What Does Psalm 119:171 Mean?
My lips pour out praise when you teach me your statutes.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.THE KEY
The verb rendered “utter” pictures praise bubbling from the lips, with the LORD’s teaching as its source.
THE MEANING
As the LORD teaches you, praise wells up through your lips. Your speech gives voice to the instruction taking shape within you.
THE ROOT
תבענה
tibbaʿnah
GROWS FROM
נבע
navaʿ
To bubble up or gush forth.
“pour out” in this verse is tibbaʿnah. The verb behind “utter” belongs to the language of water bubbling from a spring. Praise is pictured as an outflow, and the verse names the LORD’s teaching as its source.
ALSO GROWS
navaʿ: To bubble up or gush forth.
נָבַע
This verb shares the image of speech rising from a source.
mabuaʿ: A spring or fountain.
מַבּוּעַ
The spring makes vivid the welling motion inside “utter.”
תלמדני
telammedeni
GROWS FROM
למד
lamad
To learn; in its intensive form, to teach.
The same root spans learning and teaching. Here praise is tied to instruction taking shape within the one being taught.
ALSO GROWS
lamad: To learn or study.
לָמַד
The learner’s side of the same root shows teaching as learning brought about.
melammed: One who teaches.
מְלַמֵּד
This form names the teaching action that the verse attributes to the LORD.
תהלה
tehillah
GROWS FROM
הלל
halal
To praise or acclaim.
The noun תְּהִלָּה (tehillah) belongs to the same praise-word family heard in Hallelujah. Here praise answers what the LORD teaches, joining instruction to voiced acclaim.
ALSO GROWS
hallel: To praise or acclaim.
הַלֵּל
This verb makes the praise in the verse an active response.
hallelu-yah: Praise Yah; Hallelujah.
הַלְלוּ־יָהּ
This familiar expression carries the same praise-root into a direct cry of acclaim.
THE PATTERN
What the LORD teaches within takes voice through the lips.
He sets a new song in my mouth, praise to our God. Many see and stand in awe, and lean their weight upon the LORD.A good human brings out good from the good treasure of the heart, and an evil human brings out evil from the evil treasure of the heart, for from the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.Through him, then, let us always carry up a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.THE THREAD
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge good, but the mouth of fools gushes out folly.The same Hebrew root נבע behind “utter” describes the fool’s mouth pouring out folly. Proverbs uses the image for folly, while this verse joins the lips’ outflow to the LORD’s teaching and praise.
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