Psalm 119:140 NKJV

140 

Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.

Loving the Word That Purifies

My Notes

Scripture: “Your word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it.” — Psalm 119:140 (NKJV)

David’s declaration is simple yet profound. He doesn’t merely say that God’s Word is good or helpful—he says it is very pure. The Hebrew word used here conveys the idea of something refined, like silver purified in a furnace (Psalm 12:6). It is free from error, free from corruption, and full of holy truth.

This purity is not just doctrinal—it is moral and spiritual. God’s Word is pure in its origin (from a holy God), pure in its purpose (to sanctify and save), and pure in its effect (to cleanse and transform). It is not merely a purified thing—it is a purifying force. As Jesus said, “Now you are clean through the word I have spoken to you” (John 15:3).

David’s love for the Word flows from this purity. He is not drawn to it for entertainment, nor for intellectual stimulation alone. He loves it because it reflects the holiness of God and invites him into that holiness. The Word is the servant’s delight because it reveals the Master’s will, character, and grace.

As a reminder, W. Graham, in “A Commentary on the First Epistle of John,” 1857, said: let’s look at some of the Scripture adjectives related to “the word.” It bears manifold relations to God and our souls. It’s called “the word of Christ” because much of it was given by him and bears testimony to him. It’s called “the word of his grace” because it loves to expound on grace, especially Christ Jesus’ dying love for sinful men. It’s called “ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ “the word of the cross” because it shows eternal mercy in Christ’s crucifixion. It’s called “the word of the gospel” because it brings good news of great joy to all nations. It’s called “the word of the kingdom” because it holds out hope of an everlasting kingdom of righteousness and peace. It’s called “the word of salvation” because its purpose is the salvation of sinners. It’s called “the word of truth” because it has God as its author, salvation as its end, and truth without error. Finally, it’s called “the word of life” because it reveals the doctrines of life and immortality to a sinful, perishing world.

To love the Word for its purity is to love God for His holiness. It is a mark of a sanctified heart—a heart that longs not just to know truth, but to be shaped by it. Worldly minds resist the Word because it confronts impurity. But the servant of God embraces it, knowing that its rebuke is a gift, its correction a grace, and its purity a path to transformation.

Cross-References

Scripture	NKJV
Psalm 12:6	“The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.”
John 15:3	“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”
Psalm 119:97	“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”
James 1:18	“Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
Philippians 2:16	“holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”

Time to Reflect

1. What does it mean to me that God’s Word is “very pure”? How have I experienced its cleansing power?

2. Do I love the Word for its purity—or do I sometimes resist its correction?

3. How does my love for Scripture reflect my love for God Himself?

4. In what ways can I grow in loving and living out the purity of God’s Word this week?

Prayer

Abba, Your Word is very pure—refined, magnificent, and righteous. I thank You for its truth, its grace, and its power to cleanse. Let my heart be drawn to Your Word not only for knowledge, but for transformation. Teach me to love it for its purity, to delight in its holiness, and to submit to its refining work. May I be shaped by Your Word and devoted to Your will. Let my love for Scripture reflect my love for You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Proverb for Today

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:26-27 NKJV

Summary of Commentaries:

Psalm 119:140 magnifies the purity of God’s Word and the deep love it evokes in the heart of His servant. Commentators describe Scripture as truth distilled, refined like silver, and free from error or corruption. It is not only pure—it purifies. Its holiness, clarity, and transformative power draw the believer into deeper love and obedience. The Word is called by many names—Word of Christ, grace, truth, life, and salvation—each reflecting its divine origin and purpose. David’s love for the Word stems from its purity, showing that a sanctified heart delights in God’s truth and longs to be shaped by its refining influence.

NOTE: Psalm 119 has 22 sections to which each section is represented by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Today, we’re looking at verse 140, which is in the 18th section, which is called “TSADDE צ ”. The website https://hebrewtoday.com/alphabet/the-letter-tzadi-%D7%A6/ has this to say about the letter “TSADDE צ ”: A person who safeguards and protects his eyes from evil things and protects his mouth and speech from saying bad things, will be a tzadi(k), righteous individual. In Jewish tradition, the number 18 represents life because of the word חַי (chai), life, which has a numerical value of 18 (8+10). One who safeguards himself and uses his limbs and body properly will be a righteous person (tzadik) and live a long life.

……..Bill

Commentaries:

Charles Spurgeon

“Thy word is very pure.” It is truth distilled, holiness in its quintessence. In the word of God, there is no admixture of error or sin. It is pure in its sense, pure in its language, pure in its spirit, pure in its influence, and all this to the very highest degree—“very pure.”

“Therefore thy servant loveth it,” which is a proof that he himself was pure in heart, for only those who are pure love God’s word because of its purity. His heart was knit to the word because of its glorious holiness and truth. He admired it, delighted in it, sought to practice it, and longed to come under its purifying power.

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Enduring Word

Your word is very pure, therefore your servant loves it. The Bible gives us almost unending reasons to love the word of God and the God who gave it to us.

· It is the word of the LORD (Genesis 15:1).

· It is the word of God (Luke 8:11).

· It is the word of the kingdom (Matthew 13:19).

· It is the word of salvation (Acts 13:26).

· It is the word of grace (Acts 14:3).

· It is the word of the gospel (Acts 15:7).

· It is the word of faith (Romans 10:8).

· It is the word of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18).

· It is the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19).

· It is the word of truth (2 Corinthians 6:7).

· It is the word of life (Philippians 2:16).

· It is the word of Christ (Colossians 3:16).

· It is the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).

(David Guzik)

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John Gill

Thy word is very pure,…. Or, “exceedingly purified”: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times, Psalm 12:6; free from all drossy matter; from any mixtures, or the corruptions and doctrines of men; and which tends and leads to purity of heart and life;

Therefore thy servant loveth it; that which carnal men hate the word of God for, because it forbids and condemns all impurity of flesh and spirit, all impure thoughts, words, and actions; that a good man loves it for, and which is an evidence of a sanctified heart.

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Matthew Henry

David’s great affection for the word of God: Thy servant loves it. Every good man, being a servant of God, loves the word of God, because it lets him know his Master’s will and directs him in his Master’s work. Wherever there is grace there is a warm attachment to the word of God.

The ground and reason of that affection; he saw it to be very pure, and therefore he loved it. Our love for the word of God is then an evidence of our love for God when we love it for the sake of its purity, because it bears the image of God’s holiness and is designed to make us partakers of his holiness. It commands purity, and, as it is itself refined from all corrupt mixture, so if we receive it in the light and love of it, it will refine us from the dross of worldliness and fleshly-mindedness.

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Adam Clarke

Thy word is very pure — צרופה tseruphah, it is purification. It is not a purified thing, but a thing that purifies. “Now ye are clean,” said Christ, “by the word I have spoken unto you.” God’s word is a fire to purify as well as a hammer to break.

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Miscellaneous Comments

“Thy word is very pure.” In the original, “tried, purified, like gold in the furnace,” absolutely perfect, without the dross vanity and fallibility, which runs through human writings. The more we try the promises, the surer we shall find them. Pure gold is so fixed, Boerhaave informs us of an ounce of it set in the eye of a glass furnace for two months, without losing a single grain.

—George Horne.

“Thy word is very pure; therefore,” etc. The word of God is not only “pure,” free from all base admixture, but it is a purifier; it cleanses from sin and guilt every heart with which into comes into contact. “Now ye are clean,” said Jesus Christ to his disciples, “by the word which I have spoken unto you:” John 15:3. It is this, its pure quality combined with its tendency to purify every nature that yields to its holy influence, that endears it to every child of God. Here it is that he finds those views of the divine character, those promises, those precepts, those representations of the deformity of sin, of the beauty of holiness, which lead him, above all things, to seek conformity to the divine image. A child of God in his best moments does not wish the word of God brought down to a level with his own imperfect character, but desires rather that his character may be gradually raised to a conformity to that blessed word. Because it is altogether pure, and because it tends to convey to those who make it their constant study a measure of its own purity, the child of God loves it and delights to meditate in it day and night.

—John Morison.

“Thy word.” Let us refresh our minds and our memories with some of the Scripture adjuncts connected with “the word,” and realize, in some degree at least, the manifold relations which it bears both to God and our souls. It is called “the word of Christ,” because much of it was given by him, and it all bears testimony to him…It is called “the word of his grace,” because the glorious theme on which it loves to expatiate is grace, and especially grace as it is seen in Christ’s dying love for sinful men. It is called ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ “the word of the cross” (1Co 1:18), because in the crucifixion of the divine Redeemer, we see eternal mercy in its brightest luster. It is called “the word of the gospel,” because it brings glad tidings of great joy to all nations. It is called “the word of the kingdom,” because it holds out to all believers the hope of an everlasting kingdom of righteousness and peace. It is called “the word of salvation,” because the purpose for which it was given is the salvation of sinners. It is called “the word of truth,” because, as Chillingworth says, it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without mixture of error for its contents. And we will only add, it is called “the word of life,” because it reveals to a sinful, perishing world the doctrines of life and immortality.

—W. Graham, in “A Commentary on the First Epistle of John,” 1857.

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Additional Cross-References

Psalm 12:6 (KJV)

⁶  The words of the Lord are pure words:

As silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

 

Psalm 18:30 (KJV)

³⁰  As for God, his way is perfect:

The word of the Lord is tried:

He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

 

Proverbs 30:5 (KJV)

⁵  Every word of God is pure:

He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

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TSADDE צ – The Purity and Truth of God’s word

137 

Righteous are You, O Lord,
And upright are Your judgments.

138 

Your testimonies, which You have commanded,
Are righteous and very faithful.

139 

My zeal has consumed me,
Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.

140 

Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.

141 

I am small and despised,
Yet I do not forget Your precepts.

142 

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth.

143 

Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,
Yet Your commandments are my delights.

144 

The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;
Give me understanding, and I shall live.

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Posted on 10/14/2025 by Bill Stephens

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