Meaning of Numbers: The Number 119
The possible meaning of the number 119 is derived from the Psalms and the use of certain words in Scripture.
Nahor, the grandfather of Abraham, had his firstborn son Terah (Abraham's father) at the age of twenty-nine (Genesis 11:24). After his first son was born he lived another 119 years to the ripe old age of 148 (verse 25).
The 1702 A.D. version of the King James Bible could be jokingly referred to as the "persecuting printers" edition. This is because the first part of verse 161 of Psalm 119 erroneously states, "Printers have persecuted me without a cause." The word "printers" should be replaced by "princes!"
Number One Hundred Nineteen and Creation
The Hebrew word periy (Strong's #H6529) is found 119 times in 107 Hebrew Old Testament verses. It is found the most in Deuteronomy (21 times) followed by the Psalms, Jeremiah and Ezekiel with 11 each. The word is always translated as "fruit" in the King James. It first appears on the third day of "creation week" when God recreated the earth (see Genesis 1:1 - 2).
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit (periy) tree yielding fruit (periy) after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so (Genesis 1:11, KJV).
The Hebrew word bush, Strong's #H954, is recorded 119 times in 107 Hebrew Old Testament verses. It is written the most in the Psalms (34 times) followed by Jeremiah (28 times) and Isaiah (22). The word is used to describe Adam and Eve's feelings toward their nakedness before sin enters the picture. The word is sometimes translated as "confounded" in the King James but the majority of the time it is "ashamed" as in Genesis 2.
And they (Adam and Eve) were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (bush, Genesis 2:25, KJV).
Number 119 and the Psalms
Psalm 119, written by King David from 1010 to 970 B.C., is divided into twenty-two sections that begin with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first section, Aleph in the KJV, goes from verse 1 to 8. The second, Beth, runs from verse 9 to 16 and so on. Each of the 22 sections contains 8 verses for 176 total for the chapter.
The first four verses of Psalm 119 set the tone for the entire chapter. They extol the virtue of those who obey God's law (His commandments and judgments) and who walk in his ways with their whole heart.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep His testimonies and who seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently (verses 1 to 4 of Psalm 119, HBFV).
The other key verses of Psalm 119 are the following.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept Your word. You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes . . . Unless Your law had been my delight, then I should have perished in my affliction (verses 67 - 68, 92).
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path . . . Great peace have those who love Your law, and there is no stumbling block for them (verses 105, 165, HBFV).
Psalm 119 is the biggest chapter in the Bible with a whopping 176 verses and 2,438 words. The next largest chapter, Numbers 7, has 89 verses and 1,938 words.
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 119
The Greek thanatos (Strong's #G2288) is recorded 119 times in 106 Greek New Testament verses. It is utilized the most in the book of Romans (22 times) followed by Revelation (19) and Hebrews (10). It is always, in the King James, translated as "death." Two of the most well known uses of the word are in Romans 6.
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death (thanatos): that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4, KJV).
For the wages of sin is death (thanatos); but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23, KJV).
The English word "salvation" occurs 119 times in 115 King James Old Testament verses. It is recorded the most in the Psalms (63) followed by Isaiah (28). Its first Biblical use is when the patriarch Jacob, on his deathbed, is blessing his sons.
I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord (Genesis 49:18).
119 is the product of 7 x 17. Both 7 and 17 are prime numbers.
119 is also the sum of two sets of five consecutive primes. These are 17 + 19 + 23 + 29 + 31 and 7 + 11 + 13 + 17 + 19 + 23 + 29.
The English word "wickedness" appears 127 times in 119 King James translation verses. It is recorded the most in Jeremiah (22 times) followed by the Psalms (14) and then both Proverbs and Ezekiel (11 times each). Surprisingly, only 9 of the 119 verses containing the word occur in the New Testament. Its first use offers the primary reason why the Lord killed at least 3 billion people on earth with a flood!
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart (Genesis 6:5 - 6, KJV).