The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
Parallel translations
- WEB The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. YUD
- KJV The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
- NKJV The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver. י Yod
- NASB The Law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Yodh
- NLT Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver. Yodh
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God's law is more precious to the psalmist than thousands of gold and silver pieces. It matters because Scripture's worth surpasses all material wealth.
Overview
Closing the Teth stanza, the psalmist values the law from God's mouth above vast riches. The word is his supreme treasure, outweighing any earthly fortune. This esteem for God's word anticipates the surpassing worth of Christ Himself, the Word made flesh, beside whom all else is counted loss.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 8:10–11Receive my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.
- Ps 19:10They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
- Ps 119:127Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even the purest gold.
- Prov 16:16How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.
- Ps 119:162I rejoice in Your promise like one who finds great spoil.
- Matt 13:44–46The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.
- Prov 8:19My fruit is better than gold, pure gold, and my harvest surpasses choice silver.
- Ps 119:14I rejoice in the way of Your testimonies as much as in all riches.
- Ps 119:111Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.
- Prov 3:14–15for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 119:72 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.