Psalms 119:143 (KJV)
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.
It appears to me that the pivotal word in this passage is “yet.” I acknowledge that this word was added by the translators of the King James Version. Far from suggesting that it should be omitted, I believe it enhances the importance of the passage. The translators, guided by the Lord to convey the purest meaning of the text, recognized the necessity of including this key term. This passage cannot effectively convey its message in English without this crucial word.
Webster’s 1828 dictionary provides the following definitions for “yet”:
YET, conj. [Gr.] Nevertheless; notwithstanding; however. ..
YET, adv.
1. Beside; over and above. ..
2. Still; the state remaining the same….
3. At this time; so soon. ..
4. At least; at all…
5. It is prefixed to words denoting the extension of time or continuance…
6. Still; in a new degree. ..
7. Even; after all; a kind of emphatic addition to a negative….
8. Hitherto. ..
We can apply the passage in the following ways:
– Over and above trouble and anguish, God’s commandments are my delight.
– Nevertheless, despite trouble and anguish, it remains the same: God’s commandments are my delight.
– Amid trouble and anguish, to a greater degree, God’s commandments are my delight.
– Even though trouble and anguish have taken hold, God’s commandments are my delight.
– Hitherto, God’s commandments were my delight, and trouble and anguish have not changed that.
This is a discipline that must be consistently maintained to have its benefit. When trouble and anguish “take hold” focus that much more on delighting in God’s Word and keeping His commandments.
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