New Living Translation
Psalms 119:109
109My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions.
Psalms 119:109 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.
- New International Version (NIV)Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.
- New King James Version (NKJV)My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law.
Context of Psalms 119:109
107I have suffered much, O Lord; restore my life again as you promised. 108Lord, accept my offering of praise, and teach me your regulations. My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions. 110The wicked have set their traps for me, but I will not turn from your commandments. 111Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight.
Read all of Psalms 119Psalms 119:109 word by word
נַפְשִׁ֣י בְכַפִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד וְ֝תֽוֹרָתְךָ֗ לֹ֣א שָׁכָֽחְתִּי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 119:109
- Judges 12:3So when I realized you weren’t coming, I risked my life and went to battle without you, and the Lord gave me victory over the Ammonites. So why have you now come to fight me?”
- 1 Samuel 19:5Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!”
- 1 Samuel 20:3Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, “Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ‘I won’t tell Jonathan—why should I hurt him?’ But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the Lord and by your own soul!”
- Job 13:14Why should I put myself in mortal danger and take my life in my own hands?
- Romans 8:36(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
- 1 Corinthians 15:31For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.
- 2 Corinthians 11:23Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.
- Psalms 119:83I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.
Commentaries on Psalms 119:109
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 109My soul is continually in my hand - נפשי naphshi, my life; that is, it is in constant danger, every hour I am on the confines of death. The expression signifies to be in continual danger. So Xenarchus in Athenaeus, lib. xiii., c. 4: ͅ , "having the life in the hand;" which signifies continual danger and jeopardy. There is some thing like this in the speech of Achilles to Ulysses, Hom. Il. ix., ver. 322: - · "Always presenting my life to the dangers of the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 109My soul is continually in my hand - The Septuagint renders this, “My soul is always in thy hands,” but the Hebrew will not admit of this construction. The idea in the original is that his soul - his life - was always in jeopardy. The expression seems to be proverbial. Anything taken in the hand is liable to be rudely snatched away. Thus a casket of jewels, or a purse of gold in the hand, may at any moment be seized by robbers. See the notes at Job 13:14…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 105-112Verses 105-112 The word of God directs us in our work and way, and a dark place indeed the world would be without it. The commandment is a lamp kept burning with the oil of the Spirit, as a light to direct us in the choice of our way, and the steps we take in that way. The keeping of God's commands here meant, was that of a sinner under a dispensation of mercy, of a believer having part in the covenant of grace. The psalmist is often afflicted; but with…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 108-112freewill offerings of my mouth: This Hebrew expression is unique in the Old Testament (compare Psalm 50:23). The psalmist is vulnerable to his opponents because of his commitment to a wise life.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 109-110109-110. In the midst of deadly perils (the phrase is drawn from the fact that what we carry in our hands may easily slip from them, Jud 12:3; 1Sa 28:21; Job 13:14; compare 1Sa 19:5), and exposed to crafty enemies, his safety and guidance is in the truth and promises of God.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 119:109
In the dictionaries
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
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