I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.

PSALMS 119:163KJV
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Psalms 119:163 (KJV)

What does Psalms 119:163 mean?

Psalms 119:163 expresses a strong rejection of lying and a deep affection for God’s law. The writer declares that he hates and utterly despises falsehood, but he loves the instruction and guidance found in God’s teachings.

The verse is spoken by the psalmist, traditionally understood to be someone devoted to God, expressing personal values in prayer or meditation. This statement comes in the context of Psalm 119, a long poem where the writer repeatedly contrasts love for God’s commands with rejection of evil. The verse highlights the psalmist’s clear moral stance: truthfulness and devotion to God’s ways are central to his life.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 119:163

  • "hate" (שָׂנֵא, sane): This word means to have a strong aversion or intense dislike. The psalmist is not indifferent to lying; he is firmly opposed to it.
  • "abhor" (תָּעַב, taʿav): This word adds even more intensity, suggesting deep loathing or disgust. The psalmist’s reaction to lying is not just negative but deeply emotional.
  • "lying" (שֶׁקֶר, sheqer): This word refers to falsehood, deception, or anything untrue. The psalmist singles out dishonesty as something especially detestable.
  • "law" (תּוֹרָה, torah): This word means instruction, teaching, or law. The psalmist’s love is not just for rules but for God’s guidance as a whole.
  • "love" (אָהַב, ahev): This word means to have deep affection or delight. The psalmist’s feelings for God’s law are warm and wholehearted, not just dutiful.

Why Psalms 119:163 matters

  • The verse clarifies that the psalmist’s love for God’s law is not just about following rules but is tied to a deep moral conviction against dishonesty.
  • The strong language for both hate and love shows that the writer’s values are not lukewarm; he is passionate about both rejecting falsehood and embracing God’s guidance.
  • In the wider context of Psalm 119, this verse helps show that devotion to God’s word shapes the psalmist’s entire outlook on right and wrong, not just religious observance.

Where else these words appear

“abhor” Hebrew H8581 · used in 20 verses

  • Deuteronomy 7:26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
  • Job 19:19 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.
  • Psalms 107:18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

“lying” Hebrew H8267 · used in 109 verses

  • Exodus 5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
  • Psalms 144:11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
  • Jeremiah 8:8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

“hate” Hebrew H8130 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
  • Esther 9:1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them,(though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
  • Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: