119:119 You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag. 1
Therefore I love your rules. 2
119:120 My body 3 trembles 4 because I fear you; 5
I am afraid of your judgments.
1 sn Traditionally “dross” (so KJV, ASV, NIV). The metaphor comes from metallurgy; “slag” is the substance left over after the metallic ore has been refined.
2 sn As he explains in the next verse, the psalmist’s fear of judgment motivates him to obey God’s rules.
3 tn Heb “my flesh.”
4 tn The Hebrew verb סָמַר (samar, “to tremble”) occurs only here and in Job 4:15.
5 tn Heb “from fear of you.” The pronominal suffix on the noun is an objective genitive.