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Wednesday 04/09/25
Thru the Bible: Psalm Book V: Chapter 119
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Sweeter than Honey!
Psalm 119 from מ (Mem) [verses 97-104] to ע (Ayin) [verses 121-128]
Psalm 119:97-128
מ (Mem) 97-104
The word for this letter mem comes from the Hebrew word ַמִיםMayim (My-eem).
Pictographic: In its ancient pictographic form the Hebrew letter mem was drawn much like a child would draw a picture of water. It looked like an English m with three crests and four troughs. The pictographic meaning of this letter is water, chaos, mighty and blood.
The possible ways in which this could be illustratively employed in scripture is nearly endless, but in these verses I find very little that connects.
What we DO find is a continuance of the overall theme of this Psalm which is a focus upon God’s word. Holding it in reverence and making it the focus of our attention and reflections. The word of God is again set forth as the means by which one conforms their external life to the character and nature of God.
“(97) O how I love Your law! All day long I meditate on it.
(98) Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for I am always aware of them. (99) I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on Your rules. (100) I am more discerning than those older than I, for I observe Your precepts.
(101) I stay away from every evil path, so that I might keep Your instructions.
(102) I do not turn aside from Your regulations, for You teach me. (103) Your words are sweeter in my mouth than honey! (104) Your precepts give me discernment. Therefore I hate all deceitful actions.”
The notion of eating or consuming God’s words is a familiar one in scripture.
God spoke to Ezekiel and told him to take His words in prophecy to Israel and Ezekiel 3:1-4 describes this experience very much like this psalmist does.
“(1) He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you see in front of you – eat this scroll – and then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
(2) So I opened my mouth and he fed me the scroll. (3) He said to me,
“Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll I am giving to you.”
So I ate it, and it was sweet like honey in my mouth.
(4) He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.” – Ezekiel 3:1-4
In like manner John had a similar experience we read about in the book of Revelation only his experience is even more insightful.
Revelation 10:8-11, “(8) Then the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak to me again, “Go and take the open scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
(9) So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me,
“Take the scroll and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
(10) So I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
(11) Then they told me: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
Here we see that to the person of God, His words are sweet, but sometimes what they have us utter to others is bitter.
Jeremiah, I think, offers us a way of understanding this. We know that Jeremiah is often referred to as the weeping prophet. This is because it would be in his day that the culmination of all the prophecies of the past generations would come to pass and Israel would go into Babylonian exile. Jeremiah loved God and His word, but had at least one time in which he bemoaned being a prophet – for Israel never heard him! He also hated the insults and rejection he experienced at their hand and would that God would spare him
In Jeremiah 15 he is again to take up a prophetic declaration over Israel and it was bitter to his heart for their sake, but in his own heart, his experience was different.
“As your words came to me I drank them in, and they filled my heart with joy and happiness BECAUSE I BELONG TO YOU, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.”– Jer. 15:16
Nevertheless Jeremiah requested that God spare him and at this point he crossed a line in accusing God of failing to be His shield and comfort.
Jeremiah 15:17-20, “(17) I did not spend my time in the company of other people, laughing and having a good time. I stayed to myself because I felt obligated to You and because I was filled with anger at what they had done.
(18) Why must I continually suffer such painful anguish? Why must I endure the sting of their insults like an incurable wound? Will You let me down when I need You like a brook one goes to for water, but that cannot be relied on?”
Now listen to God’s response…
“(19) Because of this, the LORD said, “You must repent of such words and thoughts!
If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving Me. If you say what is worthwhile instead of what is worthless, I will again allow you to be My spokesman.
They must become as you have been. You must not become like them.
(20) I will make you as strong as a wall to these people, a fortified wall of bronze. They will attack you, but they will not be able to overcome you. For I will be with you to rescue you and deliver you,” says the LORD.”
And we know that while Jeremiah did suffer under the hands of King Zedekiah’s officials he was later spared. When Israel was hauled off into bondage, Jeremiah was allowed to stay in Judea and was later winged to Egypt to live out his days there.
All of this plays out much like our testimony does before the world.
Our lives as they are testimonies of Christ Jesus are said to be a fragrance of Jesus to the world. This fragrance to us and those who are seekers of God, is the sweet smell of life. But to those who are in high rebellion and hate Him, it is a smell of death. The same truth produces different responses, and though we agree with their rightness, we hate the response of the ungodly and the death that results from it. It truly is bitter-sweet.
So we like this psalmist, like Ezekiel, Jeremiah and John understand these words in a way that no nonbeliever ever could…
“(102) I do not turn aside from your regulations, for You teach me. (103) Your words are sweeter in my mouth than honey! (104) Your precepts give me discernment. Therefore I hate all deceitful actions.”
נ (Nun) 105-112
The word for this letter nun (noon) comes from the Hebrew word which is both spelled and pronounced the same way. The Hebrew word nun means “offspring” or “heir” and itself comes from a root word meaning “to continue”.
Pictographic: There are three interpretations of this symbol. A fish, a serpent or a seed. Since many of the meanings of ancient pictographic Hebrew letters come from the root word associated with that Hebrew letter, we are going to assume the correct pictograph is that of a seed or more specifically a sprouted seed.
Not to be too graphic, but this pictograph would almost certainly be identified in the modern world as the drawing of a sperm. This is something we assume those of the ancient world could not have known, though we are still today discovering things they knew which we are just now rediscovering by other means. Nevertheless, I would suggest that this is no mere coincidence!
So if one goes with the sprouted seed as the pictographic symbol then the letter takes on the meaning of “continue”, “heir” or “son”. The reason for a “son” instead of either boy or girl is likely because of the word “continue”. The next generation would be realized through the son not the daughter.
Putting this into application, as we have already learned – the letter Beth represents a house, when paired with the Nun you have “the continuation of the house” which is what the Hebrew word בּן bēn means – a.k.a son. This is another reason why I believe the words “sons of God” in Genesis 6 could never be in reference to an angel since angels do not carry on the family name or house of God. They are servants and messengers – NOT offspring!
For all of this however, I don’t find much in the way of confirmation that the pictographic meaning of the letter nun plays any part in the development of these verses.
“(105) Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path.
(106) I have vowed and solemnly sworn to keep Your just regulations.
(107) I am suffering terribly. O LORD, revive me with Your word!
(108) O LORD, please accept the freewill offerings of my praise! Teach me Your regulations!
(109) My life is in continual danger, but I do not forget Your law. (110) The wicked lay a trap for me, but I do not wander from Your precepts.
(111) I claim Your rules as my permanent possession, for they give me joy. (112) I am determined to obey Your statutes at all times, to the very end.”
We see again the emergence of the pattern where persecution and affliction show up towards the middle or end of the series of verses. It acknowledges their presence and influence, but the psalmist is deliberate in turning his attention from them to God and His commands!
ס (Samek) [Sau-mechk] 113-120
The word for this letter Samek is said to possibly come from one of three different Hebrew words. As such there is a fair amount of ambiguity attached to its pictograph.
Pictographic: The most prevalent pictographic symbol associated with this letter is that of a thorn. It is said to carry the meaning of “grab”, “hate”, “support” and even “protect” like when used as a hedge of thorns. In the late Hebrew (around 400 B.C.) this letter took on the shape of a non-symmetrical circle and that ironically adds significantly to its pictographic meanings. As a closed circle the Samek [Sau-mechk] can be seen as God surrounding and thereby protecting His people.
I do see a fair amount in these verses which are consistent with this letter’s pictographic meaning. The suggested meanings are so broad however, that this may account for it being easy to find concord in the words of this segment. In Zechariah 2:5 God promises that in the future he will be a wall of fire surrounding His people for protection and future glory.
Zechariah 2:3-13,
“(3) At this point the angelic messenger who spoke to me went out, and another messenger came to meet him (4) and said to him,
“Hurry, speak to this young man as follows:
‘Jerusalem will no longer be enclosed by walls because of the multitude of people and animals there. (5) But I (the LORD says) will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem and the source of glory in her midst.’”
(6) “You there! Flee from the northland!” says the LORD, “for like the four winds of heaven I have scattered you,” says the LORD.
(7) “Escape, Zion, you who live among the Babylonians!” (8) For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to me that for His Own glory He has sent me to the nations that plundered You – for anyone who touches you touches the pupil of His eye.
(9) “Yes, look here, I am about to punish them so that they will be looted by their own slaves.” Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.
(10) “Sing out and be happy, Zion My daughter! For look, I have come; I will settle in your midst,” says the LORD.
(11) “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on the day of salvation, and they will also be My people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sent me to you.
(12) The LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the holy land and He will choose Jerusalem once again. (13) Be silent in the LORD’s presence, all people everywhere, for He is being moved to action in His holy dwelling place.”
The phrase “wall of fire surrounding” is חוָֹמה אשׁ סִביב ḥômāh ’ēš sāḇiyḇ [cha-omet A-sh sa-veev]. The final word “surrounding” is this word sa-veevand means round about or encircle thus it is translated as “surrounding” and this word begins with our Hebrew letter Samek [Sau-mechk] which also symbolizes a closed circle for protection.
Now I do not put a lot of stock into numerology, not because I do not thing God in His infinite wisdom didn’t make use of this – I think He probably did. My lack of confidence has more to do with man’s grasp and understanding of it. I think there is far too much wiggle room in interpretation to be dogmatic so, like the pictographs I find it intriguing and even sometimes supportive in how it can sometimes deepen the known meaning – but I will not use it as a basis for understanding the correct interpretation of scripture EVER!
So I say that as a segway into the numerology of this letter. The number associated with this letter is 60. 60 is supposed to be a number representing protection. There were 60 armed guards who surrounded Solomon’s portable throne or couch as is stated in Song of Solomon 3:7.
The blessing of God given to Aaron through Moses to pronounce over Israel is found in Numbers 6:24-27 and it is familiar to you.
“(24) “The LORD bless you and protect you; (25) The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; (26) The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’ (27) So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” – Numbers 6:22-27
This blessing contains 60 letters contained in 15 words. The numeric value of one of God’s names is also 15 Yahweh is from the י (Yod) [yood] whose numeric value is 5 and the ה (He)
which is 10 making a total of 15. So in this blessing the priests were to proclaim over Israel there were 60 letters contained in 15 words representing God as their protector.
Convenient or just truth? I don’t know but it is neat nonetheless!
Now let’s read this segment of Psalm 119 representing the Hebrew letter Samek [Sau-mechk].
“(113) I hate people with divided loyalties, but I love your law.
(114) You are my hiding place and my shield. I find hope in Your word.
(115) Turn away from me, you evil men, so that I can observe the commands of my God.
(116) Sustain me as You promised, so that I will live. Do not disappoint me! (117) Support me, so that I will be delivered. Then I will focus on Your statutes continually.
(118) You despise all who stray from Your statutes, for they are deceptive and unreliable.
(119) You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag. Therefore I love your rules.
(120) My body trembles because I fear you; I am afraid of your judgments.”
ע (Ayin) [eye-yin] 121-128
The word for this letter Ayin comes from the Hebrew word Ayin which means eye.
Pictographic: The ancient pictographic symbol for this letter is therefore shaped like an eye – that is an horizontally oblong circle which comes to a point on either end with a dot in the center. The modern Hebrew shape of this word is said to look like a face with two eyes at the top.
The meanings associated with this letter are watch, know and shade. This includes the ideas of seeing and perceiving. So the word shade could mean shade in the idea of shading one’s eyes from bright light or shade as in being able to perceive and understand shades of meaning in what we observe. For example when we say “I see what you mean” we are not just saying I hear your words, but I see into your words what you mean BY them.
As such I think this psalm contains a fair representation of this idea throughout.
“(121) I do what is fair and right. Do not abandon me to my oppressors! (122) Guarantee the welfare of Your servant! Do not let the arrogant oppress me!
(123) My eyes grow tired as I wait for Your deliverance, for Your reliable promise to be fulfilled. (124) Show Your servant Your loyal love! Teach me Your statutes!
(125) I am Your servant. Give me insight, so that I can understand Your rules.
(126) It is time for the LORD to act – they break Your law!
(127) For this reason I love Your commands more than gold, even purest gold. (128) For this reason I carefully follow all Your precepts. I hate all deceitful actions.”
An interesting, albeit unrelated truth connected to this letter is the Hebrew word avar which begins with this letter and is itself the root word for Hebrews.
The word avar means “to cross over” which is what God enabled the Hebrews to do at the Red Sea in their exodus from Egyptian bondage.
Blessings!
Tri
