Psalm 119 again

Selected recurring words - Psalm 119 words recurring between 11 and 20 times Word  1 2 3 4 5 Vs Root דרך the way ░ 1 דרך בדרכיו in his ways ░ 3 דרך דרכי my ways ░ 5 דרך בלמדי when I learn ░ 7 למד למדני teach me ░ 12 למד בדרך by the way of ░ 14 דרך עבדך your servant ░ 17 עבד אחיה I will live ░ 17 חיה עבדך your servant ░ 23 עבד חיני give me life ░ 25 חיה דרכי my ways ░ 26 דרך למדני teach me ░ 26 למד דרך direct in the way of ░ 27 דרך דרך way ░ 29 דרך דרך a way of ░ 30 דרך דרך directed by ░ 32 דרך דרך the way of ░ 33 דרך הדריכני have me go ░ 35 דרך בדרכך in your way ░ 37 דרך חיני give me life ░ 37 חיה לעבדך to your servant ░ 38 עבד חיני give me life ░ 40 חיה אהבתי I have loved ░ 47 אהב אהבתי I have loved ░ 48 אהב לעבדך to your servant ░ 49 עבד חיתני gives me life ░ 50 חיה דרכי my ways ░ 59 דרך למדני you will teach me ░ 64 למד עבדך your servant ░ 65 עבד למדני teach me ░ 66 למד למדני teach me ░ 68 למד אלמד I will learn ░ 71 למד ואלמדה and I will teach ░ 73 למד לעבדך to your servant ░ 76 עבד ואחיה and I will live ░ 77 חיה עבדך your servant ░ 84 עבד חיני give me life ░ 88 חיה עבדיך your servants ░ 91 עבד חייתני you have made me live ░ 93 חיה אהבתי I love ░ 97 אהב מלמדי my teachers ░ 99 למד חיני give me life ░ 107 חיה למדני teach me ░ 108 למד אהבתי I have loved ░ 113 אהב ואחיה so I will live ░ 116 חיה אהבתי I have loved ░ 119 אהב עבדך your servant ░ 122 עבד עבדך your servant ░ 124 עבד למדני teach me ░ 124 למד עבדך your servant ░ 125 עבד אהבתי I have loved ░ 127 אהב לאהבי to those who love ░ 132 אהב בעבדך on your servant ░ 135 עבד ולמדני and teach me ░ 135 למד ועבדך and your servant ░ 140 עבד אהבה loves it ░ 140 אהב ואחיה and I will live ░ 144 חיה חיני give me life ░ 149 חיה חיני give me life ░ 154 חיה חיני give me life ░ 156 חיה אהבתי I love ░ 159 אהב חיני give me life ░ 159 חיה אהבתי I love ░ 163 אהב לאהבי to those who love ░ 165 אהב ואהבם and I love them ░ 167 אהב דרכי my ways ░ 168 דרך תלמדני you have taught me ░ 171 למד תחי to live let ░ 175 חיה עבדך your servant ░ 176 עבד

Time it was for me to reread Psalm 119. I recall thinking when I was young that this Psalm is long and boring. If we fail to see the game it will be boring. But it is adoration and even that might be sufficient without the game. And it is also game - a 22 x 8 alphabetic acrostic. It reads well. As I read I was somewhat unaware of each of the major recurring words - the eight synonyms in this adoration of the Torah of HaShem: Psalm 119 - the eight synonyms instruction תורה testimony עדה command צוה precept פקד statute חק judgment שׁפט word דבר promise אמר All these have appeared by verse 11 and they continue with regular density till verse 176. There are also words that recur for the first time in the Psalter in this psalm from take note נבט in the first 3 parts to oppress עשׁק in parts 16 and 17, but this time as I read through I thought I noted another pattern. The pattern appears in selected words used between 11 and 20 times in this long poem. I have excluded heart and righteousness in this list. The remaining 5 words are in the table - do they reveal some organization in the mind of the poet? I note first that way recurs heavily at the beginning, in the first 40 verses.  The plea for life begins in verse 17 in Parts 3, 4, and 5 (twice). Parts 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, and 19 have it once each. Then there is an increase in usage in part 20 (three times) with a final mention in part 22. Learning / teaching is the third word and the last of these five words is love. One could imagine then that the poem, more than adoration, is also a plea for learning for the servant, that the servant might live and love.