SINCERE SUPPLICATION
TEACH ME (Ps 119:33)
Once again, as in vv. 12, 26, the psalmist invites the Lord to be his teacher (cf. Pss 27:11; 86:11). He is not just curious to learn God’s way, but he is committed to live the path of life defined by God’s word. By adding the noun ʿēqeb, which is used adverbially with the sense “to the end” or “without fail,” he indicates that he is committed to obey the Lord for the long haul (cf. v. 112). For the psalmist the road of obedience has no off-ramp.
GIVE ME (Ps 119:34)
By asking the Lord to help him understand his instruction, the psalmist implies that he cannot understand God’s law by his own efforts alone. He resolves to keep God’s instruction wholeheartedly (cf. v. 10) once he understands it. In keeping with Deut 5:29; 6:5, he commits to a whole-life response to the word of the Lord.
MAKE ME (Ps 119:35)
The term nātîb (“path”), like derek and ʿōraḥ, is a metaphor for the course of life. Rather than insisting on his own autonomy, he delights in following the Lord’s path. As in v. 16, this is the language of sheer delight, not mere duty, as he takes pleasure in staying on the path of the Lord’s commands. His delight, then, is directed by God’s word rather than by following the way that seems right to him (cf. Prov 14:12) but leads to death.
INCLINE MY HEART (Ps 119:36)
The general pattern in v. 35 is given a specific example in v. 36, as the psalmist calls on the Lord to turn his heart to God’s decrees and away from the pursuit of dishonest profit. The human heart defaults toward evil (cf. Jer 17:9), so it must be directed toward what is right; and in fact to turn the heart (nṭh lēb) often refers to turning one’s heart to idolatry (cf. 1 Kgs 11:2–4). Going after beṣaʿ, “dishonest profit,” is a metonymy for the sinful actions that result in wrongful gain, and it was denounced by the prophets as the opposite of righteousness that conforms to the standards of the Lord (cf. Isa 33:15; 56:11; 57:17; Jer 6:13; 8:10). The psalmist, by contrast, wants his whole life to be directed by what the Lord directs and values.
TURN MY EYES AWAY (PS 119:37)
Where one looks becomes one’s focus, and it shapes how one lives. Humans are prone to set their sights on what is empty (šawʾ), which could refer to what is ineffective (as in Ps 127:1–2), or more likely here to what is false. Because the psalmist’s own inclination is toward falseness, he expresses his need for the Lord to focus his attention on the right way because God’s way leads away from what is foolish and false.
ESTABLISH YOUR WORD (PS 119:38)
As frequently in Psalm 119, the psalmist views himself as the Lord’s servant. Using the verb qwm (“confirm”), which is often used in covenantal contexts for following through on an oath (cf. v. 106; Jer 11:5; 29:10), he calls on the Lord to fulfill his promise to him. By doing what he has promised to do for his servant, the Lord will prompt the psalmist afresh to revere him, as he demonstrates anew that he can be trusted.
TAKE AWAY MY DISGRACE (PS 119:39)
Because the psalmist is experiencing reproach by sinful people (cf. vv. 21–23), he calls on the Lord to take this disgrace away. Confident that the Lord will do what is just and good for him, he places his fearful experience and his reputation into the Lord’s hands.
REVIVING PRECEPTS (PS 119:40)
The introductory hinnē̂ (“how”) has the force of an exclamation. Although longing for God’s laws may seem strange to some Christians, the psalmist in Psalm 119 frequently expresses his delight in what the Lord has decreed (cf. vv. 97, 174). In calling for the Lord to give him life or to revive him (cf. vv. 25, 37), he suggests that he is struggling and that he needs divine empowerment to sustain him in the face of the challenges he is enduring (cf. for example his disgrace in v. 39).
