Psalms 118:14-21

118:14 The Lord gives me strength and protects me; ¹ 

he has become my deliverer.” ² 

118:15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. ³ 

The Lord’s right hand conquers, ⁴ 

118:16 the Lord’s right hand gives victory, ⁵ 

the Lord’s right hand conquers.

118:17 I will not die, but live,

and I will proclaim what the Lord has done. ⁶ 

118:18 The Lord severely ⁷  punished me,

but he did not hand me over to death.

118:19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple! ⁸ 

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.

[118:14]  ¹ tn Heb “my strength and protection [is] the Lord.” The Hebrew term זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song” (“my strength and song [is] the Lord”) in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing). However, many recent commentators have argued that the noun זִמְרָת is here a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v.; cf. NEB “The Lord is my refuge and defence”; NRSV “my strength and my might.”

[118:14]  ² tn Or “salvation.”

[118:15]  ³ tn Heb “the sound of a ringing shout and deliverance [is] in the tents of the godly.”

[118:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “does valiantly.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 108:13).

[118:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “exalts.”

[118:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “the works of the Lord.”

[118:18]  ⁹ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea.

[118:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the gates of justice.” The gates of the Lord’s temple are referred to here, as v. 20 makes clear. They are called “gates of justice” because they are the entrance to the just king’s palace. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.