Menu

Psalms 119:13 — Word Study

Depth

WLCבִּשְׂפָתַ֥י סִפַּ֑רְתִּי כֹּ֝֗ל מִשְׁפְּטֵי־ פִֽיךָ׃

BSAWith my lipssâphâh [language, or edge of expression] I proclaimçâphar [repeat out loud, declare, or recount] allkôl [everything, the whole] the judgmentsmishpâṭ [justice, ordinances, or regulations] of Your mouthpeh [Thy, belonging to You, lip, edge, or border]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 119
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 13 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (Fi.kha) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 119:13quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist declares his commitment to proclaiming God's judgments.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, expressing personal devotion and praise.
Where we areIn the midst of a meditation on God's laws and statutes.
The hard wordמִשְׁפְּטֵי
Take awayProclaiming God's judgments is an act of worship and commitment.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbסָפַר The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

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 119:13

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 — Meditation on God's Lawsgenerated

12Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes.
13With my lips I proclaim all the judgments of Your mouth.
14I rejoice in the way of Your testimonies as much as in all riches.
15I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways.

Psalm 119:13 is part of a larger meditation on the psalmist's relationship with God's statutes. The verses surrounding this one express a deep desire to understand and follow God's commands, highlighting the importance of His judgments in the life of a believer. This section emphasizes the psalmist's commitment to not only learn but also to publicly declare God's righteous ordinances.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 119:46–172I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed.
2Psalm 34:11Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
3Psalm 37:30The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
4Psalm 40:9–10I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O LORD, do know.
5Psalm 71:15–18My mouth will declare Your righteousness and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot know their full measure.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word בִּשְׂפָתַ֥י, bis.fa.Taigenerated

The word בִּשְׂפָתַ֥י (*bisfaṭai*) is a construct form of שָׂפָה (*saphah*), meaning 'lips' or 'language.' It indicates a personal and expressive act of speaking, suggesting both the physical lips and the idea of communication.

In this context, the use of the first person plural indicates the psalmist's intention to actively proclaim and share God's judgments, emphasizing the significance of verbal expression in worship and testimony.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the verse is סִפַּ֑רְתִּי, I proclaim, which governs the entire clause. The structure includes a prepositional phrase indicating the means of proclamation, followed by a noun phrase that serves as the object of the verb.

The use of the prepositional phrase בִּשְׂפָתַ֥י emphasizes the psalmist's personal involvement, indicating that the act of proclamation is intimately connected to his own lips.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates בִּשְׂפָתַ֥י as μου (*mou*), meaning 'my.' This choice reflects a personal ownership of the act of proclamation, aligning closely with the Hebrew sense of personal expression.

The Greek word ἐχήγγειλα for סִפַּ֑רְתִּי indicates a formal declaration, which captures the essence of the psalmist's intent to announce God's judgments.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 119:13 expresses the psalmist's commitment to publicly declare all of God's judgments. He emphasizes the importance of using his lips to share God's ordinances, reflecting a deep reverence for God's laws and a desire to teach others.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to proclaim God's judgments?

To proclaim God's judgments means to publicly declare and share His laws and ordinances, emphasizing their importance in guiding one's life.

Why is the act of speaking significant in this verse?

Speaking God's judgments signifies a personal commitment to His teachings and serves as a testimony to others about His justice and righteousness.

How do the judgments of God affect our lives?

God's judgments provide guidance and wisdom, helping believers to navigate moral decisions and live according to His will.

What can we learn from the psalmist's declaration?

The psalmist's declaration encourages us to actively share our understanding of God's laws with others and to incorporate them into our daily lives.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can I actively proclaim God's judgments in my life?
  2. How can I use my words to encourage others to follow God's laws?
  3. What are some specific judgments of God that I can share with my community?
  4. How does understanding God's judgments shape my perspective on justice and righteousness?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

The early church fathers often referenced this psalm to discuss the importance of proclaiming God's laws. Here is a quotation from Augustine of Hippo, who reflects on the significance of this verse.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 119 354–430
"With my lips have I been telling of all the judgments of Your mouth" [Psalms 119:13];
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 119:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. Not the judgments of his hand, what he executes on an ungodly world; nor the intricate dispensations of his providence; those judgments of

Read John Gill on Psalms 119 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth - (Deuteronomy 6:6-7.) Though I have "hid thy Word in mine heart" (Psalms

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 119 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

If thou wilt teach me, I will teach others, as I have already done; and so thou shalt have glory, and others benefit by it.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 119 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 119:13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.Ver. 13. With my lips have I declared] Heb. have I ciphered up; these have been the matter of my discourse; and out of the good treasure of my heart have I brought forth those good things, for the good of others, Matthew 12:35.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 119 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(13) With my lips.—He has not kept his hidden treasure to himself, but, like the good householder of the Gospels, has brought out things new and old.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 119 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 13. With my lips have I declared] 10. He should declare to his own heart, and to all his companions in iniquity, God's judgments against himself and them; that if his long-suffering mercy have not made a proper impression on their hearts, they may tremble at his approaching judgments.

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 119 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

13. have I declared] Or, recounted. The faithful Israelite was not merely to treasure in his mind God’s declarations of His Will, but to “talk of them” (Deuteronomy 6:7), to produce his treasure for the good of others (Matthew 12:35).

Read Cambridge on Psalms 119 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

With my lips have I declared - That is, I have openly and publicly made thy words known to others; I have defended and vindicated them.

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

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

With my lips I proclaim all the judgments of Your mouth.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

With my lips, I have declared all the ordinances of your mouth.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

With my lips I proclaim all the judgments of Your mouth.

NETBNew English Translation2006

With my lips I proclaim all the regulations you have revealed.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

With my lips have I declared All the ordinances of thy mouth.

RVARevised Version, American1894

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

With my lippes haue I declared all the iudgements of thy mouth.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

With my lips I have recounted All the judgments of Thy mouth.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

With my lips I have recounted || All the judgments of Your mouth.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

With my lips have I related all the ordinances of thy mouth.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

With my mouth I have declared all the righteous decrees that you have revealed.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

I repeat out loud your instructions.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

With my lips have I made clear all the decisions of your mouth.

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.

clauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalבִּwithnoun phraseשְׂפָתַ֥lipsיmyverbסִפַּ֑רְתִּיI.recountnoun phrase · objectכֹּ֝֗לallnoun phraseמִשְׁפְּטֵיthe.judgmentsnoun phraseפִֽיyour.mouthךָyour

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text states, "בִּשְׂפָתַ֥י סִפַּ֑רְתִּי כֹּ֝֗ל מִשְׁפְּטֵי־ פִֽיךָ׃" which translates to, "With my lips I proclaim all the judgments of Your mouth." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in meaning, as all five words correspond, though the word order and articles differ due to its Greek structure. The Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q90) also align closely with the Masoretic Text, containing three words, with one word partly restored and another supplied by an editor, indicating a similar reading to the Masoretic Text despite minor differences in preservation.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

בִּשְׂפָתַ֥י סִפַּ֑רְתִּי כֹּ֝֗ל מִשְׁפְּטֵי־ פִֽיךָ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
בִּשְׂפָתַ֥יμουסִפַּ֑רְתִּיἐχήγγειλαכֹּ֝֗לπάνταמִשְׁפְּטֵי־κρίματαפִֽיךָ׃σου

5 of the 5 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.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q90a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

בשפת׳י שפרתי כל משפטי [פי׳ך]

3 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 1 supplied entire by an editor.

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.

Psalms 119:13שָׂפָהwith lips mwith lips myשָׂפָהסָפַרI recountI recountסָפַרכֹּלallallכֹּלמִשְׁפָּט[the] judgm[the] judgmentsמִשְׁפָּטפֶּהmouth yourmouth yourפֶּהסָפָהto snatchto snatchסָפָהכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלשָׁפַטto judgeto judgeשָׁפַטפָּאָהto cleaveto cleaveפָּאָהיְרִיעָהcurtaincurtainיְרִיעָהלָשׁוֹןtonguetongueלָשׁוֹןעֶזְרָאEzraEzraעֶזְרָאשָׁפָןrock badgerock badgerשָׁפָןעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהחֻקָּהstatutestatuteחֻקָּהחֹקstatute: dstatute: decreeחֹקאֹמֶרwordwordאֹמֶרפָּתַחto opento openפָּתַח
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 119:13

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.

with lips my I recount all [the] judgments of mouth your
בִּשְׂפָתַ֥יbis.fa.Tai with lips my H8193 Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
176× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to lips or language, and can also mean the edge or border of something. It is used in the Bible to describe the shore of a sea or the edge of a cup.
Amplified meaning
language, or edge of expression
Tyndale gloss
lips
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׂפָה (*saphah*) encompasses meanings related to 'lip,' 'speech,' and 'edge.' It is derived from concepts of termination, suggesting boundaries like the edge of a vessel or the bank of a river. The word can refer to physical lips, language, or the edges of various objects, including shores.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׂפָה 176 n.f. lip, speech, edge

lip

language

edge: shore of sea; bank of river

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8193 שָׂפָה lip, speech, edge . lip

. language

. edge: shore of sea; bank of river

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8193 saphah saw-faw'

or (in dual and plural) sepheth {sef-eth'}; probably from

5595 or 8192 through the idea of termination (compare 5490);

the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by

analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.):--band,

bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip,

prating, ((sea-))shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.

see HEBREW for 05595

see HEBREW for 08192

see HEBREW for 05490

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lips.

: lips/mouth

1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding

1a) lip (as body part)

1b) language

1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)

שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: words.

: words/language

1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding

1a) lip (as body part)

1b) language

1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)

שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: edge.

: edge/border/opening

1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding

1a) lip (as body part)

1b) language

1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)

שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: shore.

: shore/bank(of_sea/river)

1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding

1a) lip (as body part)

1b) language

1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fd | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
HR/Ncmpc/Sp1bs
with lips my I recount all [the] judgments of mouth your
סִפַּ֑רְתִּיsi.Par.ti I recount H5608 Verb · Piel · perfect first person common singular
159× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a scribe or secretary who records or inscribes information. It is used in the Bible to describe someone who counts or enumerates things. The KJV translates it as 'scribe, tell, writer'.
Amplified meaning
repeat out loud, declare, or recount
Tyndale gloss
to recount
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

סָפַר (safar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to count or recount, with various forms indicating actions like declaring or rehearsing. The noun form סֹפֵר (sofer) refers to a scribe or secretary. The entries highlight its use in contexts of enumeration and record-keeping, but do not present significant disagreement among lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

סָפַר 107 vb. count, Pi. recount, relate

Qal 27

count things, to learn their number

number = take account of, carefully observe and consider, reckon

Niph. be counted, numbered

Pi. 67 recount, rehearse, declare

Pu. be recounted, related, rehearsed

base

סֹפֵר, סוֹפֵר n.m. enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5608a סָפַר count, Pi. recount, relate .. count things, to learn their number

. number = take account of, carefully observe and consider, reckon

. be counted, numbered

. recount, rehearse, declare

. be recounted, related, rehearsed

H5608b סֹפֵר, סוֹפֵר enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5608 caphar saw-far'

a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally

or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to

enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate:--commune,

(ac-)count; declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew

forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

סָפַר (sa.phar) — to recount.

v

1) to count, recount, relate

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to count (things)

1a2) to number, take account of, reckon

1b) (Niphal) to be counted, be numbered

1c) (Piel) to recount, rehearse, declare

1c1) to recount (something), rehearse

1c2) to talk

1c3) to count exactly or accurately

1d) (Pual) to be recounted, be rehearsed, be related

סֹפֵר (so.pher) — secretary.

1) enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe

1a) enumerator, muster-officer, secretary

1b) learned man, scribe

Aramaic equivalent: sa.pher (סָפִר "scribe" H5613)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Piel-Perf-1cs — Verb · Piel · perfect first person common singular
HVpp1cs
with lips my I recount all [the] judgments of mouth your
כֹּ֝֗לKol all H3605 Noun common · masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Amplified meaning
everything, the whole
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.

(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.

(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).

(3) All one, "It is all one" (Job 9:22), "it makes no difference whether I live or die."

(4) At all, "If thy father miss me at all" (1Sa 20:6), "in any way," "in the least."

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
with lips my I recount all [the] judgments of mouth your
מִשְׁפְּטֵי־mish.pe.tei- [the] judgments of H4941 Noun common · masculine plural construct
422× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Mishpat means justice or judgment, and is often used to describe God's righteous judgment, as well as human laws and decisions, in books like Deuteronomy and Isaiah.
Amplified meaning
justice, ordinances, or regulations
Tyndale gloss
justice: judgement
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) primarily means judgment or justice and encompasses various aspects such as legal rights, ordinances, and decisions. It is derived from a root meaning to pronounce a verdict, covering both human and divine law. The entries highlight its application in legal contexts, including the act of deciding cases and the attributes of justice and rectitude.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִשְׁפָּט 422 n.m. judgment

judgment

justice, right, rectitude

ordinance

decision

one's (legal) right, privilege, due

proper, fitting, measure

custom, manner

what manner of

plan

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4941 מִשְׁפָּט judgment . judgment

. justice, right, rectitude

. ordinance

. decision

. one's (legal) right, privilege, due

. . proper, fitting, measure

. custom, manner

. what manner of

. plan

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4941 mishpat mish-pawt'

from 8199; properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable)

pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree

(human or (participant's) divine law, individual or

collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the

crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a

participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or

even a style:--+ adversary, ceremony, charge, X crime,

custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due,

fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly),

(manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order,

ordinance, right, sentence, usest, X worthy, + wrong.

see HEBREW for 08199

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִשְׁפָּט (mish.pat) — justice: judgement.

: judgement/punishment

1) judgment, justice, ordinance

1a) judgment

1a1) act of deciding a case

1a2) place, court, seat of judgment

1a3) process, procedure, litigation (before judges)

1a4) case, cause (presented for judgment)

1a5) sentence, decision (of judgment)

1a6) execution (of judgment)

1a7) time (of judgment)

1b) justice, right, rectitude (attributes of God or man)

1c) ordinance

1d) decision (in law)

1e) right, privilege, due (legal)

1f) proper, fitting, measure, fitness, custom, manner, plan

מִשְׁפָּט (mish.pat) — justice.

: justice/right/righteousness

1) judgment, justice, ordinance

1a) judgment

1a1) act of deciding a case

1a2) place, court, seat of judgment

1a3) process, procedure, litigation (before judges)

1a4) case, cause (presented for judgment)

1a5) sentence, decision (of judgment)

1a6) execution (of judgment)

1a7) time (of judgment)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural construct
HNcmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

with lips my I recount all [the] judgments of mouth your
פִֽיךָ׃Fi.kha mouth your H6310 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
498× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word refers to the mouth, lips, or edge of something, and can also mean a portion or side of something. It is often used to describe speech or the act of speaking. This word appears in various forms, such as mouth, lip, or edge.
Amplified meaning
Thy, belonging to You, lip, edge, or border
Tyndale gloss
lip
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word פֶּה (*peh*) means 'mouth' and encompasses various meanings, including the mouth of a person or animal, as well as openings or orifices. It can also refer to speech, edges, and portions. Additionally, it denotes a weight equal to one third of a shekel, found in 1 Samuel 13:21.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

פֶּה 485 n.m. mouth

mouth, of man, organ of eating and drinking

external organ

much oftener, as organ of speech, of man

as laughing; panting

of God

of idols

of musical instr. = sound

of animals; hence of edge of sword

mouth = opening, orifice

extremity, end

= portion

with preps.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6310 פֶּה mouth . . mouth, of man, organ of eating and drinking

. external organ

. . much oftener, as organ of speech, of man

. as laughing; panting

. of God

. of idols

. of musical instr. = sound

. of animals

. mouth = opening, orifice

. . extremity, end

. = portion

. with preps.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6310 peh peh

from 6284; the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether

literal or figurative (particularly speech); specifically

edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition)

according to:--accord(-ing as, -ing to), after, appointment,

assent, collar, command(-ment), X eat, edge, end, entry, +

file, hole, X in, mind, mouth, part, portion, X (should)

say(-ing), sentence, skirt, sound, speech, X spoken, talk,

tenor, X to, + two-edged, wish, word.

see HEBREW for 06284

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פֶּה (peh) — lip.

: lip/mouth

peh

1) mouth

1a) mouth (of man)

1b) mouth (as organ of speech)

1c) mouth (of animals)

1d) mouth, opening, orifice (of a well, river, etc)

1e) extremity, end pim

2) a weight equal to one third of a shekel, occurs only in 1Sa 13:21

פֶּה (peh) — lip: edge.

: edge

peh

1) mouth

1a) mouth (of man)

1b) mouth (as organ of speech)

1c) mouth (of animals)

1d) mouth, opening, orifice (of a well, river, etc)

1e) extremity, end pim

2) a weight equal to one third of a shekel, occurs only in 1Sa 13:21

פֶּה (peh) — lip: word.

: word/command

peh

1) mouth

1a) mouth (of man)

1b) mouth (as organ of speech)

1c) mouth (of animals)

1d) mouth, opening, orifice (of a well, river, etc)

1e) extremity, end pim

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp2ms
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

Everything we make is available for free because of a generous community of supporters.

Donate