The Witness of Creation and Scripture
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour out speech;
night after night they communicate knowledge.
3 There is no speech; there are no words;
their voice is not heard.
4 Their message [LXX, Sym, Syr, Vg; MT reads line] has gone out to the whole earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming from his home;
it rejoices like an athlete running a course.
6 It rises from one end of the heavens
and circles to their other end;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 The instruction of the Lord is perfect,
renewing one’s life;
the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy,
making the inexperienced wise.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
making the heart glad;
the command of the Lord is radiant,
making the eyes light up.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are reliable
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more desirable than gold—
than an abundance of pure gold;
and sweeter than honey
dripping from a honeycomb.
11 In addition, your servant is warned by them,
and in keeping them there is an abundant reward.
12 Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
13 Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.
Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.
14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
CSB
note:
LXX = Septuagint
The Septuagint is a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, done in about the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC so that those who did not understand Hebrew could have a Bible written in a language they could understand. At that time, the Greek language was becoming more and more common. The Roman numeral (Latin) LXX is 70. Tradition has it that approximately 70 Jewish scholars did this translation.
SYM = Symmachus
The Symmachus is an ancient Greek translation created in the 2nd century AD by Symmachus the Ebionite, known for its readability in its time.
SYR = Syriac
Syriac refers to a translation created in the 2nd to 5th century AD into the Syriac dialect of Aramaic. It's helpful for determining exact meanings of original words, as it is close to Hebrew and Aramaic languages of the Bible.
VG = Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century AD Latin translation of the Bible primarily done by the Christian scholar and early Church father Jerome. The Vulgate became the official Latin Bible of the Catholic Church used for centuries. It is used in more current translations to see how early Christians understood ancient text.
MT = Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Old Testament maintained by Jewish scribes (the Masoretes). Most English Old Testament translations use the MT as their basis for the Old Testament.
The footnote for 19:4 reads: LXX, Sym, Syr, Vg; MT reads line.
There are commas separating LXX, Sym, Syr, and Vg, but a colon separating those four from MT. This indicates that the first four translations have similar meanings, while the MT reads something different.
According to Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Their line may refer to a plumb line or measuring cord.
