Psalms 118:1-10

Context

Psalm 118¹

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 family³ of Aaron say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

118:4 Let the loyal followers of the Lord⁴ say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

118:5 In my distress⁵ 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 side⁹ as my helper.¹⁰

I look in triumph on those who hate me.

118:8 It is better to take shelter¹¹ 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 Lord¹³ I pushed them away.¹⁴

[118:1] ¹sn Psalm 118. The psalmist thanks God for his deliverance and urges others to join him in praise.

[118:1] ²tn Or “is forever.”

[118:3] ³tn Heb “house.”

[118:4] ⁴tn Heb “fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

[118:5] ⁵tn 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] ⁶tn Heb “the Lord answered me in a wide open place.”

[118:6] ⁷tn Heb “for me.”

[118:6] ⁸tn 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] ⁹tn Heb “for me.”

[118:7] ¹⁰tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.

[118:8] ¹¹tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[118:10] ¹²sn The reference to an attack by the nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.

[118:10] ¹³tn In this context the phrase “in the name of the Lord” means “by the Lord’s power.”

[118:10] ¹⁴tn 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.