Psalms 119:108

Accept, I beg you, the willing offerings of my mouth. Yahweh, teach me your ordinances.

World English Bible
Learn

Your notes

Private to you. Anything you write on this verse, here or while reading, shows up here and in My study.

Other translations

WEBBE

Accept, I beg you, the willing offerings of my mouth. LORD, teach me your ordinances.

BSB

Accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me Your judgments.

KJV

Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments.

ASV

Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill-offerings of my mouth, O Jehovah, And teach me thine ordinances.

BBE

Take, O Lord, the free offerings of my mouth, and give me knowledge of your decisions.

YLT

Free-will-offerings of my mouth, Accept, I pray Thee, O Jehovah, And Thy judgments teach Thou me.

DARBY

Accept, I beseech thee, Jehovah, the voluntary-offerings of my mouth, and teach me thy judgments.

Original Hebrew

Look up a word

Tap a word to see what it means and everywhere else it's used. See the whole chapter word by word, with the grammar explained →

Study this passageThe verses around Psalms 119:108: translations side by side, notes, key words and a guided study

Study notes

Whole chapter

On Psalms 119:1–176

This psalm blends wisdom, lament, praise, thanksgiving, and confession. It often uses eight Hebrew words translated as:

  • “Instructions”

  • “law”

  • “words”

  • “commandments”

  • “statutes”

  • “judgments”

  • “promises”

  • “precepts“

These words encourage love for and obedience to God's instructions in the Scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:14–17). A deep commitment to these instructions unifies the psalm.

On Psalms 119:105–112

Nun (נ) is the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It marks the beginning of the next section of this psalm.

The psalmist's deep commitment to God's word comes from within (Psalm 119:112) and directs his actions.

On Psalms 119:108–112

  • freewill 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.

On this section Psalms 119:1–176

Psalm 119 talks about the Mount Sinai covenant as a blessing for God’s people. It praises God for how wonderful his laws are. These are the laws recorded in the Law of Moses. Obeying them leads to wisdom, joy and life.

The poem is divided into 22 sections. Each section has eight verses. At the beginning of each section there is a word in the Hebrew language. These are the names of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119 is an alphabet poem.

Tyndale Open Study Notes (adapted by Mission Mutual) and Biblica Study Notes, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Read more

The early church

"Make the freewill offerings of my mouth well pleasing, O Lord" [Psalm 119:108]: that is, let them please You; do not reject, but approve them. By the freewill offerings of the mouth are well understood the sacrifices of praise, offered up in the confession of love, not from the fear of necessity; whence it is said, "a freewill offering will I offer You." But what does he add? "and teach me Your judgments"? Had he not himself said above, "From Your judgments I have not swerved"? How could he have done thus, if he knew them not? Moreover, if he knew them, in what sense does he here say, "and teach me Your judgments"? Is it as in a former passage, "You have dealt in sweetness with Your servant:" presently after which we find, "teach me sweetness"? This passage we explained as the words of one who was gaining in grace, and praying that he might receive in addition to what he had received.
Augustine of Hippo · d. 430Expositions on the Psalms

Commentary

Henry (concise) · Verses 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 longing desires to become more holy, offers up daily prayers for quickening grace. We cannot offer any thing to God, that he will accept but what he is pleased to teach us to do. To have our soul or life continually in our hands, implies constant danger of life; yet he did not forget God's promises nor his precepts. Numberless are the snares laid by the wicked; and happy is that servant of God, whom they have not caused to err from his Master's precepts. Heavenly treasures are a heritage for ever; all the saints accept them as such, therefore they can be content with little of this world. We must look for comfort only in the way of duty, and that duty must be done. A good man, by the grace of God, brings his heart to his work, then it is done well.

Read Henry (concise) on Psalm 119 →

What other commentators say on this verse

Cross-references

9

Topics

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.