It is commonly known that the 119th Psalm is a discourse on the greatness of God’s will, at that time encompassed by the Law of Moses. It is 176 verses long, and verse after verse reveals how wonderful God’s ways, statutes, commands, instructions, testimonies, precepts, etc., truly are. They are the directions of life that bring God’s blessings. As such they are to be meditated upon and obeyed in order to please Him.
This Psalm is an alphabetical Psalm, with treatises regarding God’s word divided up into the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 25-32 are contained by the fourth letter, Daleth. It contains in verse 28 the thought of our article today. “My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.” I find the phrase “My soul melts from heaviness” to be especially relevant to the distresses and subsequent weaknesses that each of us feel from time to time in our lives.
Our souls can “melt” from many causes. But, it seems that the English word used in the KJV may not be the most accurate. The Hebrew indicates a dropping or weeping. This would be better translated by Young’s Literal Translation, “My soul hath dropped from affliction, establish me according to Thy word.” The use of the different terms “melt” and “dropped” here, though, are fairly synonymous. Keil and Delitzsch in their commentary on the Psalm combine the two. They write that the Hebrew “refers to the soul, which is as it were melting away in the trickling down of tears.”
So, here the context seems to be discouragement or sorrow. Perhaps not an overwhelming flood of tears at a cataclysmic event, but a constant despondency that tends to erode faith and steadfastness.
There is an interesting passage in the New Testament that describes a similar point. It is that of apostasy, which often comes about by a “drift [ing] away.” (Hebrews 2:1). It doesn’t happen quickly due to a single catastrophic event. It is a slow erosion that leads eventually to a complete loss of faith.
So, in that way the term “melt” is appropriate here, and why it is used by most translations. It refers to a gradual dissolution of the soul due to despair and grief. Perhaps something we have felt from time to time in our lives? Or maybe one that some feel at present?
The cure? The Psalmist says it is strength gained from God’s word! The word “strengthen” is a primitive root (koom) that can be defined as establishing, rousing up, raising up, strengthening, stirring up. All of these come from God’s word. It is important to note the correlation. Do not try to live faithfully without the bolstering you get from a study and application of God’s word!
