Psalms 119:113 — Word Study
WLCסֵעֲפִ֥ים שָׂנֵ֑אתִי וְֽתוֹרָתְךָ֥ אָהָֽבְתִּי׃
BSA◂The double-mindedçêʻêph△ [of divided mind, skeptics] I despisesânêʼ■ [hate intensely, regard with hostility] but Your lawtôwrâh [instruction, divine guidance] I loveʼâhab■ [have affection for, cherish]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| סֵעֲפִ֥ים | half-hearted people | Adj |
| שָׂנֵ֑אתִי | I hate | Verb, Qal, perfect first person common singular |
| וְֽתוֹרָתְךָ֥ | and law your | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| אָהָֽבְתִּי׃ | I love | Verb, Qal, perfect first person common singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | The double-minded I despise, but Your law I love. |
| KJV | I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love. |
| ASV | I hate them that are of a double mind; But thy law do I love. |
| YLT | [Samech.] Doubting ones I have hated, And Thy law I have loved. |
| WEB | I hate double-minded men, but I love your law. |
| BBE | I am a hater of men of doubting mind; but I am a lover of your law. |
The translations agree on the meaning of the verse, highlighting the psalmist's disdain for the double-minded and his love for God's law.
The sentence has a clear structure with two main clauses connected by a conjunction, emphasizing the contrast in the psalmist's feelings.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbשָׂנֵא
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 4 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 119:113
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Commitment to God's Lawgenerated
Psalm 119:113 contrasts the psalmist's feelings towards those who are double-minded with his deep affection for God's law. This verse is part of a larger meditation on the importance of God's statutes, as seen in the surrounding verses, including Psalm 119:112 and Psalm 119:114, where the psalmist expresses his commitment to follow God's guidance and seeks refuge in His word.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 94:11 | The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile. |
| 2 | Isaiah 55:7 | Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. |
| 3 | Jeremiah 4:14 | Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you? |
| 4 | Mark 7:21 | For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, |
| 5 | 2 Corinthians 10:5 | We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — סֵעֲפִ֥ים, se.'a.Fimgenerated
The word סֵעֵף (se'ef) is an adjective meaning 'divided' or 'half-hearted,' often used to describe someone who is ambivalent or skeptical. It conveys a sense of being torn between conflicting thoughts or beliefs, which is reflected in the psalmist's disdain for such individuals.
This word appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing the unique stance the psalmist takes against those who cannot commit fully to their beliefs. The emotional weight of this term highlights the psalmist's strong feelings about integrity in faith.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree in rendering the verse similarly.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse consists of two main clauses: the first expresses the psalmist's disdain for the double-minded, and the second states his love for God's law. The structure highlights the contrast between the two sentiments.
The finite verbs שָׂנֵ֑אתִי (I hate) and אָהָֽבְתִּי (I love) anchor the clauses, showing the psalmist's strong emotional responses.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word סֵעֵף is translated as παρανόμους, which carries the meaning of 'lawless' or 'transgressors.' This choice indicates a shift from the idea of being divided to a focus on moral failure.
This translation reflects a broader interpretation, suggesting that those who are double-minded also act against the law, which aligns with the psalmist's strong feelings about integrity in faith.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 119:113 expresses the psalmist's strong feelings about the double-minded, whom he despises, contrasting this with his deep love for God's law. This verse is part of a larger meditation on the importance of following God's guidance.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
To be double-minded refers to having divided thoughts or being ambivalent in one's beliefs, leading to uncertainty and skepticism.
The psalmist despises the double-minded because they lack commitment and integrity in their beliefs, which stands in contrast to his own devotion to God's law.
Loving God's law signifies a deep affection for divine guidance and a commitment to live according to God's instructions.
This verse fits within a broader context where the psalmist reflects on the importance of following God's statutes and seeking refuge in His word.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I feel double-minded or ambivalent about my beliefs?
- How can I cultivate a deeper love for God's law in my daily life?
- What steps can I take to ensure I am not being influenced by double-minded individuals?
- How does my understanding of God's law shape my actions and decisions?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers, such as Augustine of Hippo, referenced this verse to discuss the relationship between love for God's law and disdain for unrighteousness.
"I have hated the unrighteous; and Your law have I loved" [Psalms 119:113].Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 119:113 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bibleo, SAMECH.--The Fifteenth Part. Ver. 113. SAMECH. I hate vain thoughts,.... Or thoughts: evil thoughts are undoubtedly meant, no other can be the object of hatred to a good man; they are such as are
Read John Gill on Psalms 119 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryI hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love. I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 119 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleSAMECH Ver. 113. Thoughts -this word signifies thoughts, 20:2, or opinions, ; which being indifferent to good and evil, is here taken in an evil sense, for vain thoughts, as we render it, or for thoughts, or opinions, or devices of men differing from or opposite to God’ s law, as may be gathered from the next clause, where God’ s law is opposed to these, and as some both Jewish and Christian expositors understand it. Nor is it unusual in the Hebrew text for one and the same word to be taken both in a good and an ill sense in several places; whereof we have one instance in a word of the same signification with this, mezimmah, which signifies a thought, and is sometimes taken in a good sense…
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 119 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 119:113 SAMECH. I hate [vain] thoughts: but thy law do I love.Ver. 113. I hate vain thoughts] Which, though they may swarm in my head, shall never lodge in my heart, Jeremiah 4:14, for there I have entertained a better guest. Thy law do I love] All hatred proceedeth from love, and is προςτομενος, against the whole kind, as Aristotle speaketh. True love to God’ s law enrageth the hearts of God’ s people with a holy hatred of heresies and perverse devices.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 119 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersSAMECH. (113) I hate vain thoughts.—Rather, I hate men who halt between two opinions, following 1 Kings 18:21, where the cognate noun from the same root, to divide, appears. Probably we are to think of those among the Jews who were for political reasons favourably inclined towards foreign customs and ideas, and who would not throw in their lot frankly and courageously with the national party.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 119 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleLETTER ס SAMECH. - Fifteenth Division Verse 113. I hate vain thoughts] I have hated סעפים seaphim, "tumultuous, violent men." I abominate all mobs and insurrections, and troublers of the public peace.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 119 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges113–120. Samech. The loyalty of the Psalmist and his hope contrasted with the faithlessness of the wicked and their fate.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 119 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleI hate vain thoughts - This commences a new portion of the psalm, distinguished by the Hebrew letter Samech (ס s), answering to our “s.” The word rendered “vain thoughts” occurs only in this place.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 119 →The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
The double-minded I despise, but Your law I love.
I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.
The double-minded I despise, but Your law I love.
I hate people with divided loyalties, but I love your law.
Tyndale line
I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.
I hate them that are of a double mind; But thy law do I love.
I hate them that are of a double mind; but thy law do I love.
SAMECH. I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.
SAMECH. I hate vaine inuentions: but thy Lawe doe I loue.
Strictly literal
SAMECH. The double-minded have I hated; but thy law do I love.
[Samech.] Doubting ones I have hated, And Thy law I have loved.
[SAMEKH] I have hated doubting ones, || And I have loved Your law.
SAMECH. Those of divided thoughts I hate; but thy law do I love.
I hate those who have a double mind, but I love your law.
Simplified
I hate people who are two-faced, but I love your law.
I am a hater of men of doubting mind; but I am a lover of your law.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of the verse, with all four words matched. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some restoration, with one word partly restored and three supplied by an editor, but the essential meaning remains consistent with the Masoretic Text.
סֵעֲפִ֥ים שָׂנֵ֑אתִי וְֽתוֹרָתְךָ֥ אָהָֽבְתִּי׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
סעפים [שנאתי] [ותורת׳ך] [אהבתי]
nothing on the leather here — 1 partly restored, 3 supplied entire by an editor.
סעפים שנאתי תורת׳כה אהבתי
4 words on the leather.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 119:113
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
סֵעֵף (ce'ef) means divided or half-hearted, often referring to a skeptical or ambivalent mindset. It is derived from a root meaning to divide. The term appears in a religious context in Psalm 119:113, where it describes a state of being divided in thought.
[סֵעֵף] adj. divided, half-hearted;—pl. abs. as subst., in religious sense, ψ 119:113
ref
H5588 סֵעֵף
5588 ce`eph say-afe'
from 5586; divided (in mind), i.e. (concretely) a
skeptic:--thought.
see HEBREW for 05586
סֵעֵף (se.eph) — divided.
ambivalent, divided, half-hearted
Adj — AdjHAampa
pe'-p'-l: In English Versions of the Bible represents something over a dozen Hebrew and Greek words. Of these, in the Old Testament, `am, is overwhelmingly the most common (about 2,000 times), with le'om, and goy, next in order; but the various Hebrew words are used with very little or no difference in force (e.g. Pr 14:28; but, on the other hand, in Ps 44 contrast verses 12 and 14). Of the changes introduced by the Revised Version (British and American) the only one of significance (cited explicitly in the Preface to the English Revised Version) is the frequent use of the plural "peoples" (strangely avoided in the King James Version except Re 10:11; 17:15), where other nations than Israel are in question. So, for instance, in Ps…
שָׂנֵא (sane') is a primitive root meaning 'to hate.' It covers various forms of hatred, including personal animosity and enmity, and can refer to both humans and God. The word appears in different grammatical forms, with uses in Qal, Niphal, and Piel, indicating actions of hating or being hated. Its Aramaic equivalent is שְׂנָא.
שָׂנֵא 145 vb. hate
Qal 128 hate
Niph. is hated
Pi. enemy
base
H8130 שָׂנֵא hate
8130 sane' saw-nay'
a primitive root; to hate (personally):--enemy, foe, (be)
hate(-ful, -r), odious, X utterly.
שָׂנֵא (sa.ne) — to hate.
1) to hate, be hateful
1a) (Qal) to hate
1a1) of man
1a2) of God
1a3) hater, one hating, enemy (participle) (subst)
1b) (Niphal) to be hated
1c) (Piel) hater (participle)
1c1) of persons, nations, God, wisdom
Aramaic equivalent: se.ne (שְׂנָא "to hate" H8131)
V-Qal-Perf-1cs — Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singularHVqp1cs
תּוֹרָה (towrah) encompasses concepts of direction, instruction, and law, particularly relating to divine or human guidance. It refers to legal directives, customs, and teachings, including the Decalogue and the Pentateuch. The entries highlight its use in various contexts, such as prophetic and priestly instruction, but do not present significant disagreement among lexicons.
תּוֹרָה n.f. direction, instruction, law
instruction
law (prop. direction)
custom, manner
base
H8451 תּוֹרָה direction, instruction, law . instruction
. law (prop. direction)
. custom, manner
8451 towrah to-raw'
or torah {to-raw'}; from 3384; a precept or statute,
especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch:--law.
see HEBREW for 03384
תּוֹרָה (to.rah) — instruction.
1) law, direction, instruction
1a) instruction, direction (human or divine)
1a1) body of prophetic teaching
1a2) instruction in Messianic age
1a3) body of priestly direction or instruction
1a4) body of legal directives
1b) law
1b1) law of the burnt offering
1b2) of special law, codes of law
1c) custom, manner
1d) the Deuteronomic or Mosaic Law
Conj | N-fs | Suff — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHC/Ncfsc/Sp2ms
The Hebrew word אָהֵב (*'ahab*) means 'to love' and encompasses various forms of affection, including human love for others, love for God, and even appetites for things like food and wisdom. It can also refer to friendship and divine love towards humanity, particularly Israel. The entries indicate that it can function in different grammatical forms, such as participles for 'lovely' or 'loveable'.
אָהֵב 216 vb. love
Qal
human love to human object
less oft. of appetite
love to God
esp. Pt.
of divine love
Niph. Pt. pl. lovely, loveable
Pi.
friends
lovers
base
H157 אָהֵב love
157 'ahab aw-hab'
or raheb {aw-habe'}; a primitive root; to have affection for
(sexually or otherwise):--(be-)love(-d, -ly, -r), like,
friend.
אָהֵב (a.hav) — to love: lover.
: lover
1) to love
1a) (Qal)
1a1) human love for another, includes family, and sexual
1a2) human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom
1a3) human love for or to God
1a4) act of being a friend
1a4a) lover (participle)
1a4b) friend (participle)
1a5) God's love toward man
1a5a) to individual men
1a5b) to people Israel
1a5c) to righteousness
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) lovely (participle)
1b2) loveable (participle)
1c) (Piel)
1c1) friends
1c2) lovers (fig. of adulterers)
2) to like
Also means: a.hav (אָהֵב ": friend" H0157H)
אָהֵב (a.hav) — to love: friend.
: friend
1) to love
1a) (Qal)
1a1) human love for another, includes family, and sexual
1a2) human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom
1a3) human love for or to God
1a4) act of being a friend
1a4a) lover (participle)
1a4b) friend (participle)
1a5) God's love toward man
1a5a) to individual men
V-Qal-Perf-1cs — Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singularHVqp1cs
luv ('ahebh, 'ahabhah, noun; phileo, agapao, verb; agape, noun): Love to both God and man is fundamental to true religion, whether as expressed in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Jesus Himself declared that all the law and the prophets hang upon love (Mt 22:40; Mr 12:28-34). Paul, in his matchless ode on love (1Co 13), makes it the greatest of the graces of the Christian life--greater than speaking with tongues, or the gift of prophecy, or the possession of a faith of superior excellence; for without love all these gifts and graces, desirable and useful as they are in themselves, are as nothing, certainly of no permanent value in the sight of God. Not that either Jesus or Paul underestimates the faith from which all the graces proceed, for this grace is recognized as…
Love
This word seems to require explanation only in the case of its use by our Lord in his interview with “Simon, the son of Jonas,” after his resurrection (John 21:16, 17). When our Lord says, “Lovest thou me?” he uses the Greek word agapas; and when Simon answers, he uses the Greek word philo, i.e., “I love.” This is the usage in the first and second questions put by our Lord; but in the third our Lord uses Simon’s word. The distinction between these two Greek words is thus fitly described by Trench:, ”Agapan has more of judgment and deliberate choice; philein has more of attachment and peculiar personal affection. Thus the ‘Lovest thou’ (Gr. agapas) on the lips of the Lord seems to Peter at this moment too cold a word, as though his Lord were keeping him at a distance, or at least not inviting him to draw near, as in the…
GOD IS LOVE; AND HE THAT DWELLETH IN LOVE DWELLETH IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM, 1Jo 4:16. Love is a chief attribute of Jehovah, the length and breadth and height and depth of which are beyond comprehension, for they are infinite, Eph 3:18,19. Between the three Persons of the Godhead, love is unutterable full, perfect, and blissful; towards holy angels and Christians, God’s love is an infinite fatherly complacency and affection; towards sinners, it is immeasurable compassion. It is shown in all his works and ways, and dictated his holy law, but is most signally displayed in the gospel, Joh 3:16. "Herein is love."
Holy love in man would make the whole heart and soul supremely delight in and obey God, and cordially and practically love all beings according to their character-the good…
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