Bible Strands
Psalms 119:4
You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly, situating the verse within a meditation on obedience that follows a description of those who walk in His ways and precedes a plea for personal commitment to statutory law.
The words — The Hebrew verb צִוִּיתָה (tzi.vi.tah) translates literally as "you have commanded," while מְאֹד (me.'od) means "exceedingly" and modifies the infinitive לִשְׁמֹר (li.sh.mor), "to keep."
The thread — This pattern of keeping commanded precepts appears in 1 John 5:3, where love for God is defined by keeping His commandments, and in John 14:21, which ties obedience to the experience of divine love.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to acknowledge that divine precepts are established by God and intentionally given for careful, diligent observance.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
Cross-references
- 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,
- John 14:21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
- Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- Jeremiah 7:23 but this is what I commanded them: Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. You must walk in all the ways I have commanded you, so that it may go well with you.
- Deuteronomy 28:1 “Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
- Deuteronomy 12:32 See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
- John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
- Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.
- Deuteronomy 30:16 For I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and increase, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
- Joshua 1:7 Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.