Psalms 119:70 · Bible study
Psalms 119:70 Commentary: Callous Heart and Delight in God's Law
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the meaning of 'heart as fat as grease' in Psalm 119:70, contrasting spiritual callousness with delight in God's law.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The psalmist contrasts the callous insensitivity of the proud with his own delight in God's law.
- Key words: טָפַשׁ (tafash, be insensitive), חֵלֶב (chelev, fat), שִׁעֲשָׁע (shi'asha', delight).
- Main debate: Whether the 'fat heart' primarily denotes prosperity-induced numbness or a hardened, disobedient condition.
- Theological theme: The heart's posture toward God's word determines spiritual life or death.
- Best use: To encourage believers to treasure God's word even when others dismiss it, and to warn against the numbing effect of ease.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Their hearts are hard and callous, but I delight in Your law.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Their heart is as callous as the fat, but I delight in your law.
KJV King James Version 1769
Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Their heart is as fat as grease; But I delight in thy law.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Insensate as fat hath been their heart, I--in Thy law I have delighted.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Their heart is as fat as grease: as for me, I delight in thy law.
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Engrasóse el corazón de ellos como sebo; mas yo en tu ley me he deleitado.
O coração deles se incha como gordura; mas eu tenho prazer em tua lei.
Leur cœur est insensible comme la graisse;
Ihr Herz ist dick wie Schmer; ich aber habe Lust an deinem Gesetz.
Hun hart is vet als smeer; maar ik heb vermaak in Uw wet.
Il loro cuore è denso come grasso, ma io mi diletto nella tua legge.
Serce ich zatyło jako sadło; ale się ja zakonem twoim cieszę.
他們心 蒙脂 油，我 卻喜愛 你的律法。
Their hearts are shut up with fat; but my delight is in your law.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 119:70
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 that the metaphor in this verse describes a condition of spiritual insensitivity. The Hebrew phrase 'heart is as fat as grease' (heart like fat, חֵלֶב) signifies a heart that has become thick, dull, and unable to respond to God. Adam Clarke notes such people are 'egregiously stupid, have no spiritual relish.' The Cambridge Bible similarly explains the heart is 'gross as fat...insensible and incapable of receiving any spiritual impression.' Barnes emphasizes the prosperity dimension: 'They are prospered...heaven appears to smile upon them.' Yet all agree that the proud have become callous toward God's word. The psalmist then sets himself in stark contrast: 'but I delight in your law.' Gill observes this delight is 'after the inward man,' echoing Romans 7:22. Keil and Delitzsch connect the verse to the surrounding context of affliction, where the psalmist has learned God's statutes through hardship. The consensus is clear: one either grows insensitive to God or delights in His word, and the heart's posture determines which.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The proud are insensitive to God's word, while the psalmist treasures it.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'heart as fat as grease' | All commentators see it as describing spiritual insensitivity, a heart dull to God's word. | Barnes emphasizes the prosperity dimension (the proud are prospered and thus insensitive), while Gill and Clarke focus on stubborn rebellion and stupidity. Both readings are present in the tradition. |
| Relationship between prosperity and spiritual dullness | Prosperity can lull a person into self-sufficiency and indifference toward God. | Some Christians argue that material blessing is always a test that can harden the heart; others see it as a gift that, with gratitude, can coexist with spiritual sensitivity. Both positions appeal to different biblical examples (e.g., Job vs. the rich fool). |
| Nature of the psalmist's delight | Delight in God's law is a repeated theme throughout Psalm 119 (vv.16, 24, 35, 47). | The source of this delight is debated: is it primarily a divine gift (Reformed emphasis on grace) or a human choice cultivated through discipline (Arminian and practical emphases)? Most traditions affirm both. |
| Application for believers today | Christians should examine their hearts for signs of callousness and seek to delight in Scripture. | Some traditions stress the danger of prosperity and advocate simplicity; others caution against equating financial ease with spiritual decline, noting that God also blesses the faithful with material goods. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem, each eight-verse stanza beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verse 70 falls in the Teth stanza (vv.65-72), where the psalmist reflects on how affliction has taught him God's statutes (v.71). In v.69, the proud have slandered him, 'smeared a lie upon me.' The metaphor of a heart 'as fat as grease' draws on a common biblical image for spiritual dullness and prosperity. In Psalm 17:10, the wicked 'close up their callous hearts'; in 73:7, the prosperous 'eyes bulge with fat.' The prophet Isaiah uses the same root to describe a people who cannot hear or see (Isa 6:10). The psalmist's contrasting declaration, 'I delight in your law', reflects the central theme of Psalm 119: joy in God's instruction.
In the ancient world, the Torah was not mere legalism but divine wisdom that gave life. The proud rely on their wealth and become insensitive; the psalmist finds his treasure in God's word. The emphatic pronoun 'I' (אֲנִי) in the Hebrew places the psalmist's choice in bold relief against the proud. The verb for 'delight' (שִׁעֲשָׁע) is a strong expression of taking pleasure, used elsewhere of God's delight in his people (e.g., Psalm 119:16, 24). The contrast could not be sharper: the proud are encased in their own comfort, while the psalmist's heart beats with love for God's word. This verse sits in a section where the psalmist affirms that the school of affliction has proven beneficial (v.71), teaching him the value of God's statutes above earthly riches (v.72).
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse in the Hebrew tradition. The Septuagint translates the phrase as 'their heart is curdled like milk' (ἐτυρώθη), but the underlying Hebrew is clear and consistent across manuscripts. Gill mentions the Targum paraphrase: 'the imagination of their heart is become gross as fat.'
Reception History
This verse has been used throughout church history to contrast the spiritually dull with those who treasure Scripture. Early church fathers saw the 'fat heart' as a picture of those hardened against God. The Reformers, notably Calvin in his general comments on Psalm 119, understood delight in the law as the proper response of the redeemed. Matthew Henry, in his Puritan exposition, highlights the stark choice between the proud's insensitivity and the psalmist's joy. In modern devotional literature, the verse is often cited to encourage believers to find their pleasure in God's word even when others mock or ignore it. The image of the callous heart continues to warn against the numbing effect of prosperity and indifference.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Calloused Heart. The proud have hearts 'as fat as grease', they are spiritually insensitive, past feeling, and unable to respond to God's word. Their condition may stem from prosperity (Barnes) or from stubborn rebellion (Gill, Clarke). In either case, they cannot sense the weight of divine truth.
- The Delighting Soul. The psalmist declares, 'I delight in your law.' Despite slander and suffering, he finds joy in God's instruction. This delight is not a passive feeling but an active treasuring of Scripture, rooted in love for God.
- The Two Ways. The verse presents a stark choice: either a heart dulled by self-sufficiency or a heart alive with delight in God's word. The surrounding context shows that affliction can refine this delight, while ease can harden it.
Five-point outline
- Portrait of the proud (v.69-70a): They slander and feel no shame; their hearts are fat, insensitive.
- The meaning of fatness: The image combines ideas of prosperity, stubbornness, and spiritual deadness (cf. Isa 6:10; Ps 73:7).
- The psalmist's declaration (v.70b): 'But I delight in your law.' The emphatic 'I' heightens the contrast.
- The source of delight: The law itself, God's instruction, which the psalmist has come to treasure through affliction and faithfulness.
- Examination of the heart: Where do we find our delight? In the comforts of ease that can make us insensitive, or in the word that gives life?
Illustration hooks
- A person who owns so many possessions that they no longer feel gratitude or need, the heart grows thick with self-sufficiency.
- A child given too many toys who fails to value any single gift; the proud enjoy God's blessings without recognizing the Giver.
- A runner whose shoes are worn smooth, the pattern of God's word has been walked into daily life, creating joy and direction even on hard terrain.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why do some people seem completely indifferent to God, even when they have everything?
- Is prosperity itself wrong, or can it coexist with spiritual sensitivity?
- How can I find genuine delight in Scripture when my heart feels cold?
Leading a Discussion
This verse presents a clear choice between two heart postures. The proud are described as having hearts like fat, insensitive, hardened. The psalmist, in contrast, delights in God's law. As you study this verse together, consider what kind of heart you bring to God's word and how your circumstances may be shaping that posture.
Discussion questions
- Read the verse aloud. What do you think the image of a heart 'as fat as grease' is meant to convey about the proud?
- How does the surrounding context (especially vv.67, 71-72) help explain why the psalmist has come to delight in God's law?
- In what ways can prosperity or comfort make a person spiritually insensitive? Can you think of examples from Scripture or from life?
- The Hebrew word for 'delight' (שִׁעֲשָׁע) suggests intense pleasure. What kinds of things compete with Scripture for that level of delight in your life?
- Why do you think the psalmist uses the emphatic 'I' (אֲנִי) to state his position? What does that say about the intentionality of his choice?
- How does the verse connect to broader biblical teachings about the heart (e.g., Proverbs 4:23, Jeremiah 17:9-10, Ezekiel 36:26)?
- What one practical step could your group take this week to cultivate a heart that delights in God's word instead of growing callous to it?
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 17:10 | They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly. |
| Psalms 40:8 | I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart.” |
| Psalms 73:7 | Their eyes bulge with fat. Their minds pass the limits of conceit. |
| Psalms 119:16 | I will delight myself in your statutes. I will not forget your word. GIMEL |
| Psalms 119:35 | Direct me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in them. |
| Isaiah 6:10 | Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.” |
| Acts 28:27 | For this people’s heart has grown callous. Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, then I would heal them.’ |
| Romans 7:22 | For I delight in God’s law after the inward person, |
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.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes the striking paradox that the wicked often enjoy obvious prosperity—health, wealth, and influence—while the righteous suffer. Yet the psalmist deliberately chooses to delight in God's law, regardless of whether obedience brings any outward reward or visible blessing.
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 highlights the stark contrast between the psalmist and the wicked: the wicked have hearts made gross and insensible like fat, completely unable to receive spiritual impressions. In contrast, the psalmist delights in God's law, and this is part of Jehovah's goodness manifested even through the discipline of affliction.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the contrast between the spiritually dull heart of the wicked, described as fat and insensitive like grease, and the psalmist's personal delight in God's law. True devotion comes from a heart that is responsive to God's commands, not calloused and
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill contrasts the hardened, insensitive heart of the proud person—stuffed with worldly abundance and past feeling like fat congealed into grease—with the psalmist's inward delight in God's law. The proud have no sense of duty or remorse, but the righteous heart finds joy in obeying and meditating on that law.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
fat as grease —spiritually insensible ( Psa 17:10 ; Psa 73:7 ; Isa 6:10 ).
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights that the psalmist sees his entire life, including hardship, as the good and purposeful arrangement of the gracious God. He has learned this through humility, and now prizes God's word above all earthly riches. His prayer for "good discernment" is a plea for the ethical capacity to distinguish good from evil.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that despite its rigid alphabetic structure, Psalm 119 is not a monotonous collection of unrelated sayings. He treats it as a coherent prayer for steadfastness, composed by a young man facing severe persecution. The repeated praise of God’s law is woven together with specific petitions, complaints, and hopes, forming a deliberate spiritual progression rather than a mere mnemonic device.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that when the proud forge lies against David and grow spiritually dull through prosperity, David does not retaliate or covet their ease. Instead, he steadfastly keeps God's precepts with his whole heart and finds his true delight in the law rather than in worldly abundance.