What do Tora, Eda, Derek, Piqqudim, Hoq, Misva, and Mispat have in common? They are all descriptions of God’s Word, given to us in the first section of Psalm 119.
They are not synonyms. I had a teacher who once told me that there is no such thing as a true synonym when one begins to understand nuance. Leap and jump may seem to say the same thing, but leaping over a fence describes more grace than jumping over one. In poetry, nuance matters. Without nuance, poetry is reduced to Dr. Suess’ “One fish, two fish”.
Psalm 119 may be the most stunning piece of poetry in the Bible. Located in the dead center of most Bibles, it’s the centerpiece of Scripture, wholly devoted to a love of the Scripture. Each section is entitled by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet so the entire thing is an acrostic. Perhaps this would have aided in memorization techniques for those who attempted to internalize the Psalm.
These days, many of us shudder to think of memorizing such a long piece. Sometimes, Psalm 119 even feels daunting to read. It’s gained recognition as being “the long one”. This is such a basic and tragic reputation for what may be the most lovely poetry in Scripture. It hasn’t always been this way. The monks of old would have been able to say the entire book of Psalms by memory! We may not be in the life circumstances that provide for such a feat, but perhaps we can reclaim some of the fervor and adoration that has accompanied this particular Psalm throughout the ages.
Earlier, we spoke of nuance. Did you know that Psalm 119 contains twelve ways of speaking of God’s Word, each unique and with its own vital nuance? Many scholars chose to calculate that there are eight within the Psalm, but if you read through it in Hebrew, you find the following descriptions: Torah, Edah, Piqquim, Hoq, Misva, Mispat, Derek, Dabar, Imra, Edut, Ora, and Huqqu. My hunch would be that Derek is left out because it’s a fuzzy connection and that Misva and Mispat are lumped together as one, the same fate befalling Edah and Edut, and maybe even the same treatment being issued to Piqqudim and Huqqu. I don’t know the ins and outs but I’m persuaded that there are indeed twelve descriptions as I don’t believe any of these can be true synonyms for each other.
Seven of these are found in the first section. So what do we have? The number of completion, seven introducing the piece, and then another number of God’s completed work, twelve scattered throughout the poem. What does this tell us? For one thing, God’s Word is complete and perfect and it comes from Him. It carries out multiple purposes with a singular aim: the glory of God through His interactions with His creation.
It is a misstep to read Psalm 119 as if testimony, precept, word, statute, promise, way, law, commandment, rules, or ways are all the same thing. In the past, I read each of these as saying Bible, Bible, Bible. And in a way, they are, but by simplifying these magnificent nouns, I’m missing so much. Psalm 119, one of the most epic poems, becomes repetitively boring and one begins to wonder if the translators threw in synonyms to at least make things slightly more interesting. But nothing could be further from the truth!
In Aleph alone, the first section, we find seven descriptions of God’s Word:
Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the torah of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep His eda,
who seek Him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
but walk in His derek!
You have commanded Your piqqudim
to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping Your hoq!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all Your misva.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn Your righteous mispat.
I will keep Your hoq;
do not utterly forsake me!
This section begins by exclaiming the blessedness, the happy state of the one who walks in the Torah. We know the Torah as being a description for the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. Think of penta as meaning five. The Torah is often translated as Law in English versions of Psalm 119. The Torah consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In the Torah, we find primeval history, the chronicles of how the world began, reaching up to Genesis 11. We know how we got here and why the world is the way that it is. We also find the history of how God grew the nation of Israel and rescued them from Egypt. We read how they wrestled with God in the wilderness and we find all of His instructions to His people regarding how they should live and how He made a way for them to interact with Him.
Walking in the Torah means walking with an understanding of who God is, that He made us, and that He has a specific way in which He wants us to live. This knowledge is not aesthetic factual information, but a pragmatic way of life. Walking in the Torah means actually living the way that God calls us to walk.
The next verse says that we are blessed if we keep God’s Eda. This is a powerful word, sometimes translated as testimony. These days, we have a Christianese set of nomenclature around “sharing your testimony” or asking someone to “testify”. When we speak this way, we are not far from what Eda is describing. Eda is linked to the idea of witness. Yet in this case, it is not describing our personal testimony or witness of faith, but God’s personal testimony and His witness to the truth. I like the phrase “sharing your testimony” because all of our testimonies to God’s faithfulness ultimately derive from His testimony of faithfulness. So when you come across Eda, think witness, testimony, story, faithfulness, and enduring declaration. Keeping God’s Eda means trusting that His Word, His story, and His promise are solid, faithful, and worth giving everything to pursue.
Next, we find a reference to walking in His Derek. Derek means way, it can even mean a literal path in some sense. Sometimes, it carries the nuance of a journey. Think Pilgrim’s Progress, one long journey on one specific way for one singular purpose. Think of a lifetime of following Jesus. It’s a raw, organic, deep word, rich with history, your history, my history, and most importantly, God’s history. Jesus testified in John 14:6 that He is the only Way to the Father and the early Christians actually referred to themselves as “followers of the Way”. The Greek word for Way in John 14:6 is Hodos. The Septuagint (an ancient Greek version of the Old Testament) has a wonderful rendition of Psalm 119 as it translates the Hebrew Derek as the Greek Hodos. So when you see Derek in Psalm 119, be sure that you also see Jesus. Here we find in Psalm 119:3 a command to walk in Christ!
Verse four introduces us to the word Piqqudim. It’s not pronounced the way you might expect and is thankfully quite a bit easier, more like “Pikood”. Most versions translate this word as “precepts”. A precept is likened most akin to a command by the Webster 1828 dictionary. This one is pretty straight forward, holding notes of a decree, a directive backed by God’s divine authority.
Verse five adds a new dimension to this seven-fold description as the Psalmist exclaims that he desires his ways to be according to God’s Hoq. The definitions of Hoq often have something to do with an ordinance or directive that is described. Think of Hoq as the specific instructions of God to His people.
Next, the writer desires to fix his eyes on God’s Misva, His commandments. The next verse adds a desire to keep God’s righteous rules, His Mispat. Misva and Mispat are the sister descriptions of God’s commandments and rules. Typically, the preferred description is Misva, commandments, but every once in a while, the writer adds in Mispat. Although similar, Mispat is not redundant because if there were eleven words scattered throughout the Psalm that described God’s Word, we would be missing the color and depth of having twelve, a number of God’s completed work.
The final verse of Aleph repeats the usage of Hoq instead of introducing a new term, thus ensuring that we only meet the first seven descriptions in the Aleph section, revealing the other number of completion right from the onset of the poem. Astounding, isn’t it? This work is so riddled with intentionality! So let us buckle up and press forward to discover the hidden gems in this longest chapter of the Bible that shines forth God’s glory.
Citations:
1. "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish." Genius, 12 Mar. 1960, genius.com/Dr-seuss-one-fish-two-fish-red-fish-blue-fish-annotated. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.
2. "Precept." Websters Dictionary 1828, webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/precept. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.
3. "Psalm 119:3." Bible Hub, biblehub.com/psalms/119-3.htm. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.
4. "Torah." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Jul. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.
5. "3598. Hodos." Bible Hub, biblehub.com/psalms/119-3.htm. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.
Create Your Own Website With Webador