Psalm 119:40
New International Version
How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life.

New Living Translation
I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness. Waw

English Standard Version
Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!

Berean Standard Bible
How I long for Your precepts! Revive me in Your righteousness.

King James Bible
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

New King James Version
Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.

New American Standard Bible
Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness.

NASB 1995
Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness. Vav.

NASB 1977
Behold, I long for Thy precepts; Revive me through Thy righteousness.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.

Amplified Bible
I long for Your precepts; Renew me through Your righteousness.

Christian Standard Bible
How I long for your precepts! Give me life through your righteousness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
How I long for Your precepts! Give me life through Your righteousness.

American Standard Version
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: Quicken me in thy righteousness.

Contemporary English Version
I long for your teachings. Be true to yourself and let me live.

English Revised Version
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I long for your guiding principles. Give me a new life in your righteousness.

Good News Translation
I want to obey your commands; give me new life, for you are righteous.

International Standard Version
Look, I long for your precepts; revive me through your righteousness.

Majority Standard Bible
How I long for Your precepts! Revive me in Your righteousness.

NET Bible
Look, I long for your precepts. Revive me with your deliverance!

New Heart English Bible
Look, I long for your precepts. Revive me in your righteousness.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: revive me in thy righteousness.

World English Bible
Behold, I long for your precepts! Revive me in your righteousness.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, I have longed for Your precepts, "" Quicken me in Your righteousness,

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, I have longed for Thy precepts, In Thy righteousness quicken Thou me,

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold, I desired for thy charges: make me alive in thy justice.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy justice.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold, I have longed for your commandments. Revive me in your fairness.

New American Bible
See how I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.

New Revised Standard Version
See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, I have delighted in thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I have desired your commandments and, in your righteousness, give me life.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, I have longed after Thy precepts; Quicken me in Thy righteousness.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold, I have desired thy commandments: quicken me in thy righteousness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet
39Turn away the disgrace I dread, for Your judgments are good. 40How I long for Your precepts! Revive me in Your righteousness. 41May Your loving devotion come to me, O LORD, Your salvation, according to Your promise.…

Cross References
Romans 7:22
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.

Romans 7:12
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

Romans 7:18
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Philippians 3:9
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:17-18
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. / For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

John 14:15
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 15:10
If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.

1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,

James 1:25
But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.

Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Hebrews 10:16
“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”

Deuteronomy 6:25
And if we are careful to observe every one of these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us, then that will be our righteousness.”


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, I have longed after your precepts: quicken me in your righteousness.

I have

Psalm 119:5,20
O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! …

Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Romans 7:24
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

quicken

Psalm 119:25,37,88,107,149,156,159
DALETH. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word…

Mark 9:24
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

John 5:21
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

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Psalm 119
1. This psalm contains various prayers, praises, and professions of obedience.
2. Aleph.
9. Beth
17. Gimel
25. Daleth
33. He
41. Waw
49. Zayin
57. Heth
65. Teth
73. Yodh
81. Kaph
89. Lamedh
97. Mem
105. Nun
113. Samekh
121. Ayin
129. Pe
137. Tsadhe
145. Qoph
153. Resh
161. Sin and Shin
169. Taw














How I long
The Hebrew word for "long" is "תָּאַב" (ta'av), which conveys a deep yearning or desire. This longing is not a casual wish but an intense craving for something essential. In the context of Psalm 119, this longing reflects the psalmist's deep spiritual hunger for God's guidance and truth. Historically, this longing can be seen as a reflection of the Israelites' desire for God's presence and direction, especially during times of exile or spiritual drought. It is a reminder for believers today to cultivate a similar deep desire for God's Word and His will in their lives.

for Your precepts
The term "precepts" in Hebrew is "פִּקּוּדִים" (piqqudim), which refers to God's instructions or commandments. These are not merely rules but divine guidelines that lead to a righteous and fulfilling life. In the historical context of ancient Israel, precepts were seen as a source of wisdom and a means to maintain a covenant relationship with God. For contemporary believers, this highlights the importance of valuing and adhering to God's Word as a source of moral and spiritual guidance.

Revive me
The Hebrew word "חָיָה" (chayah) means to live, to revive, or to restore life. This plea for revival is a request for spiritual renewal and vitality. In the scriptural context, revival often follows repentance and a return to God's ways. The psalmist's cry for revival is a recognition of human frailty and the need for divine intervention to restore spiritual fervor. For Christians, this serves as an encouragement to seek God's renewal in times of spiritual weariness or complacency.

in Your righteousness
The word "righteousness" in Hebrew is "צֶדֶק" (tsedeq), which signifies justice, rightness, and moral integrity. God's righteousness is a central theme throughout the Bible, representing His perfect nature and His just dealings with humanity. The psalmist's request to be revived in God's righteousness underscores the belief that true life and vitality come from aligning oneself with God's holy standards. For believers, this is a call to pursue a life that reflects God's righteousness, trusting in His grace to empower and sustain them in their spiritual journey.

(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."

Verse 40. - Behold, I have longed after thy precepts (comp. vers. 20 and 131). There are those - few, it may be, but truly blessed - who "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). Quicken me in thy righteousness (comp. ver. 37). Help my efforts to walk in thy righteous ways.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
How
הִ֭נֵּה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

I long
תָּאַ֣בְתִּי (tā·’aḇ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 8373: To long for

for Your precepts!
לְפִקֻּדֶ֑יךָ (lə·p̄iq·qu·ḏe·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6490: Appointed, a mandate

Revive me
חַיֵּֽנִי׃ (ḥay·yê·nî)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

in Your righteousness.
בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ (bə·ṣiḏ·qā·ṯə·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6666: Rightness, subjectively, objectively


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OT Poetry: Psalm 119:40 Behold I long for your precepts! (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 119:39
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