Psalm 118, Open the Gates With Praise!

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 (יָדָה), 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. Each 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, 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 (עֲבֹת), 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 November 20, 2028

Psalm 117, Hallelujah All Nations!

This is the fifth of six Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) that are recited in synagogues at various Jewish holiday (such as Passover.) This is the shortest chapter in the Bible, a mere two verses. Thus this blogpost is also short, about 200 words.

Psalm 117:1-2a, All nations

 Praise the LORD, all you nations; 

extol him, all you peoples.

 For great is his love toward us, 

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. 

This very short song focuses on a global vision, calling all nations, Jews or Gentiles, to praise and thankfulness to YHWH for his eternal love and faithfulness to mankind. I am reminded of the New Testament passage, Revelation 7:9-10, that has people of every tongue and tribe worshiping God because of the actions of Messiah Jesus. Indeed, Paul quotes this psalm in Romans 15:11.

The short psalm provides examples of classic parallelism. The two lines of verse 1 repeat the emphasis on the nations praising YHWH while the next two lines build on the character of God as it relates to human beings.

Psalm 117:2b, Hallelujah

Praise the LORD.

This short Hallel psalm ends as it began, with hal·lū yāh (Hallelujah.)

It has been suggested that this short psalm formed a chorus that might have been sung with other songs.

First published October 25, 2025; updated October 25, 2028

Psalm 116, Cords of Death

This is the fourth of six Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) that are recited in synagogues at various Jewish holidays (such as Passover.) There was a partial Hallel that omitted the first 11 verses of Psalms 115 and 116. This praise song is one of personal thanksgiving after a traumatic experience.

Psalm 116:1-2, Turned His ear

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; 

he heard my cry for mercy.

 Because he turned his ear to me, 

I will call on him as long as I live.

The psalmist rejoices that YHWH heard his cry and "turned His ear" to listen. As Alter points out, this is a thanksgiving psalm. Indeed, it will end with a thanksgiving sacrificial offering.

Psalm 116:3-4, Cords of death

 The cords of death entangled me, 

the anguish of the grave came upon me;

 I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the LORD: 

"O LORD, save me!"

The psalmist felt entangled in death, with the grave looming. A similar passage occurs in Psalm 18:3-6. And I am reminded of Jonah's cries of despair as seaweed wrapped around him (Jonah 2.)

Psalm 116:5-7, Gracious and righteous

The LORD is gracious and righteous; 

our God is full of compassion.

 The LORD protects the simple hearted; 

when I was in great need, he saved me.

 Be at rest once more, O my soul, 

for the LORD has been good to you.

The singer describes himself as "simple hearted", that is, humble and without merit. Having been rescued from death, the he recalls God's protection and reassures himself that he can now be in peace. 

Psalm 116:8-11, Crying out

For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, 

my eyes from tears, 

my feet from stumbling,

 that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

 I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted."

 And in my dismay I said, "All men are liars."

Verse 10 begins with a simple statement, "I believed." The object of the trust is not clear but, says Alter, "is in all likelihood God." In the New Testament, Paul quotes the Septuagint version of verse 10 in 2 Corinthians 4:13. The cry of pain is made in desperation, the faith is in the cry.

In panic, the disillusioned psalmist declares that "All men are liars." Unlike Jonah's traumatic experience with drowning, here the death experience seems to have been caused by human enemies.

According to Kidner, the Greek Septuagint and later Latin Vulgate manuscripts break this psalm into two pieces, with the break at verse 10 while some ancient Hebrew manuscripts have a break at verse 11. The partial Hallel recites all six Hallel psalms (113-118) but leaves out the first 11 verses of this psalm and the previous one.

As Kidner points out, this psalm was set in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer for the mother after the safe delivery of a child. See page 191 in the pdf document here.

Psalm 116:12-15, Lifting up the cup of salvation

 How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?

 I will lift up the cup of salvation 

and call on the name of the LORD.

 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD 

in the presence of all his people.

 Precious in the sight of the LORD

 is the death of his saints.

Although the songwriter cannot fully repay God's goodness, he can make public offerings and fulfill his vows of thanksgiving. 

The last verse seems to admit that the death of the psalmist is a possibility, but that the death of the righteous person is treated seriously by God.

Psalm 116:16, Son of a maidservant

 O LORD, truly I am your servant; 

I am your servant, 

the son of your maidservant; 

you have freed me from my chains.

A declaration of submission is made -- the psalmist is a servant, indeed the son of a servant, and rejoices at his new freedom.

Psalm 116:17-19, Vows to be completed in the temple courts

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you 

and call on the name of the LORD.

 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD 

in the presence of all his people,

 in the courts of the house of the LORD-- 

in your midst, O Jerusalem. 

Three lines of verses 13 and 14 are repeated here, as a statement of commitment. These vows and sacrifices will be made in public, before the people.

This psalm is a thanksgiving psalm, ending with a thanksgiving offering in the temple.

Psalm 116:19b, Hallelujah

Praise the LORD. 

This Hallel psalm ends as it began, with hal·lū yāh (Hallelujah.)

First published October 24, 2025; updated October 24, 2028

Psalm 115, Blessings on the House of Israel

This is the third of six Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) that are recited in synagogues at various Jewish holiday (such as Passover.) There was a partial Hallel that omitted the first 11 verses of Psalms 115 and 116. 

Psalm 115 focuses on corporate praise.

Psalm 115:1-3, Our God is The God

Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, 

because of your love and faithfulness.

 Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?"

 Our God is in heaven; 

he does whatever pleases him.

Praise begins for YHWH, God of the special nation of Israel, who rules as He pleases.

Alter suggests that the nations ask "Where is their God?" because Israel does not have any visible idols. The response is that the God of Israel is not reduced to a silly figurine but is far greater, far better, abiding in heaven. The psalmist follows this statement of God's majesty with an attack on the idols of the other nations.

Psalm 115:4-7, Silly idols

But their idols are silver and gold, 

made by the hands of men.

They have mouths, but cannot speak, 

eyes, but they cannot see;

 they have ears, but cannot hear, 

noses, but they cannot smell;

 they have hands, but cannot feel, 

feet, but they cannot walk; 

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

With an attitude that Isaiah would love (eg. Isaiah 44:6-20) , the psalmist mocks idols made by the hand of men, which can do nothing. The taunting question "Where is their God?" has been turned on its head -- the people of Israel have a real but invisible God, far above the puny visible idols.

Psalm 115:8, Silly idolaters

 Those who make them will be like them, 

and so will all who trust in them.

The idol makers and idolaters are just as impotent as their idols. Alter suggests that this is a curse -- a wish from the psalmist that the idolaters be as impotent as their pieces of wood and metal. (An almost identical passage occurs in Psalm 135:15-18.)

Psalm 115:9-11, Help and shield

O house of Israel, trust in the LORD--

 he is their help and shield.

 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD-- 

he is their help and shield.

 You who fear him, trust in the LORD-- 

he is their help and shield.

Three chorus instruct the people of Israel to trust in YHWH, who protects them. The people of Israel are described in three ways, including the house of Aaron (the priests) and those "who fear him."

Psalm 115:12-13, Small and great alike, bless the Lord

 The LORD remembers us and will bless us:

 He will bless the house of Israel, 

he will bless the house of Aaron,

 he will bless those who fear the LORD-- 

small and great alike.

Israel and Aaron (the priests) are mentioned again and all, small or great, are told to revere and lean on YHWH.

Psalm 115:14-18a, The living praise Him

May the LORD make you increase, 

both you and your children.

 May you be blessed by the LORD, 

the Maker of heaven and earth.

 The highest heavens belong to the LORD,

 but the earth he has given to man.

 It is not the dead who praise the LORD,

 those who go down to silence;

 it is we who extol the LORD, 

both now and forevermore.

The psalm ends with a blessing for the congregation. Praising YHWH is part of the blessing given to mankind. It is for the living to praise Him. The dead are silent in the grave but the people will praise YHWH forever. (A question raised below by Kidner: Does "forevermore" here describe the eternal praise of the collective people of Israel or does it suggest that individuals who praise God will do that forever, living after the silent grave? Similar questions occur with Psalm 73:23-26.)

Psalm 115:18b, Hallelujah

Praise the LORD. 

The psalm ends as it began, with hal·lū yāh (Hallelujah.) 

First published October 23, 2025; updated October 23, 2028

Psalm 114, The God of the Exodus

This is the second of six Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) that are recited in synagogues at various Jewish holiday (such as Passover.) These psalms are sometimes called the Egyptian Hallel psalms (says Kidner) but only this one recalls Egypt and the Exodus.

Psalm 114:1-2, Out of Egypt

When Israel came out of Egypt, 

the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

 Judah became God's sanctuary, 

Israel his dominion.

We look back to the time of the Exodus, to see God taking control of Israel. An impoverished people coming from a land where their oppressors spoke a different tongue now are lifted to the honor of being God's sanctuary.

Psalm 114:3-4, Sea, river, mountains, hills

The sea looked and fled, 

the Jordan turned back;

the mountains skipped like rams, 

the hills like lambs.

The time of the exodus and the entrance into Canaan are described as geographic miracles, with the sea parting for Moses and the Jordan river pausing for Joshua and the Israelites. The mountains and hills also rejoice. (It there a hint of an earthquake at the time of Jericho's fall?)

Psalm 114:5-6, Question ...

Why was it, O sea, that you fled, 

O Jordan, that you turned back,

you mountains, that you skipped like rams, 

you hills, like lambs?

The miracles at Jericho (Joshua 3) are now phrased as questions for the sea, river, mountains and hills. The implied answer is that all of these were responding to the instructions of the Creator who made them.

Psalm 114:7-8, ... and answer

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, 

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

 who turned the rock into a pool, 

the hard rock into springs of water.

This psalm echoes the idea, first recorded in Joshua 4:21-24, where both the miracle at the Sea of Reeds, at the beginning of the exodus and the river dividing for Joshua at the end of the exodus represent a display of YHWH's power. In between these events, God sprung water from hard rock in Exodus 17:1-7 at Massah/Meribah.

First published October 22, 2025; updated October 22, 2028

Psalm 113, Hallel

Like the two psalms before it, this song begins with hal·lū yāh (Hallelujah) meaning "Praise YHWH!" This is the first of six Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) that are recited in synagogues at various Jewish holiday (such as Passover.) Kidner suggests that one of these Hallel psalms is the hymn described in Mark 14:26, the night before Jesus is crucified.

Psalm 113:1-2, Everyone in all times, praise God!

Praise the LORD. 

Praise, O servants of the LORD,

praise the name of the LORD.

 Let the name of the LORD be praised, 

both now and forevermore.

The psalm expands on the first hallelujah, insisting that all servants of God praise Him, praising His name both now and forever, for all time.

Psalm 113:3-4, From east to west

 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, 

the name of the LORD is to be praised.

 The LORD is exalted over all the nations, 

his glory above the heavens.

God is to be praised from the far east (where the sun rises) to the far west (where it sets), that is, over all the earth. (See also Malachi 1:11and Psalm 50:1.) He controls the nations and is much higher than the nations or even earth itself. 

Psalm 113:5-6, Stooping down

 Who is like the LORD our God, 

the One who sits enthroned on high,

 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

The image of God above the heavens, appearing in verse 4, is expanded. God's throne is described as being so high that he has to stoop down to look at heavens and earth.

Psalm 113:7-8, Lifting the poor

 He raises the poor from the dust 

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

 he seats them with princes, 

with the princes of their people.

As in other psalms, God's creative power is linked to His justice. As He stoops down to observe the earth, He lifts the poor from the dust and "dungheap" (Alter) and puts them among the wealthy princes.

Note the classic synthetic parallelism in verse 7: the poor are raised from the dust; indeed the needy from the garbage pile.

Psalm 113:9a, Caring for the barren woman

He settles the barren woman in her home 

as a happy mother of children. 

In addition to lifting the poor, God gives the barren woman many children. In the ancient Near East culture, this was the desire of all women; see Hannah in 1 Samuel 1.

Psalm 113:9b, Hallelujah!

Praise the LORD.

This song begins as it ends, with hal·lū yāh. This song has echoes of Hannah's song in I Samuel 2:1-10.

First published October 21, 2025; updated October 21, 2028

Psalm 112, A Good Man

Like Psalm 111 before it, this psalm is an acrostic psalm of 22 lines, each line (after the introductory "Hallelujah") beginning with a different consonant of the Hebrew aleph-bet. It is a natural counterpoint to the psalm before it. That psalm concentrated on the character of God. This psalm concentrates on the character of a righteous man.

Psalm 112:1a, Hallelujah!

Praise the LORD. 

This line, two Hebrew words, hal·lū yāh, means "Praise YHWH!"

Psalm 112:1b, Blessed is the man

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, 

who finds great delight in his commands.

As Alter points out, this is a "Wisdom psalm", describing the attributes of a successful person. It begins with the same concept that introduces the psalter in Psalm 1:1.

Psalm 112:2-3, Righteousness and riches

 His children will be mighty in the land; 

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

 Wealth and riches are in his house, 

and his righteousness endures forever.

This psalm mirrors the previous one, the previous describing a righteous God and this one describing a righteous man. A righteous man reveres YHWH and follows Him and both he and his children are blessed. It is not surprising that  the last line of verse 3 echoes the last line of Psalm 111:3. The righteousness of a good man endures forever precisely because it reflects the enduring righteousness of God.

Psalm 112:4-6, Not shaken nor stirred

 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, 

for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, 

who conducts his affairs with justice.

 Surely he will never be shaken; 

a righteous man will be remembered forever.

Even though the righteous man may eventually experience darkness, light returns. He conducts his life with justice and is "never shaken" says David.

Psalm 112:7-9, Security

 He will have no fear of bad news; 

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

 His heart is secure, he will have no fear;

 in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, 

his righteousness endures forever;

 his horn will be lifted high in honor.

The emphasis on stability and security continues. The righteous man, leaning on YHWH, has nothing to fear. He is generous and triumphant. His "horn", a metaphor for personal power, is raised high in honor.

In the New Testament, in his letter to hte church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 9:6-11), Paul exhorts the Corinthians to be generous and cites verse 9, above.

Psalm 112:10, But the wicked...

 The wicked man will see and be vexed,

 he will gnash his teeth and waste away;

 the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

As is typical in Wisdom psalms, two types of people are contrasted: the righteous and the wicked. Here the wicked man is angry and dissatisfied. He wastes away, living a meaningless life. 

First published October 20, 2025; updated October 20, 2028