Songbook of a Nation: Psalm 119:81-96

Psalm 119 is a complex acrostic poem because it devotes the eight lines of each section to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet giving us 22 sections in total.  We will consider this Psalm in full taking it a section at a time. As you read consider the 8 different terms referring to Scripture occurring throughout the psalm: 1) law, 2) testimonies, 3) precepts, 4) statutes, 5) commandments, 6) judgments, 7) word, and 8) ordinances.

Psalm 119:81-96

כ Kaph (Kaf)
⁸¹ My soul faints with longing for Your salvation,
but I have put my hope in Your word.
⁸² My eyes fail, looking for Your promise;
I say, “When will You comfort me?”
⁸³ Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do not forget Your decrees.
⁸⁴ How long must Your servant wait?
When will You punish my persecutors?
⁸⁵ The arrogant dig pits to trap me,
contrary to Your law.
⁸⁶ All Your commands are trustworthy;
help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
⁸⁷ They almost wiped me from the earth,
but I have not forsaken Your precepts.
⁸⁸ In Your unfailing love preserve my life,
that I may obey the statutes of Your mouth.

ל Lamedh (Lamed)
⁸⁹ Your word, LORD, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
⁹⁰ Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
You established the earth, and it endures.
⁹¹ Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve You.
⁹² If Your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
⁹³ I will never forget Your precepts,
for by them You have preserved my life.
⁹⁴ Save me, for I am Yours;
I have sought out Your precepts.
⁹⁵ The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder Your statutes.
⁹⁶ To all perfection I see a limit,
but Your commands are boundless.