Psalms 116 
Discovery Box |
116:1 I love the Lord
because he heard my plea for mercy, 2
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help. 4
116:3 The ropes of death tightened around me, 5
the snares 6 of Sheol confronted me.
I was confronted 7 with trouble and sorrow.
116:4 I called on the name of the Lord,
“Please Lord, rescue my life!”
116:5 The Lord is merciful and fair;
our God is compassionate.
116:6 The Lord protects 8 the untrained; 9
I was in serious trouble 10 and he delivered me.
116:7 Rest once more, my soul, 11
for the Lord has vindicated you. 12
116:8 Yes, 13 Lord, 14 you rescued my life from death,
and kept my feet from stumbling.
116:9 I will serve 15 the Lord
in the land 16 of the living.
116:10 I had faith when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”
“All men are liars.”
116:12 How can I repay the Lord
for all his acts of kindness to me?
116:13 I will celebrate my deliverance, 18
and call on the name of the Lord.
116:14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people.
116:15 The Lord values
the lives of his faithful followers. 19
116:16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;
I am your lowest slave. 20
You saved me from death. 21
116:17 I will present a thank offering to you,
and call on the name of the Lord.
116:18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people,
116:19 in the courts of the Lord’s temple,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
[116:1] 1 sn Psalm 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.
[116:1] 2
tn Heb “I love because the
[116:2] 3 tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”
[116:2] 4 tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”
[116:3] 5 tn Heb “surrounded me.”
[116:3] 6 tn The Hebrew noun מצר (“straits; distress”) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. מֵצַר, “the straits of Sheol”; NIV “the anguish of the grave”; NRSV “the pangs of Sheol”). However, HALOT 624 s.v. מֵצַר suggests an emendation to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.
[116:3] 7 tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.
[116:6] 8
tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the
[116:6] 9 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Ps 19:7.
[116:6] 10 tn Heb “I was low.”
[116:7] 11 tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”
[116:7] 12 tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).
[116:8] 14
tn “
[116:9] 15 tn Heb “walk before” (see Ps 56:13). On the meaning of the Hebrew idiom, see the notes at 2 Kgs 20:3/Isa 38:3.
[116:9] 16 tn Heb “lands, regions.”
[116:11] 17 tn Heb “I said in my haste.”
[116:13] 18
tn Heb “a cup of deliverance I will lift up.” Perhaps this alludes to a drink offering the psalmist will present as he thanks the
[116:15] 19
tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the
[116:16] 20
tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the
[116:16] 21 tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).
