Psalms 119:36

Psalms 119:36 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
• New International Version (NIV)Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
• New King James Version (NKJV)Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness.

Context of Psalms 119:36

34Give me understanding [a teachable heart and the ability to learn], that I may keep Your law; And observe it with all my heart. 35Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain and envy. 37Turn my eyes away from vanity [all those worldly, meaningless things that distract—let Your priorities be mine], And restore me [with renewed energy] in Your ways. 38Establish Your word and confirm Your promise to Your servant, As that which produces [awe-inspired] reverence for You.

Psalms 119:36 word by word

הַט־לִ֭בִּי אֶל־עֵדְוֹתֶ֗יךָ וְאַ֣ל אֶל־בָּֽצַע׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Inclineנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
• my heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• unto thy testimoniesעֵדוּת‛êdûth · testimonyH5715
• and not to covetousnessבֶּ֫צַעbetsa‛ · unjust-gainH1215

Cross-references for Psalms 119:36

• Psalms 51:10Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me.
• Psalms 141:4Do not incline my heart to [consent to or tolerate] any evil thing, Or to practice deeds of wickedness With men who plan and do evil; And let me not eat of their delicacies (be tempted by their gain).
• 1 Kings 8:58that He may guide our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways [following Him] and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His precepts which He commanded our fathers.
• Jeremiah 32:39and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may [reverently] fear Me forever, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
• Ezekiel 11:19And I will give them one heart [a new heart], and put a new spirit within them. I will take from them the heart of stone, and will give them a heart of flesh [that is responsive to My touch],
• Psalms 10:3For the wicked boasts and sings the praises of his heart’s desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns [and even despises] the Lord.
• Exodus 18:21Furthermore, you shall select from all the people competent men who [reverently] fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; you shall place these over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.
• Ezekiel 33:31They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not practice them; for with their mouth they express loving devotion, but their heart goes after their (unlawful) gain.
• Habakkuk 2:9“Woe (judgment is coming) to him who obtains wicked gain for his house [and thinks by so doing] To set his nest on high, That he may be rescued from the hand of evil.
• Mark 7:21For from within, [that is] out the heart of men, come base and malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries,
• Luke 12:15Then He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions.”
• Luke 16:14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were sneering and ridiculing Him.
• Ephesians 5:3But sexual immorality and all [moral] impurity [indecent, offensive behavior] or greed must not even be hinted at among you, as is proper among saints [for as believers our way of life, whether in public or in private, reflects the validity of our faith].
• Colossians 3:5So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God].
• 1 Timothy 6:9But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery].
• Hebrews 13:5Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

Commentaries on Psalms 119:36

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 36Not to covetousness - Let me have no inordinate love for gain of any kind, nor for any thing that may grieve thy Spirit, or induce me to seek my happiness here below.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 36Incline my heart unto thy testimonies - Cause my heart to be inclined to them, or to be disposed to keep them. This, too, is a recognition of dependence, and a prayer for guidance. And not to covetousness - To gain; to the love of money. This seems to be referred to here as the principal thing which would turn away the heart from religion, or as that from which the most danger was to be feared. There are undoubtedly many other things which will do this…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-40Verses 33-40 Teach me thy statutes, not the mere words, but the way of applying them to myself. God, by his Spirit, gives a right understanding. But the Spirit of revelation in the word will not suffice, unless we have the Spirit of wisdom in the heart. God puts his Spirit within us, causing us to walk in his statutes. The sin here prayed against is covetousness. Those that would have the love of God rooted in them, must get the love of the world rooted…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36The love for money can lead to sin (compare Exodus 18:21; 1 Timothy 3:1–5; 6:10).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33-3833-38. To encourage us in prayer for divine aid in adhering to His truth, we are permitted to believe that by His help we shall succeed. the way of thy statutes--that is, the way or manner of life prescribed by them. The help we hope to obtain by prayer is to be the basis on which our resolutions should rest.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 119:36

• Covetousness
• Instruction

In the dictionaries

• Break
• Comfort
• Delight
• Depart
• Establish
• Hallel
• Horror
• Incline
• Judgment
• Judgments of God

Commentaries on Psalms 119

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings