Psalms 119:163 · Bible study
Psalms 119:163 Commentary: Hate and Love in the Spiritual Life
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
The psalmist's hatred of lies and love for God's law reveals the heart of true devotion. This study examines the grammar, context, and interpretive traditions.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The psalmist rejects falsehood and embraces God’s law as the core of true devotion.
- Key words: שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, falsehood/deception), תּוֹרָה (torah, instruction/law), שָׂנֵא (sane, hate), תַּעָב (ta'av, abhor), אָהֵב (ahav, love).
- Main debate: Whether 'falsehood' refers specifically to verbal lying, false doctrine, covenant unfaithfulness, or all sin.
- Theological theme: The inseparable connection between hatred of sin and love for God's word.
- Best use: Teaching on the emotional dimension of faith; the proper role of both negative and positive affections.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
I hate and abhor falsehood, but Your law I love.
WEB World English Bible 2000
I hate and abhor falsehood. I love your law.
KJV King James Version 1769
I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
I hate and abhor falsehood; But thy law do I love.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Falsehood I have hated, yea I abominate it , Thy law I have loved.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
I hate and abhor falsehood; thy law do I love.
Translations in other languages (9 available)
La mentira aborrezco y abomino: tu ley amo.
Odeio e abomino a falsidade; mas amo a tua lei.
Je hais, je déteste le mensonge;
Lügen bin ich gram und habe Greuel daran; aber dein Gesetz habe ich lieb.
Ik haat de valsheid, en heb er een gruwel van; maar Uw wet heb ik lief.
Io odio e abomino la menzogna, ma amo la tua legge.
Ale nienawidzę kłamstwa, i brzydzą się niem; ale zakon twój miłuję.
謊話 是我所恨惡 所憎嫌的；惟你的律法 是我所愛的。
I am full of hate and disgust for false words; but I am a lover of your law.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 119:163
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree this verse captures the psalmist's core disposition: a passionate rejection of falsehood and an equally passionate embrace of God's law. Barnes notes that the mention of lying arises partly from the acrostic requirement of the letter Shin, but also from the psalmist's lived experience of falsehood's destructiveness. Matthew Henry observes that love and hatred are the leading affections of the soul, and when these are right, everything else follows. Gill interprets 'lying' broadly to include false doctrine and hypocrisy, while Jamieson-Fausset-Brown sees it as unfaithfulness to God's covenant. Despite these nuances, all agree the verse is not self-righteous boasting but an honest confession of a heart shaped by God's word. The parallelism, hate for falsehood, love for the law, shows that true devotion engages the deepest emotions, not merely the intellect.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Verbal falsehood: Barnes and others emphasize the literal sin of lying in speech.
- False doctrine / hypocrisy: Gill interprets 'lying' as false doctrine or hypocrisy, drawing on the contrast with God's law.
- Covenant unfaithfulness: Jamieson-Fausset-Brown sees it as unfaithfulness to the covenant, following the context of persecution and apostasy.
- All sin: Matthew Henry takes 'lying' as representative of all sin, since sin is a form of deceit toward God and self.
What is clear: The psalmist expresses a wholehearted rejection of falsehood and a deep love for God's law, linking the two as fundamental to true devotion.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of falsehood | Falsehood stands opposed to God's truth and is to be rejected by the faithful. | |
| Emotional tone | The verse expresses strong, settled emotions, not fleeting feelings. | |
| Relationship between the two clauses | The clauses are antithetical: hatred for falsehood and love for the law are opposites that define each other. | |
| Context of persecution | The psalmist speaks from a situation of opposition, making his confession all the more costly. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The acrostic structure of Psalm 119 shapes this verse. Each stanza of eight lines begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verse 163 belongs to the Sin/Shin stanza (verses 161, 168). Barnes points out that the choice of 'lying' was constrained by the required initial letter, a literary necessity that the psalmist turned into a theological opportunity. The surrounding verses (161, 168) focus on awe, joy, love, and gratitude for God's word, containing no petition (Cambridge Bible notes). The psalmist is under persecution from princes (v161) yet finds refuge in the law.
Adam Clarke suggests that the 'lying' here may refer to confessions the Chaldeans forced on the captives. A mental reservation might have saved the exiles from harm, but to the God of truth that would still be lying. This context of political and religious pressure heightens the stakes. Falsehood is not a minor sin; it compromises a relationship with the God who is true. The psalmist chooses integrity over safety, loving the law more than his own life.
Keil and Delitzsch note that in this stanza the psalmist's heart does not fear princes but stands in awe of God's words. The law becomes a source of transcendent peace (v165). The acrostic form, far from being a mere trick of style, reinforces that the psalmist's devotion covers the whole range of human experience, from A to Z. This verse, located near the alphabet's end, crystallizes the psalm's central message: the faithful person hates what God hates and loves what God loves.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 119:163. The Masoretic Text is stable, and the key Hebrew terms (שָׂנֵאתִי, אֲתַעֵבָה, תּוֹרָתְךָ, אָהָבְתִּי) are securely attested. The difference in spelling between Shin and Sin in the acrostic (Sin/Shin) is reflected in the existing Hebrew manuscripts without conflict.
Reception History
Psalm 119:163 has been widely used in both Jewish and Christian traditions as a concise expression of the two-fold disposition required by faith. In Jewish liturgy, the verse reinforces the daily commitment to Torah as the source of truth and life. Christian commentators from the patristic period onward (including the church fathers and later reformers) have cited it to demonstrate that true religion involves both the hatred of sin and the love of God’s revealed will. It appears frequently in devotional writings and sermons on integrity, especially in contexts where believers face pressure to compromise. The verse continues to serve as a touchstone for the emotional and moral dimensions of discipleship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The intensity of holy hatred. The psalmist uses two verbs, 'hate' and 'abhor' (the second is stronger, meaning to regard as an abomination). This is not a mild dislike but a deep, visceral rejection of all that is false. In a world of half-truths and convenient excuses, such clarity is rare.
- The depth of sacred love. 'Your law do I love.' The object of this love is not abstract but personal: God's instruction, his Torah. Love for the law grows from a relationship with the Lawgiver. When the heart treasures God's word, that love becomes the root of all obedience.
- The connection between the two. Hatred of falsehood and love of the law are inseparable. Matthew Henry says the more we see the beauty of truth, the more we see the deformity of a lie. The two affections reinforce each other, shaping a life of devoted integrity.
Five-point outline
- Background. The acrostic form and the pressure of persecution set the stage. The psalmist speaks out of real struggle, not comfortable reflection.
- The grammar of affection. Hebrew verbs in the perfect tense ("I hate," "I love") indicate settled disposition, not temporary feeling. This is character.
- The object of hate. שֶׁקֶר (sheqer) covers deception, disappointment, fraud, anything that betrays trust. Commentators debate its scope, but all agree it stands opposed to God's truth.
- The object of love. תּוֹרָה (torah) is more than law; it is instruction, direction, God's gentle guidance and firm command. To love the law is to love God himself.
- The fruit. When love and hatred are rightly placed, the believer walks in peace (v165), stands firm under pressure, and gives thanks seven times a day (v164). The verse is not a static ideal but a dynamic pattern.
Illustration hooks
- When a trusted relationship is broken by a single lie, the pain is sharp. Our hatred of falsehood should reflect how seriously God takes truth.
- Consider the relief of finding a trustworthy friend. The psalmist's love for God's law mirrors that deep security, only far greater.
- A child who loves a parent instinctively hates anything that would hurt that parent. In the same way, love for God produces a natural hatred for everything that contradicts his character.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it okay for a Christian to 'hate' anything? How do we hate falsehood without becoming harsh or judgmental?
- How can I know if my love for God's law is real and not just duty or routine?
- What practical steps can I take to grow in both hatred of sin and love for God's word?
Leading a Discussion
This verse draws a stark line between two affections: hate and love. The psalmist does not apologize for the intensity of his feelings. In a culture that often prefers gray, he sees in black and white. Yet his strong language is not self-righteous; it is the honest confession of a heart captured by God's truth. The small group can explore what drives such devotion and how it applies today.
Discussion questions
- What two verbs does the psalmist use for his rejection of falsehood? Why do you think he uses two words rather than one?
- Look up the lexical range of שֶׁקֶר (sheqer). What kinds of falsehood does it include? How does that expand your understanding of this verse?
- Why does the psalmist set 'falsehood' in opposition to 'your law'? What does that tell us about the nature of God's law?
- Read Psalm 119:113 and 119:128. How do those verses support or deepen the message of 119:163?
- The cross-reference in Amos 5:15 says 'Hate evil, love good.' How does that command compare with the psalmist's personal declaration here?
- Is it possible to love God's law without hating falsehood? Why or why not?
- Think of one area where you may be tolerating 'small' falsehoods (in speech, in thought, in worship). How might a deeper love for God's law change that?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 101:7 | He who practices deceit won’t dwell within my house. He who speaks falsehood won’t be established before my eyes. |
| Psalms 119:29 | Keep me from the way of deceit. Grant me your law graciously! |
| Psalms 119:113 | I hate double-minded men, but I love your law. |
| Psalms 119:128 | Therefore I consider all of your precepts to be right. I hate every false way. PE |
| Proverbs 6:16 | There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him: |
| Proverbs 6:19 | a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers. |
| Proverbs 30:8 | Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, |
| Amos 5:15 | Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke applies the psalmist's hatred of lying to the situation faced by Jewish captives under the Chaldeans. He argues that even mental reservation—outwardly confessing what their captors demanded while inwardly holding to the truth—is still lying in the sight of the God of truth. For the psalmist, no freedom would be worth that sacrifice.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the acrostic structure of the psalm may have influenced the specific mention of lying, since the Hebrew letter Schin begins this verse. Yet he emphasizes that the psalmist's hatred of falsehood is genuine and reflects true piety, for religion forbids lying in all its forms.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin pushes back against the common assumption that Psalm 119 is a jumble of unrelated thoughts. He insists the psalm has a coherent twofold aim: urging believers toward godly living and laying out the true pattern of worship by centering on God's law. The variations in topic do not mean it lacks connection.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator stresses that the psalmist’s declaration of obedience is not the arrogant boasting of a Pharisee but the honest testimony of a clear conscience. He also notes that this stanza contains no petition at all—only the appeal to God’s omniscience as proof of genuine devotion.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note draws a sharp contrast between the psalmist's intense hatred for falsehood and his deep love for God's law. It underscores the emotional extremes of complete abhorrence on one side and fervent affection on the other.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill distinguishes two meanings of "lying" in this verse: dishonest speech in daily life, which he traces to Satan and calls shameful, and false doctrine or worship that opposes God's truth. He argues that David targeted the latter especially, because he loved God's law as a regenerate man whose heart treasured it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB interprets "lying" here not as ordinary falsehood but as spiritual unfaithfulness. Drawing on Psalm 119:29, he equates it with breaking God's covenant and falling away from Him.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight that the eightfold repetition of the letter Shin in this acrostic section mirrors the psalmist's constant devotion. Even when princes persecute him without cause, he maintains a fear of God's word that blends with heartfelt joy, giving thanks repeatedly for its righteous guidance.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that David's hatred of lying is rooted in his love for God's law, because lying in every form—hypocrisy, false doctrine, broken faith—contradicts the truth of Scripture. The more a person loves the truth God has revealed, the more naturally they will loathe every kind of falsehood.