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19 ‎[1] **To the chief musician, a psalm by David. **
‎[2] **The heavens declare the glory of God,**** and the sky tells the work of His hands. **
‎[3] **Day to day gives utterance; night to night renders understanding.**** **
‎[4] **There is no talk, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. **This verse clarifies the words of the previous verse, “Day to day gives utterance.” Obviously, the days do not actually talk; the fact of their existence makes them heard.
‎[5] **Their influence encompasses the earth; their words reach to the end of the world.** Even though the declarations of the sky and of time have no voice and cannot actually be heard, they are transmitted to the ends of the earth. Their “words” are powerful enough to resound throughout the world. **In a tent within, He placed the sun.** The sky appears to serve as a dwelling place or tent for the sun, its most prominent object.
‎[6] In describing his experience of observing the sun as it makes its way across the sky, the psalmist portrays the sunrise, **which **is **like a bridegroom leaving his bridal chamber;** the sun is blushing a little, but very happy. As it continues across the sky, it **rejoices like a warrior running his course,** not slackening its powerful run for a moment.
‎[7] **It rises from one end of the heavens, coursing the sky to the other edge; nothing escapes its heat. **The sun begins its run at one end of the sky, completes its arc, and concludes at the other end. All the while, as it shines and illuminates the earth, it evokes the full power of a warrior racing across the sky. No one can stop it.
‎[8] The preceding verses describe the ways in which the skies, by their very existence, speak to someone who is able to hear them. The second part of this psalm is a hymn in praise of the Torah and its commandments. It is composed of six phrases, each of which describes a specific aspect of the Torah, followed by a quality inherently related to that aspect. A similar structure is found in Psalm 119. **The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul, **bringing** **inner peace, a quality that is pure and unblemished. The reality of our world is replete with defects, dishonesty, cheating, and plotting; all result in spiritual exhaustion. The act of becoming absorbed in the Torah, which is whole and unblemished, soothes and restores the soul. **The testimony, **or Torah,** of the Lord can be trusted, making the simpleton,** one who lacks knowledge and understanding, **wise.** When the simpleton opens his mouth to explain something, his reasoning is usually distorted or inaccurate. However, when one states true, incontrovertible facts without elaboration, he speaks words of wisdom. This form of faithfulness can make even a simpleton wise.
‎[9] **The precepts of the Lord,** namely, the commandments,** are upright, gladdening the heart.**** The commandments of the Lord are clear, enlightening the eyes. **The commandments are described as “clear” in the sense of being pristine and pure. Although it is possible to see through something that is fogged or polluted by impurities, the eyes are strained in the process. By contrast, God’s commandments, which are clear, spotless, and devoid of any impurities, brighten the eyes and clarify vision.
‎[10] **Fear of the Lord is pure, and endures forever.** “Fear of the Lord” does not merely describe a relationship with God. In this context, it is also almost synonymous with the Torah, which is pure and eternal. The more complex something is, the more likely it is to change and eventually wear out. Complicated machinery is apt to malfunction when any of its interconnected parts is faulty. In contrast, something that is completely and intrinsically pure, even in the simplest physical sense, is more stable, as it contains no foreign matter, nothing liable to break down. This is also true of fear of God, which is pure in the most absolute sense; it endures forever because nothing can possibly damage it. **The judgments of the Lord are true and altogether righteous.** This verse, as with those preceding it, presents a definition of truth. Something is “altogether” true when its separate parts are not contradictory when combined with one another; they remain true whether the components are seen individually or as a whole.
‎[11] A more emotional description of the Torah follows: **They,** words of Torah and the commandments, **are more desirable than gold, than quantities of fine gold. **They** **are objects of desire, more precious than the finest gold. **And **they are **sweeter than honey and the juices of ripe fruit. **Moreover, while gold has no taste, words of Torah are sweet. These figurative definitions of Torah and the commandments serve as an appropriate transition to the third, most personal part of the psalm:
‎[12] **Your servant, **I, the psalmist, **as well is mindful of them,** the commandments,** heeding them to the utmost. **The phrase *ekev rav*, translated here as “to the utmost,” can also be understood to mean “crooked places.” The psalmist avows that even in places where observance of the commandments is difficult he is conscientious in following God’s precepts. Nevertheless, despite his vigilance, the psalmist acknowledges that there are obstacles to perfect observance:
‎[13] **Who can discern his errors? **At times, an individual is apt to err unknowingly. Who can possibly be certain that his actions are faultless? **Acquit me of hidden faults. **The psalmist beseeches God: I need You to absolve me of misdeeds carried out unwittingly. Man cannot know what is hidden from him.
‎[14] There is an additional factor that can lead to an individual’s downfall, namely, other people.** And keep Your servant far from sinners. **Protect me from the spiritually malevolent influence of evildoers. **Let them not have dominion over me, **for if they have me in their control they will be able to negatively impact my behavior.** **If You absolve me of mistakes I have made due to lack of knowledge or lack of understanding, and if You acquit me concerning matters I have done as a result of external factors beyond my control, **then I will be blameless and cleansed of great transgression. **
‎[15] The psalm concludes with a prayer: **Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart,** nonverbal sentiments,** be acceptable before You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. **In summary, this psalm expresses a parallel between the glory of God as it is perceived by contemplating the heavens, and His glory as revealed through Torah study. The third section of the psalm, then, is a specific, personal conclusion that derives from the general sentiments expressed in the first two sections.
Version: The Steinsaltz Tanakh - English
Source: https://korenpub.com/collections/the-steinsaltz-tanakh/products/steinsaltz-tanakh
License: Copyright: Steinsaltz Center