּֽנִי׃
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.
הנה תאבתי לפקדי׳ך בצדקת׳ך חי׳ני
5 words on the leather.
הנה תאבתי לפקודי׳כה בצדקת׳כה חונ׳ני
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 119:40
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.
הִנֵּה (hinneh) is a Hebrew word meaning 'behold' or 'lo!' It serves as a demonstrative particle used to draw attention, appearing in contexts such as Genesis 19:2. The word is derived from a prolongation of another Hebrew term, but the entries do not provide further details on its usage beyond this.
הִנֵּה, once הִנֶּה־ Gn 19:2, demonstr.part. lo!, behold!
base
H2009 הִנֵּה, הִנֶּה־ lo!, behold!
2009 hinneh hin-nay'
prolongation for 2005; lo!:--behold, lo, see.
see HEBREW for 02005
הִנֵּה (hin.neh) — behold.
behold, lo, see, if
Part — ParticleHTj
her, in composition:
תָּאֵב (ta'ab) is a primitive root meaning to desire or long for. The entries consistently emphasize this notion of longing, particularly in the Qal form. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding its meaning.
[תָּאֵב, תָּאַב] vb. long
base
H8373 תָּאֵב, תָּאַב long
8373 ta'ab taw-ab'
a primitive root; to desire:--long.
תָּאַב (ta.av) — to long for.
(Qal) to long for
V-Qal-Perf-1cs — Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singularHVqp1cs
פִּקּוּד (piqqud) refers to a precept or mandate, specifically one that is appointed by God. It is derived from a root meaning to appoint and is used in a plural form to collectively denote commandments or statutes within the Law.
[פִּקּוּד] 24 n.m. precept
base
H6490 [פִּקּוּד] precept
6490 piqquwd pik-kood'
or piqqud {pik-kood'}; from 6485; properly, appointed, i.e. a
mandate (of God; plural only, collectively, for the
Law):--commandment, precept, statute.
see HEBREW for 06485
פִּקּוּד (piq.qud) — precept.
precept, statute
Prep | N-mp | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncmpc/Sp2ms
צְדָקָה (tsdaqah) means 'righteousness' and encompasses various aspects such as justice, truthfulness, and ethical rightness. It can refer to God's attribute of sovereignty, righteousness in governance, and even justification or salvation. The term also implies righteous acts and has an Aramaic equivalent, צִדְקָה (tsid.qah).
צְדָקָה 157 n.f. righteousness
righteousness, in government
God's attribute as sovereign
righteousness, in a case or cause
righteousness = truthfulness
righteousness, as ethically right
righteousness as vindicated, justification, salvation, etc.
pl. righteous acts
base
H6666 צְדָקָה righteousness . righteousness, in government
. God's attribute as sovereign
. righteousness, in a case or cause
. righteousness = truthfulness
. righteousness, as ethically right
. righteousness as vindicated, justification, salvation, etc.
. pl. righteous acts
6666 tsdaqah tsed-aw-kaw'
from 6663; rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude),
objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively
(prosperity):--justice, moderately, right(-eous)
(act, -ly, -ness).
see HEBREW for 06663
צְדָקָה (tse.da.qah) — righteousness.
1) justice, righteousness
1a) righteousness (in government)
1a1) of judge, ruler, king
1a2) of law
1a3) of Davidic king Messiah
1b) righteousness (of God's attribute)
1c) righteousness (in a case or cause)
1d) righteousness, truthfulness
1e) righteousness (as ethically right)
1f) righteousness (as vindicated), justification, salvation
1f1) of God
1f2) prosperity (of people)
1g) righteous acts
Aramaic equivalent: tsid.qah (צִדְקָה "righteousness" H6665)
Prep | N-fs | Suff — Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncfsc/Sp2ms
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.
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
H2421 חָיָה live .. live
. be quickened, revive
. . preserve alive, let live
. give life
. quicken, revive, refresh
. . preserve alive, let live
. quicken, revive
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
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
V-Piel-Impv-2ms | Suff — Verb piel imperative second person masculine singular · suffixHVpv2ms/Sp1bs