Psalms 119:36
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to covetousness.
American King James Version (AKJV)
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to covetousness.
American Standard Version (ASV)
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, And not to covetousness.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
Let my heart be turned to your unchanging word, and not to evil desire.
Webster's Revision
Incline my heart to thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
World English Bible
Turn my heart toward your statutes, not toward selfish gain.
English Revised Version (ERV)
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
Clarke's Psalms 119:36 Bible Commentary
Not to covetousness - Let me have no inordinate love for gain of any kind, nor for any thing that may grieve thy Spirit, or induce me to seek my happiness here below.
Barnes's Psalms 119:36 Bible Commentary
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies - Cause my heart to be inclined to them, or to be disposed to keep them. This, too, is a recognition of dependence, and a prayer for guidance.
And not to covetousness - To gain; to the love of money. This seems to be referred to here as the principal thing which would turn away the heart from religion, or as that from which the most danger was to be feared. There are undoubtedly many other things which will do this - for all sin will do it; but this was the chief danger which the psalmist apprehended in his own case, and perhaps he meant to refer to this as the principal danger on this subject which besets the path of man. There are manymore persons turned away from the service of God, and kept away from it, by covetousness than there are by any other one sin. When the psalmist prays that God would not "incline" his heart to covetousness, the language is similar to that in the Lord's prayer - "And lead us not into temptation." That is, Restrain us from it; let us not be put in circumstances where we shall be in danger of it. We are not to suppose that God exerts any positive influence either to make a man covetous, or to tempt him. See James 1:13-14.
Wesley's Psalms 119:36 Bible Commentary
119:36 Covetousness — He mentions this in particular, because it is most opposite to God's testimonies, and does most commonly hinder men from receiving his word, and from profiting by it: and because it is most pernicious, as being the root of all evil.