Psalm 119 70

Psalm 119:70 kjv

Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

Psalm 119:70 nkjv

Their heart is as fat as grease, But I delight in Your law.

Psalm 119:70 niv

Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.

Psalm 119:70 esv

their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.

Psalm 119:70 nlt

Their hearts are dull and stupid,
but I delight in your instructions.

Psalm 119 70 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Deut 32:15But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you became heavy, full, and sleek...Fatness/prosperity leading to rebellion and forsaking God.
Job 15:27"For he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his loins."Description of the wicked's arrogance and prosperity, hinting at spiritual insensitivity.
Isa 6:10"Make the heart of this people dull... lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts..."God hardening hearts due to Israel's resistance to His word, leading to spiritual insensitivity.
Isa 30:9-10"For they are a rebellious people... who say to the seers, 'Do not see visions!' And to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things...'"People preferring comfortable lies over God's challenging truth, a sign of spiritual dullness.
Jer 5:28"They have grown fat, they are sleek, they have also overpassed the deeds of the wicked; they do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless..."Prosperity leading to injustice and lack of compassion, reflective of a calloused heart.
Ezek 12:2"...they have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house."Description of spiritual blindness and deafness due to a rebellious heart.
Zech 7:12"Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, refusing to hear the law..."Explicit description of hardened hearts resisting God's law.
Psa 1:2"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night."A primary reference for delight in God's law, mirroring the psalmist's stance.
Psa 37:4"Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart."Encourages finding joy in God, leading to fulfilled spiritual desires.
Psa 119:16"I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word."Other verse in Psa 119 demonstrating delight in God's word.
Psa 119:24"Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors."Another affirmation of the psalmist's joy in God's word.
Psa 119:92"Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction."Highlighting the sustaining power found in delighting in God's law.
Matt 13:15"For the hearts of this people have grown dull; their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed..."Jesus quoting Isa 6:10 to explain spiritual dullness in response to His teaching.
Mark 8:17-18"...Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?"Jesus questioning disciples' understanding due to spiritual obtuseness.
Rom 1:21"...although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God... but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."Description of how rejecting God leads to spiritual darkness and foolishness.
Rom 7:22"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man."Apostle Paul affirming a similar spiritual delight in God's law.
Eph 4:18"having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart..."Spiritual alienation and ignorance due to a hardened heart.
Heb 3:12-13"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily... lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."Warning against the hardening of the heart due to unbelief and sin.
2 Cor 3:14-15"...their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains... when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart."Spiritual blindness of those who do not turn to Christ.
Phil 4:8"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, meditate on these things."Encouraging delight and meditation on things aligned with God's law and character.
Titus 1:15-16"To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure... they deny Him by their works..."Impurity and unbelief leading to defiled minds and inability to perceive spiritual truth.
Jas 1:22-25"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves... he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it... will be blessed..."Emphasizes actively living by the law, in contrast to spiritual dullness.

Psalm 119 verses

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Psalm 119 70 Meaning

Psalm 119:70 describes a sharp spiritual contrast. "Their heart is as fat as grease" speaks of the spiritual dullness, insensitivity, and callousness of those who are estranged from God's ways. This 'fatness' implies an inner hardening, a lack of perception or spiritual responsiveness often brought about by complacency, arrogance, or a worldly focus. In stark opposition, the psalmist declares, "but I delight in Thy law," signifying a profound, joyful, and active love for God's divine instruction, principles, and commands. This joy comes from an intimate, responsive heart attuned to the Lord's truth.

Psalm 119 70 Context

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm, structured as an acrostic poem with 22 stanzas, each beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verse 70 is part of the "Yod" (י) section (verses 65-72). Throughout Psalm 119, the psalmist constantly contrasts his unwavering devotion to God's law with the rejection, oppression, and spiritual folly of the "proud" or the "wicked." This verse exemplifies this central theme: the deep chasm between those whose hearts are dulled by worldly pursuits or sinful rebellion, and the psalmist who finds his greatest joy and solace in God's divine instruction, even amidst affliction. Historically, the Israelites were often warned against becoming spiritually dull or rebellious due to prosperity (e.g., in Deut), and this verse reflects a personal commitment to avoid such a pitfall.

Psalm 119 70 Word analysis

  • Their heart (לִבָּם - libbam): In biblical Hebrew, "heart" (לֵב - lev) signifies not just emotions, but the innermost being, encompassing intellect, will, conscience, and desires. It's the core of a person's being where moral and spiritual choices are made. "Their" (ם - m suffix) refers to the adversaries of the psalmist, frequently identified as the "proud" or "wicked" in Psalm 119, who scorn God's law.

  • is as fat (טִפַּשׁ - tippash): This verb means "to be senseless," "dull," "stupid," or "to grow callous." It speaks to a profound lack of spiritual perception or discernment. It’s not just intellectual deficiency but a moral and spiritual stupor.

  • as grease (כַּחֵלֶב - kahelebh): Literally "like fat" or "like suet." In a metaphorical sense, fat (חֵלֶב - chelev) can represent prosperity or abundance. However, when connected with "heart" and "dull," it signifies spiritual insensitivity, thickness, or a heart overgrown with worldliness, rendering it impervious to God's truth, much like excessive physical fat can hinder physical movement and vitality. It denotes being "weighed down" or "unresponsive."

  • but I (וַאֲנִי - wa'ani): The Hebrew conjunction wa ("but" or "and") introduces a sharp antithetical contrast. The independent pronoun ani ("I") strongly emphasizes the psalmist's personal choice and distinct spiritual state, setting him apart from "them."

  • delight (שַׁעֲשַׁעְתִּי - sha'ashati): This verb implies a deep, joyful preoccupation; to amuse oneself with, to find pleasure in, to frolic. It denotes an active, profound, and enthusiastic pleasure in something, beyond mere intellectual assent. It suggests engaging with the law playfully and with sincere affection.

  • in Thy law (בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ - b'torateka): "Thy law" refers to Torah, God's divine instruction, teaching, or revealed will. It encompasses the entirety of God's precepts, statutes, judgments, and commands, which guide humanity in righteous living and lead to communion with God. The psalmist does not just intellectually assent to the law but finds profound, emotional joy in its practice and contemplation.

  • "Their heart is as fat as grease": This phrase graphically illustrates spiritual apathy and moral imperviousness. The "fatness" suggests not merely physical excess but a condition where the heart has become spiritually dull, insensible to divine truth and commands. It's an internal hardening, where material prosperity or sinful indulgence has stifled spiritual responsiveness, much like a thick layer of fat could physically dull one's senses.

  • "but I delight in Thy law": This forms a powerful juxtaposition. Despite the prevalence of spiritual dullness in others, the psalmist finds profound, active joy in God's divine instruction. This shows a chosen posture of obedience and adoration, highlighting that spiritual vitality comes from engaging with God's word, in contrast to the hardened heart that neglects it.

Psalm 119 70 Bonus section

  • The metaphor of a "fat" heart aligns with descriptions in Scripture where physical fullness or prosperity leads to arrogance and rebellion against God, as seen in Deut 32:15, where "Jeshurun grew fat and kicked." This illustrates the danger of temporal blessings becoming a spiritual hindrance.
  • The phrase "is as fat" uses the Niphal participle tippash of the root taphash, which implies becoming dull or foolish, emphasizing a state that has developed, possibly through neglect or willful rejection.
  • The contrast highlights that spiritual discernment and delight in God's law are not automatic but result from a conscious, humble choice to keep one's heart soft and receptive to divine revelation.

Psalm 119 70 Commentary

Psalm 119:70 masterfully portrays two contrasting spiritual conditions. On one hand are those whose "heart is as fat as grease," a vivid metaphor for spiritual dullness, insensitivity, and callousness. This "fatness" is not physical but points to a moral and spiritual state of unresponsiveness, often stemming from self-indulgence, pride, or a deep-seated resistance to God's truth. Such hearts are thick and unresponsive to divine appeals, like a layer of fat muffles sensations. This condition renders one incapable of true discernment or a relationship with God. On the other hand, the psalmist passionately declares, "but I delight in Thy law." This personal declaration underscores a conscious choice to cherish and find deep joy in God's Torah. This "delight" is not a fleeting pleasure but a profound, sustained joy and engagement that leads to understanding, wisdom, and a transformed life. The verse is a timeless reminder that while some may choose spiritual apathy, true joy and discernment are found in a vibrant, affectionate relationship with God through His word. It encourages a proactive pursuit of God's ways as the source of profound delight and spiritual vitality.