HEBREW WORD STUDY – BECAUSE – KI כי Kap Yod

Psalms 119:32: “I will run the way of your commandments when you shall enlarge my heart.”

From my first reading of this verse, it would appear that David will follow God’s commandments only if God enlarges his heart. Is this just a poetic expression or is David really striking a bargain with God to get a larger heart? Why would he want a larger heart?

The word for enlarge in Hebrew is rachav which really means an enlargement of understanding. The word when is ki which could be read as because which is the most common rendering. It would seem that the translators render ki as when because the word rachav is in a Hiphal imperfect (causative incompleted action) form and to express ki as because you would really need to put that verb in a perfect (completed action) form. In other words, it would be more proper to say “when you shall enlarge the understanding of my heart” rather than “when you have already enlarged the understanding of my heart.” To say “because you will enlarge the understanding of my heart” in English would suggest more confidence in an act being done that if you say “when.” Yet, David seems to live a life where his heart is very close to the heart of God and he is very confident in what God is doing in His life. I would suggest we stay with the original intent of the word ki and render this as: “because you will enlarge the understanding of my heart.”

Now if the word enlarge means to enlarge in understanding, then this would suggest David is going to keep the way of God’s commandments whether he understands the reasoning behind them or not because he knows at some later date it will all make sense. For instance, the commandments to wash one’s hands before eating, and wash his dishes with hot water after eating is a good example. They had no concept of microbes in those days; they just did these things ceremonially because God commanded it. “Why is God making us do these crazy things?” “Don’t ask, just do, God commanded we do it and that is good enough.” It was so good that during the 15^th Century when the Bubonic Plague swept through Europe the Jews were unaffected. Yet, they were not affected because they followed the sanitary laws of Torah. I mean the very idea of a world of microscopic life that you cannot see with the naked eye and have the ability to harm you seemed like science fiction to the ancient mind but is common knowledge to the modern man who, through technology can see this invisible world.

Even today there are many things God commands us to do that we just do not understand but since the Bible forbids it we will not do it. For instance, what is the big deal of not working on the Sabbath day? I can see we need a day of rest but I mean we have to do some type of work. At my age just getting up in the morning and taking a shower is work. Yet, the Bible does clearly teach that it is wrong to work on the Sabbath and although I do not understand the mind of God, like David, if the Bible says it, I will believe it and obey it and let my conscience dictate what is work and what is not. One day God will rachav (enlarge the understanding) my heart and it will make sense. I don’t know or understand how and when life is conceived but I do know if there is a human life inside a womb and the Bible teaches that to destroy human life is murder whether in the womb or not then I will stand against it whether I understand it or not. Call me a fanatic if you wish but I am in good company with David who was willing to trust and believe God whether he fully understood what God had in mind. He knew one day he would understand.

David’s own son, Solomon, the wisest man on earth said: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understandings” Proverbs 3:5-6. Even the wisest man who ever lived faced things beyond his own understanding but realized he must trust God anyways believing one day God would rachav (enlarge the understanding) of his heart.

I don’t understand why I face certain physical afflictions, why my financial situation is not blessed like others, why my relationships do not run as smoothly as others and on and on. There is so much in my life that I do not understand. Some people say I am a smart guy, that I can figure things out. But you know what, there are many things I cannot figure out, things I just do not understand. But like David, I have no doubt in my mind that one day I will understand. For me it is not when, but because He is one day going to enlarge the understanding of my heart. With that firm confidence, I will follow his Word as He reveals it to me through the Holy Spirit and not question why. Jesus and I have an appointment 100 years from now to sit on a park bench in heaven and then He will explain it all to me. But until that time, I plan to live as if I already have all the answers and fully understand the big “why?” Because (ki) one day I will.