118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures! 2
118:2 Let Israel say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:3 Let the family 3 of Aaron say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:4 Let the loyal followers of the Lord 4 say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:5 In my distress 5 I cried out to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. 6
118:6 The Lord is on my side, 7 I am not afraid!
What can people do to me? 8
118:7 The Lord is on my side 9 as my helper. 10
I look in triumph on those who hate me.
118:8 It is better to take shelter 11 in the Lord
than to trust in people.
118:9 It is better to take shelter in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
118:10 All the nations surrounded me. 12
Indeed, in the name of the Lord 13 I pushed them away. 14
118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.
Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.
118:12 They surrounded me like bees.
But they disappeared as quickly 15 as a fire among thorns. 16
Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.
1 sn Psalm 118. The psalmist thanks God for his deliverance and urges others to join him in praise.
2 tn Or “is forever.”
3 tn Heb “house.”
4 tn Heb “fearers of the
5 tn Heb “from the distress.” The noun מֵצַר (metsar, “straits; distress”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:3. In Ps 116:3 מצר should probably be emended to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”).
6 tn Heb “the
7 tn Heb “for me.”
8 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.
9 tn Heb “for me.”
10 tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.
11 tn “Taking shelter” in the
12 sn The reference to an attack by the nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.
13 tn In this context the phrase “in the name of the
14 tn Traditionally the verb has been derived from מוּל (mul, “to circumcise”) and translated “[I] cut [them] off” (see BDB 557-58 s.v. II מוּל). However, it is likely that this is a homonym meaning “to fend off” (see HALOT 556 s.v. II מול) or “to push away.” In this context, where the psalmist is reporting his past experience, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite. The phrase also occurs in vv. 11, 12.
15 tn Heb “were extinguished.”
16 tn The point seems to be that the hostility of the nations (v. 10) is short-lived, like a fire that quickly devours thorns and then burns out. Some, attempting to create a better parallel with the preceding line, emend דֹּעֲכוּ (do’akhu, “they were extinguished”) to בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru, “they burned”). In this case the statement emphasizes their hostility.