Psalm 119:97
New International Version
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

New Living Translation
Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.

English Standard Version
Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Berean Standard Bible
Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation.

King James Bible
MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

New King James Version
Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

New American Standard Bible
How I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day.

NASB 1995
O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

NASB 1977
O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Legacy Standard Bible
Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Amplified Bible
Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Christian Standard Bible
How I love your instruction! It is my meditation all day long.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
How I love Your instruction! It is my meditation all day long.

American Standard Version
? MEM. Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Contemporary English Version
I deeply love your Law! I think about it all day.

English Revised Version
MEM. Oh how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Oh, how I love your teachings! They are in my thoughts all day long.

Good News Translation
How I love your law! I think about it all day long.

International Standard Version
How I love your instruction! Every day it is my meditation.

Majority Standard Bible
Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation.

NET Bible
O how I love your law! All day long I meditate on it.

New Heart English Bible
MEM. How I love your Law. It is my meditation all day.

Webster's Bible Translation
MEM. O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

World English Bible
MEM How I love your law! It is my meditation all day.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
[MEM] O how I have loved Your law! It [is] my meditation all the day.

Young's Literal Translation
Mem. O how I have loved Thy law! All the day it is my meditation.

Smith's Literal Translation
How I loved thy law I all the day it is my meditation.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
[MEM] O how have I loved thy law, O Lord! it is my meditation all the day.

Catholic Public Domain Version
MEM. How have I loved your law, O Lord? It is my meditation all day long.

New American Bible
How I love your law, Lord! I study it all day long.

New Revised Standard Version
Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
MEM. O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Mem How I have loved your Law, and it is my meditation the whole day!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
How I have loved thy law, O Lord! it is my meditation all the day.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet
96I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your commandment is without limit. 97Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation. 98Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me.…

Cross References
Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. / And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. / Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ...

Psalm 1:2
But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

Proverbs 6:20-23
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. / Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck. / When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. ...

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, / so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

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.

James 1:25
But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.

Romans 7:22
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.

Psalm 19:7-11
The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple. / The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. / The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous. ...

Proverbs 3:1-4
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; / for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life. / Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. ...

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 22:37
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Psalm 40:8
I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

Psalm 112:1
Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.


Treasury of Scripture

O how I love your law! it is my meditation all the day.

O how

Psalm 119:48,113,127,159,165,167
My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes…

Psalm 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: …

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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














Oh, how I love
The psalmist begins with an exclamation of deep affection, "Oh, how I love." The Hebrew word for love here is "אָהַב" (ahav), which conveys a profound, covenantal love that is not merely emotional but also volitional and committed. This love is akin to the love God commands in Deuteronomy 6:5, where the Israelites are instructed to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and strength. The psalmist's love is not passive; it is an active, deliberate choice to cherish and prioritize God's law above all else.

Your law!
The term "law" is translated from the Hebrew word "תּוֹרָה" (torah), which means instruction or teaching. It encompasses not only the legalistic aspects of the Mosaic Law but also the broader teachings and revelations of God. In the historical context, the Torah was central to Jewish life, guiding moral, spiritual, and communal conduct. The psalmist's love for the law reflects a deep reverence for God's revealed will and a desire to align his life with divine principles. This love for the law is a recognition of its role as a source of wisdom and guidance.

All day long
The phrase "all day long" indicates a continuous, unceasing engagement with God's law. It suggests that the psalmist's devotion is not limited to specific times or rituals but is a constant, integral part of daily life. This reflects the biblical principle found in Deuteronomy 6:7, where the Israelites are instructed to talk about God's commandments when they sit at home, walk along the road, lie down, and get up. The psalmist's meditation is a lifestyle, a perpetual focus on God's word that influences every aspect of his existence.

it is my meditation
The word "meditation" comes from the Hebrew "שִׂיחָה" (sichah), which implies a deep, reflective pondering. This is not a superficial reading but an intentional, thoughtful engagement with the text. Meditation in the biblical sense involves internalizing and contemplating God's word, allowing it to transform the heart and mind. Historically, meditation was a key practice in Jewish spirituality, as seen in Joshua 1:8, where Joshua is commanded to meditate on the Book of the Law day and night. The psalmist's meditation is an expression of his desire to understand and apply God's law, seeking wisdom and insight through continuous reflection.

Verse 97. - O how love I Thy law! (comp. vers. 47, 48, 113, 119, 127, etc.). As the psalmist goes on with his meditation he becomes more and more rated with a deep love of the Law of God, which is not to him a restraint or a burden, but a solace and a "delight." It is my meditation all the day (see ver. 15, 23, 48, 78, etc.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Oh, how
מָֽה־ (māh-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

I love
אָהַ֥בְתִּי (’ā·haḇ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 157: To have affection f

Your law!
תוֹרָתֶ֑ךָ (ṯō·w·rā·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8451: Direction, instruction, law

All
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

day long
הַ֝יּ֗וֹם (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

it
הִ֣יא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is my meditation.
שִׂיחָתִֽי׃ (śî·ḥā·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7881: Reflection, be extension, devotion


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OT Poetry: Psalm 119:97 How I love your law! (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 119:96
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