Psalm 119:4
ESV
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
NIV
You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
NASB
You have ordained Your precepts, That we are to keep them diligently.
CSB
You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept.
NLT
You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully.
KJV
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
NKJV
You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently.
What does Psalm 119:4 mean?
Please see our chapter commentary on Psalm 119; verse-level content coming soon!Psalm 119:1–8 begins each verse with the Hebrew letter aleph. The psalmist expresses his devotion to God's law. Those who order their lives according to God's Word are blessed. So, the writer commits to keeping that law diligently. Psalm 1, Joshua 1:7–8, and multiple Proverbs (Proverbs 3:5–8; 8:34–36) express similar benefits of devoting oneself to God's commands.
This song is composed of twenty-two stanzas, each corresponding to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each line in the stanza is an individual verse and each begins with the corresponding letter. The psalmist emphasizes study of God's Word in a variety of circumstances, including persecution, sadness, and rescue. Benefits of taking in the Word include a moral life, joy, wisdom, hope, peace, strength, and freedom. Those who interact with the Word of the Lord should respond with delight, careful study, and obedience.
