Psalm 19:10 Study Bible: More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.

◄ Psalm 19:10 ►

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

More precious than gold
The phrase "more precious than gold" emphasizes the supreme value of God's Word and His commandments. In the ancient world, gold was the most valuable and sought-after material, symbolizing wealth and prosperity. The Hebrew word for "precious" here is "ḥāmad," which conveys the idea of something that is highly desired or treasured. This comparison highlights that the spiritual wealth found in God's Word surpasses even the greatest material wealth. In a conservative Christian perspective, this underscores the belief that spiritual riches and divine wisdom are of far greater importance than earthly possessions.

than much pure gold
The repetition and intensification with "than much pure gold" further accentuates the incomparable worth of God's statutes. "Pure gold" refers to gold that is refined and free from impurities, representing the highest quality. The Hebrew term "pāz" is used here, which denotes the finest gold. This suggests that even the most refined and valuable earthly treasures cannot compare to the purity and perfection of God's Word. Historically, gold was a standard of wealth and power, yet the psalmist declares that divine wisdom is far superior, encouraging believers to prioritize spiritual over material wealth.

sweeter than honey
The phrase "sweeter than honey" uses the imagery of taste to convey the delight and satisfaction found in God's commandments. Honey was the sweetest substance known in the ancient Near East, often used as a symbol of pleasure and abundance. The Hebrew word "māṯôq" means sweet, indicating something that is pleasant and desirable. This metaphor suggests that engaging with God's Word brings joy and fulfillment that surpasses even the most delightful earthly experiences. For conservative Christians, this highlights the joy and satisfaction that comes from living in accordance with God's will.

than honey from the comb
The addition of "than honey from the comb" emphasizes the natural and pure sweetness of God's Word. Honey directly from the comb is unprocessed and in its most natural state, symbolizing purity and authenticity. The Hebrew term "nōp̄eṯ" refers to the dripping honeycomb, which was considered a delicacy. This imagery suggests that the teachings of the Lord are not only sweet but also pure and unadulterated, offering nourishment and delight to the soul. In a conservative Christian view, this reinforces the belief that God's Word is the ultimate source of truth and joy, providing spiritual sustenance that is both pure and satisfying.

Persons / Places / Events

1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 19, David was the second king of Israel and a man after God's own heart. His writings often reflect a deep reverence for God's law and creation.

2. Israel
The nation to whom the Psalms were originally given, representing God's chosen people who were to live according to His laws and commandments.

3. The Law of the Lord
Refers to God's commandments and teachings, which are the focus of Psalm 19. The law is depicted as perfect and life-giving.

Teaching Points

Value of God's Word
God's commandments are more valuable than the most precious earthly treasures. Believers should prioritize spiritual wealth over material wealth.

Sweetness of Obedience
Obeying God's laws brings a sweetness to life that surpasses any earthly pleasure. This sweetness is akin to the satisfaction and joy found in a close relationship with God.

Pursuit of Holiness
Just as gold is refined and honey is pure, believers are called to pursue holiness and purity in their lives, reflecting the character of God's perfect law.

Transformation through Scripture
Engaging with God's word transforms our hearts and minds, leading to a deeper understanding and appreciation of His will for our lives.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the value you place on God's word compare to the value you place on material possessions? Reflect on ways to align your priorities with Psalm 19:10.

2. In what ways have you experienced the "sweetness" of God's word in your life? Can you think of specific instances where obedience to God's law brought joy or peace?

3. How can you incorporate more of God's word into your daily routine to experience its transformative power?

4. Compare the description of God's word in Psalm 19:10 with Proverbs 8:10-11. How do these passages together enhance your understanding of the value of wisdom and God's commandments?

5. Reflect on a time when you faced a decision between following God's law and pursuing worldly gain. What did you learn from that experience, and how can it guide your future choices?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Psalm 119
This psalm extensively praises the law of the Lord, echoing the sentiments of Psalm 19:10 by describing God's commandments as more valuable than gold and sweeter than honey.

Proverbs 8:10-11
Wisdom is described as more precious than rubies, similar to how Psalm 19:10 values God's laws above material wealth.

Matthew 4:4
Jesus emphasizes the importance of God's word over physical sustenance, aligning with the idea that God's laws are sweeter than honey.

Sermons

The Bible Sweeter than Honey	Anon.	Psalm 19:10
The Bible Valued Above All Else		Psalm 19:10
The Excellence of the Scriptures	D. Dickson.	Psalm 19:10
The Holy Scriptures	Carus Wilson.	Psalm 19:10
The Priceless Worth of the Bible		Psalm 19:10
God's Revelation of Himself in Nature and in His Word	C. Short	Psalm 19:1-10
Nature as a Preacher	W. Forsyth	Psalm 19:1-14
The Word of God	W. Forsyth	Psalm 19:7-10
The Voice of Jehovah in His Word	C. Clemance	Psalm 19:8-14

People

David, Psalmist

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

Comb, Desirable, Desired, Drippings, Dropping, Droppings, Extract, Fine, Gold, Honey, Honeycomb, Honey-comb, Liquid, Precious, Pure, Shining, Sweeter, Yea, Yes

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Psalm 19:10

     4404   food
     5187   taste
     8297   love, for God

Psalm 19:7-10

     1403   God, revelation
     5036   mind, of God
     8404   commands, in OT

Psalm 19:7-11

     1100   God, perfection
     1613   Scripture, purpose
     4303   metals
     5548   speech, divine
     8236   doctrine, purpose
     8409   decision-making, and providence

Psalm 19:7-14

5376 law, purpose of
5830 delight

Psalm 19:9-10

     4333   gold
     5591   treasure
     8813   riches, spiritual

Psalm 19:9-11

5499 reward, divine

Library

Secret Faults
'Who can understand his errors? cleanse Thou me from secret faults.' PSALM xix. 12. The contemplation of the 'perfect law, enlightening the eyes,' sends the Psalmist to his knees. He is appalled by his own shortcomings, and feels that, beside all those of which he is aware, there is a region, as yet unilluminated by that law, where evil things nestle and breed. The Jewish ritual drew a broad distinction between inadvertent--whether involuntary or ignorant--and deliberate sins; providing atonement …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Open Sins
'Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.'--PSALM xix. 13. Another psalmist promises to the man who dwells 'in the secret place of the Most High' that' he shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh at noonday,' but shall 'tread upon the lion and adder.' These promises divide the dangers that beset us …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"The Sun of Righteousness"
WE SHOULD FEEL QUITE JUSTIFIED in applying the language of the 19th Psalm to our Lord Jesus Christ from the simple fact that he is so frequently compared to the sun; and especially in the passage which we have given you as our second text, wherein he is called "the Sun of Righteousness." But we have a higher justification for such a reading of the passage, for it will be in your memories that, in the 10th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul, slightly altering the words of this …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Secret Sins
Now, David, having seen God's law, and having praised it in this Psalm, which I have read in your hearing, he is brought, by reflecting on its excellency, to utter this thought, "Who can understand his errors?" and then to offer this prayer, "Cleanse thou me from secret faults." In the Lateran Council of the Church of Rome, a decree was passed that every true believer must confess his sins, all of them, once a year to the priest, and they affixed to it this declaration, that there is no hope of pardon …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

Presumptuous Sins
I shall this morning, first of all, endeavor to describe presumptuous sins; then, secondly, I shall try, if I can, to show by some illustrations, why the presumptuous sin is more heinous than any other; and then thirdly, I shall try to press the prayer upon your notice--the prayer, mark you, of the holy man--the prayer of David: "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins. " I. First, then, WHAT IS PRESUMPTUOUS SIN? Now, I think here must be one of four things in a sin in order to make it …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

Sin Immeasurable
The subject of this morning--our own sin, and the error of our own hearts, is one which we sometimes think we know, but of which we may always be quite sure that we have only began to learn, and that when we have learned the most we shall ever know on earth, the question will still be pertinent, "Who can understand his errors?" Now, this morning I propose first of all, very briefly indeed, to explain the question; then at greater length to impress it upon our hearts; and lastly we will learn the …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860

Prayer and the Word of God (Continued)
"Some years ago a man was travelling in the wilds of Kentucky. He had with him a large sum of money and was well armed. He put up at a log-house one night, but was much concerned with the rough appearance of the men who came and went from this abode. He retired early but not to sleep. At midnight he heard the dogs barking furiously and the sound of someone entering the cabin. Peering through a chink in the boards of his room, he saw a stranger with a gun in his hand. Another man sat before the fire. …
Edward M. Bounds—The Necessity of Prayer

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God. --Ps. xix.
The Heavens declare the Glory of God.--Ps. xix. Thy glory, Lord, the heavens declare, The firmament displays Thy skill; The changing clouds, the viewless air, Tempest and calm Thy word fulfil; Day unto day doth utter speech, And night to night Thy knowledge teach. Though voice nor sound inform the ear, Well-known the language of their song, When one by one the stars appear, Led by the silent moon along, Till round the earth, from all the sky, Thy beauty beams on every eye. Waked by Thy touch, …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

The Law and the Testimonies. --Ps. xix.
The Law and the Testimonies.--Ps. xix. Thy law is perfect, Lord of light! Thy testimonies sure, The statutes of Thy realm are right, And thy commandments pure. Holy, inviolate Thy fear, Enduring as Thy throne: Thy judgments, chastening or severe, Justice and truth alone:-- More prized than gold,--than gold whose waste Refining fire expels; Sweeter than honey to my taste, Than honey from the cells. Let these, O God! my soul convert; And make Thy servant wise; Let these be gladness to my heart, …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

the Spacious Firmament on High
[970]Addison's: John Sheeles, c. 1720 Psalm 19 Joseph Addison, 1712 The spacious firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky, And spangled heavens, a shining frame, Their great Original proclaim. The unwearied sun from day to day Does his Creator's power display, And publishes to every land The work of an almighty Hand. Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon takes up the wondrous tale, And nightly to the listening earth Repeats the story of her birth; Whilst all the stars that round …
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

The Promises of the Law and the Gospel Reconciled.
1. Brief summary of Chapters 15 and 16. Why justification is denied to works. Argument of opponents founded on the promises of the law. The substance of this argument. Answer. Those who would be justified before God must be exempted from the power of the law. How this is done. 2. Confirmation of the answer ab impossibili, and from the testimony of an Apostle and of David. 3. Answer to the objection, by showing why these promises were given. Refutation of the sophistical distinction between the intrinsic …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Letter xxii. St. Ambrose in a Letter to his Sister Gives an Account of the Finding Of...
St. Ambrose in a letter to his sister gives an account of the finding of the bodies of SS. Gervasius and Protasius, and of his addresses to the people on that occasion. Preaching from Psalm xix., he allegorically expounded the "heavens" to represent the martyrs and apostles, and the "day" he takes to be their confession. They were humbled by God, and then raised again. He then gives an account of the state in which their bodies were found, and of their translation to the basilica. In another address …
St. Ambrose—Works and Letters of St. Ambrose

The Progress of the Gospel
Their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world. T he heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1) . The grandeur of the arch over our heads, the number and lustre of the stars, the beauty of the light, the splendour of the sun, the regular succession of day and night, and of the seasons of the year, are such proofs of infinite wisdom and power, that the Scripture attributes to them a voice, a universal language, intelligible to all mankind, accommodated to every capacity. …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

The Dryness of Preachers, and the Various Evils which Arise from their Failing to Teach Heart-Prayer --Exhortation to Pastors to Lead People Towards this Form Of
If all those who are working for the conquest of souls sought to win them by the heart, leading them first of all to prayer and to the inner life, they would see many and lasting conversions. But so long as they only address themselves to the outside, and instead of drawing people to Christ by occupying their hearts with Him, they only give them a thousand precepts for outward observances, they will see but little fruit, and that will not be lasting. When once the heart is won, other defects are …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

Of Deeper Matters, and God's Hidden Judgments which are not to be Inquired Into
"My Son, beware thou dispute not of high matters and of the hidden judgments of God; why this man is thus left, and that man is taken into so great favour; why also this man is so greatly afflicted, and that so highly exalted. These things pass all man's power of judging, neither may any reasoning or disputation have power to search out the divine judgments. When therefore the enemy suggesteth these things to thee, or when any curious people ask such questions, answer with that word of the Prophet, …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Pietist and the Perfectionist.
"He chastens us for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness."--Heb. xii. 10. Sanctification is a gracious work of God, whereby in a supernatural way He gradually divests from sin the inclinations and dispositions of the regenerate and clothes them with holiness. Here we meet a serious objection which deserves our careful attention. To the superficial observer, the spiritual experience of God's children seems diametrically opposed to this professed gift of sanctification. One says: …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Concerning Continence Also Itself Hath it not Been Most Openly Said...
43. Concerning continence also itself hath it not been most openly said, "And when I knew that no one can be continent unless God give it, this also itself was a part of wisdom, to know whose gift it was?" [2177] But perhaps continence is the gift of God, but wisdom man bestows upon himself, whereby to understand, that that gift is, not his own, but of God. Yea, "The Lord maketh wise the blind:" [2178] and, "The testimony of the Lord is faithful, it giveth wisdom unto little ones:" [2179] and, "If …
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

Regeneration.
In the examination of this subject I will-- I. Point out the common distinction between regeneration and conversion. 1. Regeneration is the term used by some theologians to express the divine agency in changing the heart. With them regeneration does not include and imply the activity of the subject, but rather excludes it. These theologians, as will be seen in its place, hold that a change of heart is first effected by the Holy Spirit while the subject is passive, which change lays a foundation for …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

The Knowledge of God Conspicuous in the Creation, and Continual Government of the World.
1. The invisible and incomprehensible essence of God, to a certain extent, made visible in his works. 2. This declared by the first class of works--viz. the admirable motions of the heavens and the earth, the symmetry of the human body, and the connection of its parts; in short, the various objects which are presented to every eye. 3. This more especially manifested in the structure of the human body. 4. The shameful ingratitude of disregarding God, who, in such a variety of ways, is manifested within …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Need of Scripture, as a Guide and Teacher, in Coming to God as a Creator.
1. God gives his elect a better help to the knowledge of himself--viz. the Holy Scriptures. This he did from the very first. 2. First, By oracles and visions, and the ministry of the Patriarchs. Secondly, By the promulgation of the Law, and the preaching of the Prophets. Why the doctrines of religion are committed to writing. 3. This view confirmed, 1. By the depravity of our nature making it necessary in every one who would know God to have recourse to the word; 2. From those passages of the Psalms …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Word
The third way to escape the wrath and curse of God, and obtain the benefit of redemption by Christ, is the diligent use of ordinances, in particular, the word, sacraments, and prayer.' I begin with the best of these ordinances. The word . . . which effectually worketh in you that believe.' 1 Thess 2:13. What is meant by the word's working effectually? The word of God is said to work effectually when it has the good effect upon us for which it was appointed by God; when it works powerful illumination …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Shepherd-King
'And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt them mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel! fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons. 2. And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. 3. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Conversion of all that Come.
"Turn Thou me and I shall be turned." --Jer. xxxi. 18. The elect, born again and effectually called, converts himself. To remain unconverted is impossible; but he inclines his ear, he turns his face to the blessed God, he is converted in the fullest sense of the word. In conversion the fact of cooperation on the part of the saved sinner assumes a clearly defined and perceptible character. In regeneration there was none; in the calling there was a beginning of it; in conversion proper it became a …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Effectual Calling
'Them he also called.' Rom 8:80. Q-xxxi: WHAT IS EFFECTUAL CALLING? A: It is a gracious work of the Spirit, whereby he causes us to embrace Christ freely, as he is offered to us in the gospel. In this verse is the golden chain of salvation, made up of four links, of which one is vocation. Them he also called.' Calling is nova creatio, a new creation,' the first resurrection. There is a two-fold call: (1.) An outward call: (2.) An inward call. (1.) An outward call, which is God's offer of grace to …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

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