Discovery BoxPsalms 115:1--118:29
Context115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us!
But to your name bring honor, 2
for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness. 3
115:2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
115:3 Our God is in heaven!
He does whatever he pleases! 4
115:4 Their 5 idols are made of silver and gold –
they are man-made. 6
115:5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
115:6 ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell,
115:7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats. 7
115:8 Those who make them will end up 8 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
115:9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 9 and protector. 10
115:10 O family 11 of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 12 and protector. 13
115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, 14 trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 15 and protector. 16
115:12 The Lord takes notice of us, 17 he will bless 18 –
he will bless the family 19 of Israel,
he will bless the family of Aaron.
115:13 He will bless his loyal followers, 20
both young and old. 21
115:14 May he increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s! 22
115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the creator 23 of heaven and earth!
115:16 The heavens belong to the Lord, 24
but the earth he has given to mankind. 25
115:17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death. 26
115:18 But we will praise the Lord
now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
116:1 I love the Lord
because he heard my plea for mercy, 28
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help. 30
116:3 The ropes of death tightened around me, 31
the snares 32 of Sheol confronted me.
I was confronted 33 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 34 the untrained; 35
I was in serious trouble 36 and he delivered me.
116:7 Rest once more, my soul, 37
for the Lord has vindicated you. 38
116:8 Yes, 39 Lord, 40 you rescued my life from death,
and kept my feet from stumbling.
116:9 I will serve 41 the Lord
in the land 42 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, 44
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. 45
116:16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;
I am your lowest slave. 46
You saved me from death. 47
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!
117:1 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Applaud him, all you foreigners! 49
117:2 For his loyal love towers 50 over us,
and the Lord’s faithfulness endures.
Praise the Lord!
118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures! 52
118:2 Let Israel say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:3 Let the family 53 of Aaron say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:4 Let the loyal followers of the Lord 54 say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:5 In my distress 55 I cried out to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. 56
118:6 The Lord is on my side, 57 I am not afraid!
What can people do to me? 58
118:7 The Lord is on my side 59 as my helper. 60
I look in triumph on those who hate me.
118:8 It is better to take shelter 61 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. 62
Indeed, in the name of the Lord 63 I pushed them away. 64
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 65 as a fire among thorns. 66
Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.
118:13 “You aggressively attacked me 67 and tried to knock me down, 68
but the Lord helped me.
118:14 The Lord gives me strength and protects me; 69
he has become my deliverer.” 70
118:15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. 71
The Lord’s right hand conquers, 72
118:16 the Lord’s right hand gives victory, 73
the Lord’s right hand conquers.
118:17 I will not die, but live,
and I will proclaim what the Lord has done. 74
118:18 The Lord severely 75 punished me,
but he did not hand me over to death.
118:19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple! 76
I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
118:20 This is the Lord’s gate –
the godly enter through it.
118:21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me,
and have become my deliverer.
118:22 The stone which the builders discarded 77
has become the cornerstone. 78
118:23 This is the Lord’s work.
We consider it amazing! 79
118:24 This is the day the Lord has brought about. 80
We will be happy and rejoice in it.
118:25 Please Lord, deliver!
Please Lord, grant us success! 81
118:26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord 82 be blessed!
We will pronounce blessings on you 83 in the Lord’s temple. 84
118:27 The Lord is God and he has delivered us. 85
Tie the offering 86 with ropes
to the horns of the altar! 87
118:28 You are my 88 God and I will give you thanks!
You are my God and I will praise you!
118:29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures! 89
[115:1] 1 sn Psalm 115. The psalmist affirms that Israel’s God is superior to pagan idols and urges Israel to place their confidence in him.
[115:1] 3 sn The psalmist asks the
[115:3] 4 sn He does whatever he pleases. Such sovereignty is characteristic of kings (see Eccl 8:3).
[115:4] 5 tn The referent of the pronominal suffix is “the nations” (v. 2).
[115:4] 6 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
[115:7] 7 tn Heb “they cannot mutter in their throats.” Verse 5a refers to speaking, v. 7c to inarticulate sounds made in the throat (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:140-41).
[115:8] 8 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
[115:9] 9 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[115:9] 10 tn Heb “and their shield.”
[115:10] 12 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[115:10] 13 tn Heb “and their shield.”
[115:11] 14 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
[115:11] 15 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[115:11] 16 tn Heb “and their shield.”
[115:12] 17 tn Or “remembers us.”
[115:12] 18 tn Another option is to translate the prefixed form of the verb “bless” in vv. 12-13 as a jussive, “may he bless” (see v. 14).
[115:13] 20 tn Heb “the fearers of the
[115:13] 21 tn Heb “the small along with the great.” The translation assumes that “small” and “great” here refer to age (see 2 Chr 15:13). Another option is to translate “both the insignificant and the prominent” (see Job 3:19; cf. NEB “high and low alike”).
[115:14] 22 tn Heb “may he add to you, to you and your sons.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
[115:16] 24 tn Heb “the heavens [are] heavens to the
[115:16] 25 tn Heb “to the sons of man.”
[115:17] 26 tn Heb “silence,” a metonymy here for death (see Ps 94:17).
[116:1] 27 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] 28 tn Heb “I love because the
[116:2] 29 tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”
[116:2] 30 tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”
[116:3] 31 tn Heb “surrounded me.”
[116:3] 32 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] 33 tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.
[116:6] 34 tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the
[116:6] 35 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] 36 tn Heb “I was low.”
[116:7] 37 tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”
[116:7] 38 tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).
[116:8] 40 tn “
[116:9] 41 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] 42 tn Heb “lands, regions.”
[116:11] 43 tn Heb “I said in my haste.”
[116:13] 44 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] 45 tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the
[116:16] 46 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] 47 tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).
[117:1] 48 sn Psalm 117. The psalmist tells the nations to praise the Lord for his loyal love and faithfulness.
[117:1] 49 tn Or “peoples” (see Ps 108:3).
[117:2] 50 tn For this sense of the Hebrew verb גָּבַר (gavar), see Ps 103:11 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.
[118:1] 51 sn Psalm 118. The psalmist thanks God for his deliverance and urges others to join him in praise.
[118:1] 52 tn Or “is forever.”
[118:4] 54 tn Heb “fearers of the
[118:5] 55 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”).
[118:5] 56 tn Heb “the
[118:6] 58 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.
[118:7] 60 tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.
[118:8] 61 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[118:10] 62 sn The reference to an attack by the nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.
[118:10] 63 tn In this context the phrase “in the name of the
[118:10] 64 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.
[118:12] 65 tn Heb “were extinguished.”
[118:12] 66 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.
[118:13] 67 tn Heb “pushing, you pushed me.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea. The psalmist appears to address the nations as if they were an individual enemy. Some find this problematic and emend the verb form (which is a Qal perfect second masculine singular with a first person singular suffix) to נִדְחֵיתִי (nidkheti), a Niphal perfect first common singular, “I was pushed.”
[118:13] 68 tn Heb “to fall,” i.e., “that [I] might fall.”
[118:14] 69 tn Heb “my strength and protection [is] the
[118:14] 70 tn Or “salvation.”
[118:15] 71 tn Heb “the sound of a ringing shout and deliverance [is] in the tents of the godly.”
[118:15] 72 tn Heb “does valiantly.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 108:13).
[118:17] 74 tn Heb “the works of the
[118:18] 75 tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea.
[118:19] 76 tn Heb “the gates of justice.” The gates of the
[118:22] 78 tn Heb “the head of the corner.”
[118:23] 79 tn Heb “it is amazing in our eyes.” The use of the plural pronoun here and in vv. 24-27 suggests that the psalmist may be speaking for the entire nation. However, it is more likely that vv. 22-27 are the people’s response to the psalmist’s thanksgiving song (see especially v. 26). They rejoice with him because his deliverance on the battlefield (see vv. 10-12) had national repercussions.
[118:24] 80 tn Heb “this is the day the
[118:25] 81 sn A petition for deliverance and success seems odd in a psalm thanking God for deliverance, but it is not unique (see Ps 9:19-20). The people ask God to continue to intervene for them as he has for the psalmist.
[118:26] 82 sn The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the
[118:26] 83 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.
[118:26] 84 tn Heb “from the house of the
[118:27] 85 tn Heb “and he has given us light.” This may be an elliptical expression, with “his face” being implied as the object (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). In this case, “his face has given us light” = “he has smiled on us,” or “he has shown us his favor.” Another option (the one reflected in the translation) is that “light” here symbolizes divine blessing in the form of deliverance. “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Some prefer to repoint the form וְיָאֵר (vÿya’er; vav [ו] conjunctive + jussive) and translate the statement as a prayer, “may he give us light.”
[118:27] 86 tn The Hebrew noun חַג (khag) normally means “festival,” but here it apparently refers metonymically to an offering made at the festival. BDB 291 s.v. חַג 2 interprets the word in this way here, citing as comparable the use of later Hebrew חֲגִיגָה, which can refer to both a festival and a festival offering (see Jastrow 424 s.v. חֲגִיגָה).
[118:27] 87 tn The second half of v. 27 has been translated and interpreted in a variety of ways. For a survey of major views, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 122.
[118:28] 88 sn You are my God. The psalmist speaks again (see v. 21), responding to the words of the worshipers (vv. 22-27).
