Psalms 119:9 (KJV)

What does Psalms 119:9 mean?

Psalms 119:9 asks how a young person can keep a way of life clean and answers: by paying attention to what God has said. The verse treats a clean way as a matter of conduct shaped by God’s word.

The speaker addresses God as “thy,” turning the question into part of a prayer. “Way” pictures the course of a person’s life as a path, and “cleanse” describes that course in terms of purity rather than physical washing.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 119:9

• “cleanse” — זָכָה (zakhah): This word carries the sense of being clean or pure. Here, it describes the young person’s way of life rather than the washing of a body or object.
• “heed” — שָׁמַר (shamar): This word can mean to guard, watch over, or keep. Its use suggests careful attention, as though watching over a path to keep it in good order.

Why Psalms 119:9 matters

• The verse gives its own answer to its opening question. “Wherewithal” means “by what means,” and the answer points to attention “according to thy word.”
• The word “BETH” marks the start of a new section of the psalm. In the Hebrew text, each verse in this section, verses 9–16, begins with the Hebrew letter beth.
• The question focuses on a “young man,” giving the psalm’s concern with conduct a particular person and stage of life. The wording puts the question in personal terms rather than speaking only about a whole community.