Full Question:
Psalm 138:8 says, “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me…” Please explain God’s picture of “will perfect” and the “dots” around the Hebrew word.
Short Answer: What does “The Lord will perfect” mean in Psa. 138:8?
First, the dots are vowel markings and accents, the purpose of which was to standardize pronunciation. They help us know how to say the word but they do not change God’s picture of the word, so we focus instead on the letters, which were originally drawn as pictures.
As far as the picture of “will perfect,” it is from the Hebrew word gamar גָּמַר (S:1584), which includes three letters: gimel, mem, and resh (from right to left). S:1584 is translated in our Bible as perfect, come to an end, and perform. In the actual text of this verse, there is a yod before the word as well but we’re going to focus on the main three letters.
We want to look at the word / picture in the context of the verse. It reads: “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” It is not saying God will perfect the things that concern me, but it’s saying God will perfect that which concerneth me or is relative to me, that which is assigned to my life, that which is connected to God’s purpose for me. But what does perfect mean?
The first two letters (gimel and mem) spell the word gam (S:1571) which is defined as to gather, properly assemblage. The last letter, resh, was originally a picture of a man’s head or a man. All together, the picture of God perfecting is about Him gathering and assembling (gam) everything concerning the man (resh). We can compare it to legos. God will assemble, gather, put together (like lego pieces) everything that is needed for His assignment, purpose, and will for my life – He will perfect that which concerneth me! His plan for my life and that which concerneth me is the work of His own hands.
Him assembling it all is just like how He works ALL things together for good to them that love Him and are the called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). He’ll get together all the pieces and will perfect that which concerneth us.
