The Word of God in the Child of God: Exegetical, Theological, and Homiletical Reflections from the 119th Psalm

by George J. Zemek

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2005

Overview

Psalm 119 is the prayer of one who delights and lives by the Torah. The longest of all the psalms, it is a Hebrew-alphabetical acrostic poem. George J. Zemek provides a thorough study on Psalm 119, studying its various elements and contemporary applicability. Zemek presents a comprehensive introduction to the psalm which analyzes its critical and conservative evaluations, date and authorship, literary vehicles, and textual assessment. He also includes an analytical and theological overview of the text. This volume provides translation and notes, synopsis and outlines, and commentary on each of the 22 stanzas.

In the Logos edition, this valuable volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Explores the 119th Psalm on a deep level
• Provides direct translations and notes on each verse and section of the Psalm
• Features an appendix diagrammatical analyses

Contents

• Part I: Introductory Matters
  • Estimations of the Psalm
    • Critical Evaluations
    • Conservative Evaluations
  • Authorship and Date
    • No Superscription
    • Related Issues
      • Perspective: National, Individual, or Both?
      • Age at Composition: Young, Old, or In-Between?
    • Historical Nominees
  • Literary Vehicles
    • The Acrostic Framework
      • Description
      • Examples
      • Criticisms
      • Purpose
    • Psalm-type Analyses
    • Poetic Parallelisms
  • Textual Assessment
    • The Hebrew Text
    • The Dead Sea Scrolls
    • The Septuagint and Other Early Versions
• Part II: Overview
  • Analytical Overview
    • Macro-development
    • Micro-development
    • Theological Overview: Applied Bibliology
      • Words for the Word
        • The Synonyms
        • Their Interrelations
      • Attributes of the Word
        • Their Source
        • Their Solace
      • Reactions to the Word
        • Not Pharisaic Bigotry nor Bibliolatry
        • Dependent Appropriation, Internalization, and Application
• Part III: Analysis
  • Aleph Stanza (vv. 1–8)
  • Beth Stanza (vv. 9–16)
  • Gimel Stanza (vv. 17–24)
  • Daleth Stanza (vv. 25–32)
  • He Stanza (vv. 33–40)
  • Waw Stanza (vv. 41–48)
  • Zayin Stanza (vv. 49–56)
  • Heth Stanza (vv. 57–64)
  • Teth Stanza (vv. 65–72)
  • Yodh Stanza (vv. 73–80)
  • Kaph Stanza (vv. 81–88)
  • Lamedh Stanza (vv. 89–96)
  • Mem Stanza (vv. 97–104)
  • Nun Stanza (vv. 105–112)
  • Samekh Stanza (vv. 113–120)
  • Ayin Stanza (vv. 121–128)
  • Pe Stanza (vv. 129–136)
  • Tsadhe Stanza (vv. 137–144)
  • Qoph Stanza (vv. 145–152)
  • Resh Stanza (vv. 153–160)
  • Shin Stanza (vv. 161–168)
  • Taw Stanza (vv. 169–176)

Top Highlights

“The faithful of all ages experience a transcendent joy internalized, a happiness defined by God’s standards and values, not by the world’s.” (Page 68)

“This repetition calls attention to the fact that those demonstrating a pattern of consistency in obeying God’s directives for life correspondingly experience a deeply rooted joy.” (Page 68)

“Seeking Him provides the ultimate context for keeping His Word (also, cf. Ps 24:6 in its context). This habitual imperfect from דָּרַשׁ‎ (dāraš), to seek,¹⁷ has as its object none but the LORD (i.e. ‘Him’).¹⁸ As argued previously, bibliolatry is ruled out, since the Word of God is the vehicle by means of which we are to wholeheartedly pursue Him.¹⁹ The purpose of knowing the Word of God is to know the God of the Word.” (Page 71)

“Delitzsch commends the heading placed before it in the German Bible: ‘In our German version it has the appropriate inscription, ‘The Christian’s golden ABC of the praise, love, power, and use of the word of God’; for here we have set forth in inexhaustible fullness what the word of God is to a man, and how a man is to behave himself in relation to it.” (Page 5)

“The testimonies of the psalmist are predicated upon his actual experience of walking with God from the time of his youth up to and including however old he might have been at the time of composition. Therefore, this psalm readily applies to people of all ages.” (Page 10)

Product Details

• Title: The Word of God in the Child of God: Exegetical, Theological, and Homiletical Reflections from the 119th Psalm
• Author: George J. Zemek
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 446

About George J. Zemek

George J. Zemek received his doctorate of theology at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. He began his teaching career at Grace College in the Greek department from 1975 to 1977. During that period he also served as a part-time instructor in the Homiletics department of the seminary. From 1977 to 1988, he was a full-time professor of biblical languages, theology, and apologetics, serving also as the seminary’s director of doctoral studies from 1985 to 1988. Beginning in 1988, he taught for six years at The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, California. Zemek then became the founding pastor-teacher and professor, respectively, of Grace Bible Church and Training Center in Brandon, Florida. Since 2000 he has served as the director of The Ministry Training Center at The Bible Church of Little Rock in Arkansas.