One of the eight words Psalm 119 uses for HaShem's instruction. Not regulations but testimony, the Torah as HaShem bearing witness about who He is.
The full definition
Edut comes from the root ud, to bear witness, to testify, to say a thing solemnly and stake yourself on it. English gives it as "testimonies" in KJV, and elsewhere flattens it toward "statutes" or "decrees." The moment it becomes a synonym for regulation, the point is gone.
An edut is evidence given by a witness. When the Torah is called HaShem's edut, the claim being made is that these words are His own testimony about Himself: what He loves, what He hates, how He deals with His people. The tablets in the ark are the edut (Exodus 25:16), and the ark itself is named for them.
So when David prays "incline my heart to your edut" (Psalm 119:36), he is not asking to be made fonder of rules. He is asking to be bent toward the testimony of a Person.
Key passages
- Psalm 119:14
- Psalm 119:36
- Exodus 25:16
- Exodus 31:18