Lesson #15

Lesson #15

Coming to Grips with the Bible’s Longest Chapter

Opening Observation

The 176 verses of Psalm 119 make it, by far, the longest chapter in the Bible.

Working Out the Theme of Psalm 119 Is Not Hard

    Psalm 119 is about God’s revelation to Israel. Nearly all of its 176 verses refer to the same thing. They focus on God’s words and his law (verse 160) as statements about what to believe (doctrine) and how to behave (ethics).          

Eight Synonyms

The poetic writer of Psalm 119 uses eight words to celebrate God’s revelation. You’ll find one of the following words in just about every verse:

1 Precepts (verse 4).

2 Law (“the law of the Lord” verse 1).

3 Statutes (verse 24).

4 Decrees (verse 5).

5 Commands (verse 6).

6 Word or words (verse 17).

7 Laws (verse 13).

8 Promises (verse 41).

There is another word which also comes up often: “ways” (verse 3). This means a pattern of life based on God’s will.

Eight Definitions

As you read through this hymn of praise to God’s revelation, match these definitions to the above eight synonyms.

1 Detailed rules for life.

2 Divinely revealed teaching.

3 Details about God’s covenant which his people are to observe.

4 Written down rulings which are always to be observed.

5 A word that expresses the will of a personal God, who is Israel’s Lord.

6 Communication of God’s will to his people.

7 Verdicts of the divine judge about a wide range of topics.

8 Communication of God’s will, specifically through his promises.

Breaking Down 176 Verses

If we could read the Hebrew language and had a Hebrew Bible, the pattern behind these 176 verses would be obvious. But English Bibles give clues to the pattern:

• Notice how many verses each section is split into.

• Count the number of sections in these 176 verses.

Working Out the Pattern

• The number of sections is the same as the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
22 sections x 8 verses = 176 verses.

• The whole of Psalm 119 is one long alphabetic acrostic.
In Hebrew, the first letter of each verse in the first section, is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
The first letter in each verse in the second section is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and so on, through to the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet in section 22.

• Some Bibles have the headings to indicate this. Before verses 1–8 is the word “Aleph,” before verses 9–16 is the word “Beth,” and so on.

Concluding Thought

See how much the writer valued God’s revelation (verses 103, 14, 72, 127, 47, 70, 111, 174, 20, 40, 171–172).

Something to Do

• Compose your own acrostic psalm, using the English alphabet, in honor of God’s word.

                      Source: Water, M. (1998). Bible Study made easy. The Made Easy Series (30). Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishers Ltd.