Psalm 119:103
New International Version
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

New Living Translation
How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.

English Standard Version
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Berean Standard Bible
How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!

King James Bible
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

New King James Version
How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

New American Standard Bible
How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

NASB 1995
How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

NASB 1977
How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Legacy Standard Bible
How sweet is Your word to my taste! Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Amplified Bible
How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Christian Standard Bible
How sweet your word is to my taste — sweeter than honey in my mouth.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
How sweet Your word is to my taste— sweeter than honey in my mouth.

American Standard Version
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Contemporary English Version
Your teachings are sweeter than honey.

English Revised Version
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
How sweet the taste of your promise is! It tastes sweeter than honey.

Good News Translation
How sweet is the taste of your instructions--sweeter even than honey!

International Standard Version
How pleasing is what you have to say to me— tasting better than honey.

Majority Standard Bible
How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!

NET Bible
Your words are sweeter in my mouth than honey!

New Heart English Bible
How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth.

Webster's Bible Translation
How sweet are thy words to my taste! yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

World English Bible
How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth!
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
How sweet Your saying has been to my palate, "" Above honey to my mouth.

Young's Literal Translation
How sweet to my palate hath been Thy saying, Above honey to my mouth.

Smith's Literal Translation
How smooth were thy words to my palate I more than honey to my mouth!
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
How sweet are thy words to my palate! more than honey to my mouth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
How sweet is your eloquence to my palate, more so than honey to my mouth!

New American Bible
How sweet to my tongue is your promise, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

New Revised Standard Version
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
How sweet are thy words to the taste! yea, sweeter than honey to the mouth!

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Your words are sweet to the roof of my palate, better than honey to my mouth!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
How sweet are Thy words unto my palate! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
How sweet are thine oracles to my throat! more so than honey to my mouth!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet
102I have not departed from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me. 103How sweet are Your words to my taste— sweeter than honey in my mouth! 104I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore I hate every false way.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.

Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Job 23:12
I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.

Psalm 19:10
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

Ezekiel 3:3
“Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Proverbs 24:13-14
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. / Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Proverbs 2:10
For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.

Proverbs 3:13-18
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, / for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold. / She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her. ...

Psalm 63:5
My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods; with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.

Matthew 4:4
But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

1 Peter 2:2-3
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, / now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Hebrews 6:5
who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age—

John 6:63
The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.


Treasury of Scripture

How sweet are your words to my taste! yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

sweet

Psalm 19:10
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Psalm 63:5
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

Job 23:12
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

taste.

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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 sweet
The Hebrew word for "sweet" here is "מָה־נִמְלְצוּ" (mah-nimletzu), which conveys a sense of delight and pleasure. In the ancient Near Eastern context, sweetness was often associated with the most desirable and enjoyable experiences. The psalmist uses this metaphor to express the profound joy and satisfaction found in God's words. This sweetness is not merely a superficial pleasure but a deep, soul-nourishing delight that surpasses all earthly pleasures.

are Your words
The term "words" in Hebrew is "אִמְרָתֶיךָ" (imratecha), referring to the spoken or written expressions of God. In the context of Psalm 119, which is a meditation on the law and commandments of God, "words" encompasses the entirety of God's revealed truth. The psalmist acknowledges the divine origin and authority of these words, recognizing them as a source of wisdom, guidance, and life. The reverence for God's words is a central theme in the psalm, highlighting their transformative power.

to my taste
The phrase "to my taste" translates the Hebrew "לְחִכִּי" (le-chikki), which literally means "to my palate" or "to my mouth." This imagery evokes the sensory experience of tasting, suggesting an intimate and personal encounter with God's words. Just as tasting involves savoring and internalizing flavors, so does engaging with God's words require a deep, personal reflection and assimilation into one's life. The psalmist emphasizes the personal impact and experiential knowledge of God's truth.

sweeter than honey
Honey, "מִדְּבַשׁ" (mi-dvash) in Hebrew, was the sweetest substance known in the ancient world and often symbolized abundance and blessing. By comparing God's words to honey, the psalmist underscores their supreme desirability and value. This comparison also reflects the nourishing and sustaining qualities of God's words, which provide spiritual sustenance and joy beyond any earthly delight. The sweetness of honey serves as a metaphor for the richness and depth of God's wisdom.

in my mouth
The phrase "in my mouth" translates the Hebrew "לְפִי" (le-fi), indicating the act of speaking or proclaiming. This suggests that the psalmist not only internalizes God's words but also expresses them outwardly. The mouth, as the organ of speech, becomes a vessel for sharing the sweetness of God's truth with others. This highlights the communal and evangelistic aspect of engaging with God's words, as the psalmist's experience of their sweetness compels him to share it with the world.

Verse 103. - How sweet are thy words unto my taste! (comp. vers. 14, 16, 40, 47, etc.). The metaphor is new, but the sentiment one which pervades the psalm. Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. So David, in the nineteenth psalm, speaking of the judgments of God, says that they are "sweeter than honey and the honeycomb."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
How
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

sweet
נִּמְלְצ֣וּ (nim·lə·ṣū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 4452: Probably to be smooth or slippery

are Your words
אִמְרָתֶ֗ךָ (’im·rā·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 565: Utterance, speech, word

to my taste,
לְ֭חִכִּי (lə·ḥik·kî)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2441: Palate, roof of the mouth, gums

[sweeter than] honey
מִדְּבַ֥שׁ (mid·də·ḇaš)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1706: Honey, syrup

in my mouth.
לְפִֽי׃ (lə·p̄î)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to


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OT Poetry: Psalm 119:103 How sweet are your promises to my (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 119:102
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