This is the last of six Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) that are recited in synagogues at various Jewish holiday (such as Passover.) Unlike the previous, this psalm does not begin or end with Hallelujah but with hō·w·ḏū, from yadah, meaning "acclaim!" or "give thanks!" This psalm most likely was sung in a festal procession, with different singers singing different parts. In some places, there is a natural call and response.
Psalm 118:1, Give thanks!
Give thanks to the LORD,
for he is good;
his love endures forever.
The psalm opens with an announcement that sets this as a thanksgiving song. God's love (hesed) endures for ever. This stanza also appears in Jeremiah 33:11.
Psalm 118:2-4, His love endures forever
Let Israel say: "His love endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say: "His love endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever."
These three lines may be a call-response, intended for different groups in the audience. If so, it is possible that the last line might include Gentile converts.
Psalm 118:5-6, Set free
In my anguish I cried to the LORD,
and he answered by setting me free.
The LORD is with me;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
"A single voice takes over from the rest," says Kidner. This single singer repeats his confidence in God. Is he a priest or a king, leading the procession to the temple?
The exclamation, "God is with me, so what can man do to me!?" appears in Psalm 56:11. In the New Testament a version appears in Hebrews 13:6 and is the underlying message of Romans 8.
Psalm 118:7-9, Take refuge in YHWH
The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
I will look in triumph on my enemies.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
The singer, whether a national leader or an individual, thanks YHWH for victory over his enemies. He knows not to trust in men or even princes, but to take refuge in YHWH.
Psalm 118:10-12, I cut them off
All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of theLORD I cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees,
but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
Three verses build on the victory given the singer. Eahc verse ends with a triumphant claim that, in YHWH's name, the singer was victorious. The first two verses have two lines (two stichs) each; the final climactic line is three stichs, describing a supposedly overwhelming force that quickly collapsed.
Psalm 118:13-14, About to fall
I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
The psalmist rejoices at God's help as he started to fall and affirms his salvation in YHWH. Verse 14 repeats two lines from the Song of the Sea (see the first part of Exodus 15:2.)
Psalm 118:15-16, YHWH's right hand
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:
"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"
God is praised as having a powerful "right hand." We continue to hear echoes of the Song of the Sea; see Exodus 15:6.
Psalm 118:17-18, I will not die!
I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
Here the near defeat is described as a chastening.
Psalm 118:19-20, Open the gates!
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD
through which the righteous may enter.
The singer looks to enter the courts of righteousness. If this is a festal procession, the gates being opened may be literal, that is, the gates of the temple. Kidner sees in these two verses a challenge ("Open the gates!") and a response ("Through this gate the righteous enter.")
Psalm 118:21, My salvation
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
The singer repeats the theme of the song, his reliance on God as his salvation.
Psalm 118:22-23, A capstone
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The singer, probably looking at the gorgeous temple, praises God for building something marvelous out of a rejected capstone. Presumably the singer sees himself (or the community) as something made beautiful even though originally rejected. Kidner wonders if, in this case, is is suggested that the singer's enemies have been the pillars of the community.
Verse 22 is quoted in the New Testament in Romans 9:33 and 1 Peter 2:6, Matthew 21:42, and Acts 4:11. It echoes Isaiah 8:14 and Isaiah 28:16. Despite the numerous references, it is not clear whether the stone is a foundational stone at the base of a building, getting it started, or a capstone, completing the building.
Psalm 118:24, Rejoice in the day!
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The singer, after noting the marvelous temple building, is excited, rejoicing in the glorious day given by YHWH
Psalm 118:25-27, To the horns of the altar
O LORD, save us;
O LORD, grant us success.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
Verse 25 echoes verse 21. As the procession approaches the altar, the people once again call on YHWH to give them both success and salvation. The song has suggested that this is a festal procession; now that is explicitly mentioned. The horns of the altar were most likely symbols of strength set at the corners of the altar.
There is some confusion as to the meaning of the Hebrew word aboth, translated here "boughs." It could also mean "cords", that is, ropes used to tie a sacrificial animal to the altar. But it can also mean "wreath" or "foliage." It is possible (Kidner, p. 416) that the "boughs" (or branches) offered in this procession, as the king arrives at the temple, explain the palm branches laid before Messiah Jesus as he entered Jerusalem during Passover week. (See, for example, John 12:12-13.)
Psalm 118:26-27, Thanks and exaltation
You are my God, and I will give you thanks;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
In this synonymous parallelism, God is first called ’ê·lî (el) and then ĕ·lō·hāy (elohim), both general words for "God".
Psalm 118:29, Yadah! Acclaim!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
The psalm ends as it began, with verse 29 repeating verse 1.
First published October 27, 2025; updated October 27, 2025
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