John Calvin Commentary Psalms 19:10

"More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb." — Psalms 19:10 (ASV)

More to be desired are they than gold. The Psalmist now exalts the law of God both for its value and its sweetness. This commendation depends on the commendations given in the preceding verses, for the many and great advantages which he has just enumerated should rightly lead us to consider heavenly truth as the highest and most excellent treasure, and to despise all the gold and silver of the world when compared with it.

Instead of the term fine gold, which the Latins called Aurum obryzum, some render the Hebrew word as a jewel, or precious stones. However, the other translation is more generally accepted, namely, fine gold,—that is, gold which is pure and well refined in the furnace. Many passages of Scripture also confirm this rendering.

The Hebrew word פז, paz, is derived from פזה, pazah, which signifies to strengthen; from this, we may conjecture that the Psalmist does not mean the gold of any particular country (as if one were to say the gold of Ophir), but rather gold completely refined and purified by skill.

So far is פז, paz, from being derived from the name of a country that, on the contrary, it appears from Jeremiah 10:9 that the land of Uphaz took its name from this Hebrew word because it had mines of the finest gold.

Regarding the origin of the word obrizum, which the Latins used, we cannot say anything with certainty, except that, according to Jerome’s conjecture, it signifies brought from the land of Ophir, as if it were said, aurum Ophrizum.

In short, the meaning is that we do not esteem the law as it deserves if we do not prefer it to all the riches of the world.

If we are once brought to prize the law so highly, it will effectively serve to deliver our hearts from an immoderate desire for gold and silver.

To this esteem for the law must be added love for it and delight in it, so that it may not only subdue us to obedience by constraint but also allure us by its sweetness. This is impossible, however, unless we have, at the same time, mortified in ourselves the love of carnal pleasures. Indeed, it is not surprising that we are enticed and ensnared by such pleasures as long as we reject the righteousness of God through a corrupted taste.

From this, we may again deduce further evidence that David’s discourse is not to be understood merely concerning the commandments and the dead letter, but that he also comprehends the promises by which the grace of God is offered to us.

If the law did nothing else but command us, how could it be loved, since in commanding it terrifies us because we all fail to keep it? Certainly, if we separate the law from the hope of pardon and from the Spirit of Christ, far from tasting it as sweet as honey, we will instead find in it a bitterness that kills our wretched souls.