Psalms 118:19-23

118:19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple! ¹ 

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 ² 

has become the cornerstone. ³ 

118:23 This is the Lord’s work.

We consider it amazing! ⁴ 

[118:19]  ¹ 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.

[118:22]  ² tn Or “rejected.”

[118:22]  ³ tn Heb “the head of the corner.”

[118:23]  ³ 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.