“The Sum Of Thy Word Is Truth”
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesA querist asks, “I’ve been reading from the American Standard Version of 1901. Would you please comment on Psalm 119:160 ASV, focusing on the word ‘sum'”?
In Psalm 119:160 ASV, the text states:
“The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever.“
The New King James Version renders the beginning of this verse as:
“The entirety of Your word is truth ….” (Psalm 119:160)
The transliterated Hebrew word “rosh” is frequently used in the Bible as it pertains to the “sum” or “total” elements of a people (it can be used in other ways, depending upon the context). For example, referring to Israel, it denotes the “sum” or totality of the congregation of Israel (cf. Exodus 30:12 ASV; Numbers 1:2 ASV; Numbers 26:2 ASV). Since the congregation was made up of individuals, each individual being a part of the whole or the “sum” or the “total” number of the congregation.
Thus, what the Psalmist is affirming in Psalm 119:160 ASV, is that God’s word is true in all of its individual parts. This confirms what our Lord said of the inspired Word:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'” (Matthew 4:4 – Emphasis mine),
And what the inspired writer, Paul told Timothy in the beginning of 2 Timothy 3:16:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God ,,,,,” (Emphasis mine).
Thus, when we study any portion of the God-inspired text, we must include the “sum” or totality of the Scriptures (see Number 9) in order to come to a logical, harmonious, and trustworthy conclusion as to the correct meaning of the text under study. Any study falling short of this criteria will result in a faulty conclusion.