Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible (public domain), shown in quotation marks; all commentary is written by Scripture Trove. Source: Psalms 118 · Commentary
Psalm 118 is the last of the Egyptian Hallel collection (Psalms 113-118), and also the longest, the most dramatic, and the most densely quoted in the New Testament. In the traditional flow of the Passover Seder, the congregation sings Psalms 115-118 after the fourth cup (the "Cup of Praise"), and Psalm 118 is the high point of the whole Hallel group, the final song of the entire meal. After the Last Supper, Jesus and His disciples "sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26). By Jewish liturgical tradition, the last psalm Jesus personally sang was Psalm 118. This means Psalm 118 was the last Old Testament passage Christ sang on the night He was betrayed. Just before He went to Gethsemane, He had finished singing, "This is the day that Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it," and, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh." In the New Testament, Psalm 118 is directly quoted or clearly referenced more than 20 times, including two of the most crucial citations. The first, 118:22-23, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," appears at least 6 times in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Ephesians, 1 Peter). The second, 118:25-26, "Hosanna," is the psalm the crowds sang as they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (all four Gospels record it). Psalm 118 is one of the most heavily quoted chapters in the Psalter, standing alongside Psalm 22 and Psalm 110 as one of the "Old Testament foundations of the gospel of Christ."
Book Five of the Psalter (Psalms 107–150) · Egyptian Hallel collection (Psalms 113–118)
Position of this psalm: Psalm 118 is the last of the Hallel and the climax of the festival. The arc of the whole Hallel group runs like this: Psalms 113-114 (remembrance and praise of the Exodus) → Psalm 115 (against idols, trust in Yahweh) → Psalm 116 (personal thanksgiving, the cup of salvation) → Psalm 117 (a universal call) → Psalm 118 (the festival's grand conclusion, the praise of thanksgiving, the festal entry into the temple, the declaration of the cornerstone). Psalm 118 has 29 verses and no superscription. Structurally it is framed by refrains at the beginning and the end (both 118:1-4 and 118:29 sing "his loving kindness endures forever"), forming a perfect inclusio. The middle section (118:5-28) is a narrative story of deliverance, moving from being pressed down (verses 5-9) to military victory (verses 10-13) to entering the gates of the righteous (verses 19-21) to the declaration of the cornerstone (verses 22-23) to the "Hosanna" of the Palm Sunday welcome (verses 25-26). In Jewish liturgy, Psalm 118 is a ritual psalm shared by the four major festivals: Passover, Pentecost, Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), and Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication). Every year on Passover night, a Jewish household ends its meal only after singing this psalm, and the words "sang a hymn" after Jesus' Last Supper refer to this continuous singing of Psalm 118.
Opening call (118:1–4). The refrain: "his loving kindness endures forever," with a fourfold call (Israel, the house of Aaron, those who fear Yahweh).
Delivered out of distress (118:5–9). "Out of my distress, I called on Yahweh. It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to put confidence in man."
Military victory (118:10–14). "All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of Yahweh, I cut them off."
The declaration that he will not die (118:15–18). "I will not die, but live, and declare Yah's works. Yah has punished me severely, but he has not given me over to death."
Entering the gates of the righteous (118:19–21). "Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will enter into them." A scene of pilgrims entering the temple.
The declaration of the cornerstone (118:22–24). "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." The verse most quoted in the New Testament.
Hosanna, the welcome with palm branches (118:25–28). "Save us now, we beg you, Yahweh! Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh." The psalm of Palm Sunday.
Closing refrain (118:29). "His loving kindness endures forever," echoing the opening.
Psalm 118 has the most complex structure and the highest drama of any psalm in the Hallel collection. The refrains at the beginning and end (118:1 + 118:29) form a perfect inclusio, so the whole psalm is enveloped by "his loving kindness endures forever." The middle section unfolds along the narrative arc of a pilgrimage into the temple: from the cry out of distress (5-9) → victory on the battlefield (10-14) → the declaration that he will not die (15-18) → entering the gate of the righteous (19-21) → the discovery of the cornerstone (22-24) → the Palm Sunday welcome (25-26) → the festival altar (27) → personal thanksgiving (28). The whole psalm reads like a liturgical script, with the congregation singing while acting out the movements of pilgrims entering the city: walking from afar → drawing near the temple gate → the gate opening → entering the courtyard → circling the altar → and finally the whole congregation crying out "Hallelujah" together. This is exactly the liturgical setting of Passover night and Palm Sunday.
"His loving kindness endures forever." This opening and closing refrain carries the core creed of the entire Old Testament. Psalm 118 teaches us that when we are delivered out of distress, the deepest praise is not "my salvation" but "His loving kindness." A thousand years later, that "stone which the builders rejected" entered Jerusalem on the way to the cross. The crowds waved palm branches and sang "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh," not knowing they were enacting the prophecy of Psalm 118. The rejected stone did indeed become the cornerstone.
"Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever!" (118:1, 29). This is the opening and closing refrain of the whole psalm (the inclusio). "His loving kindness endures forever" appears 5 times in Psalm 118 (118:1, 2, 3, 4, 29), a repeated declaration of a core creed in the Hebrew Bible.
"The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is Yahweh's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes." (118:22–23). These are the two verses from the whole Old Testament most quoted in the New Testament. Jesus quoted them in the temple as the figure of the "stone which the builders rejected" (Matthew 21:42); Peter applied them to Christ before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:11); Ephesians 2:20 and 1 Peter 2:6-7 both define Christ as the cornerstone. In all there are at least 6 direct quotations.
"This is the day that Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!" (118:24). This is the central cry of Christian Sunday worship. Church tradition has seen it as a foreshadowing of the "Day of Resurrection" (the "day that Yahweh has made" = the day of the Lord's resurrection, celebrated every Sunday).
"Save us now, we beg you, Yahweh! Yahweh, we beg you, send prosperity now. Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh!" (118:25–26). This is the psalm the crowds sang as they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13, directly quoted in all four Gospels). "Hosanna" is the transliteration of the Hebrew הוֹשִׁיעָה־נָּא (hoshi'ana), "save us now, we beg you."
Dear friend, let me speak to you directly.
Psalm 118 is a psalm full of paradox, and because of that paradox it is a psalm of extraordinary depth.
Think about this for a moment: on the night He was betrayed, Jesus sang this psalm.
Matthew 26:30 says, "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." By Jewish Passover tradition, that "hymn" was the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118), and the last song was Psalm 118. Jesus sang with His own lips, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," on the very night before the builders would reject Him the next day. He sang, "I will not die, but live," on the very evening He was about to walk to Gethsemane. He sang, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh," when only days earlier He had entered Jerusalem in exactly that way.
The whole of Psalm 118 is the script Jesus lived out in person.
If today you feel you have been rejected, remember Psalm 118:22. That stone, which was also once rejected, is today the cornerstone of the church. Rejection is not the end. God is the great expert at taking a "rejected stone" and setting it in the place that holds everything together.
The first thing: the heart of the refrain.
The beginning and the end of Psalm 118 are exactly the same: "Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever." This is the most perfect inclusio in Hebrew poetry.
The whole psalm passes through so much drama, distress, victory, rejection, exaltation, palm branches, the altar, and in the end it returns to the same words: his loving kindness endures forever.
This tells us that no matter how dramatically your life changes, your final confession should be the same one sentence. The point is "his loving kindness endures forever," rather than "look at all I went through." Events pass; chesed does not pass.
If today you are living in the middle of some drama, perhaps a crisis, perhaps rejection, perhaps celebration, remember the bookends of Psalm 118: the beginning and the end of the story are both chesed. Everything that happens in between is framed by chesed.
The second thing: the cornerstone.
"The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
Psalm 118:22 is one of the Old Testament passages quoted at least 6 times in the New Testament. Only Psalm 22:1 and Psalm 110:1 stand alongside it.
This verse tells us that God is the great expert at using "what people have rejected." The stone the builders threw aside turned out to be the very key to the foundation. What God sees and what people see are often the opposite.
In 1 Corinthians 1:27-28, Paul widens this principle:
"but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong. God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are."
This is the New Testament unfolding of Psalm 118:22: God chooses what people reject to be the very thing that holds everything together.
Dear friend, if today you feel you are a rejected stone, remember this: the Christ who was also once rejected is the cornerstone of the church. Rejection is not the final verdict. It is only the builders' judgment, not God's judgment. Builders change their minds. God does not.
The third thing: this is the day that Yahweh has made.
"This is the day that Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." (118:24)
Every Sunday in worship, churches all over the world lift their hands on these words. This is the central confession of the Christian Lord's Day.
But consider where this verse sits. It comes right after 118:22-23, "the rejected stone has become the cornerstone." In Hebrew poetry these two stand as a pair:
What do Christians do every Lord's Day? We are not merely remembering a particular day of the week. Once a week we lift our hands and declare: "The rejection at the cross, the day of resurrection, this is what Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."
If today this Sunday feels to you like just another ordinary day of worship, remember that Psalm 118:24 defines every Lord's Day as "the day that Yahweh has made." Sunday is no ordinary day. It is the memorial of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone, the day of resurrection, the day we have most reason to rejoice and be glad.
The fourth thing: Hosanna.
"Save us now, we beg you, Yahweh! Yahweh, we beg you, send prosperity now. Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh." (118:25-26)
"Hosanna," the Greek Hōsanna, is the transliteration of the Hebrew hoshi'ana, "save us now, we beg you."
On Palm Sunday, the crowds in Jerusalem waved palm branches to welcome Jesus, and these are the very two verses they sang. They did not know they were acting out a script. They thought they were welcoming a military Messiah. They did not know that the next psalm they sang foretold "the stone which the builders rejected," foretelling the very thing they themselves would do a few days later.
But Jesus knew. He knew on Palm Sunday. He knew as He sang Psalm 118 at the Last Supper. He carried this psalm all the way to the cross.
Dear friend, whenever you cry "Hosanna! Lord, save us, we beg you," remember this: it is the very cry of the crowds on Palm Sunday 2,000 years ago. It is the very sentence the Spirit prepared a thousand years earlier when David wrote this psalm. It is the very word Jesus sang with His own lips on the night He was betrayed. Hosanna is no empty word of praise. It is the central cry for help of God's people through every generation.
Finally, remember this:
His loving kindness endures forever.
From Psalm 118:1 to 118:29, the beginning and the end of the whole psalm are this same sentence. All the drama of Psalm 118 is, in the end, enveloped by this one line.
Your story today is the same. No matter what happens in the middle, the beginning and the end of the story are both chesed. חֶסֶד (Chesed) endures forever.
Psalm 118:1: at the start of your life, His חֶסֶד (chesed) was already there. Psalm 118:29: at the end of your life, His חֶסֶד (chesed) is still there. All the crisis, rejection, victory, and resurrection in between sit inside the frame of חֶסֶד (chesed).
May this "psalm of Jesus' Last Supper" enter your heart today and carry you through every drama.
Psalm 118 is the psalm Jesus sang at the Last Supper. With His own lips He sang "the stone which the builders rejected" and "I will not die, but live." When you picture Jesus carrying this psalm as He walked toward Gethsemane, how does that shape the way you understand suffering and hope today?
Psalm 118:22 says, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Is there some "rejected part" in your life (an experience that looks useless, a gift others dismissed, a hidden service that goes unseen)? Could God be setting that "rejected stone" as the very thing your life turns on?
Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day that Yahweh has made." When the next Lord's Day comes, can you bring the perspective of this psalm into worship: that this is no ordinary day of worship, but the memorial of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone?
Superscription (no superscription)
Psalm 118 has no superscription, in keeping with the rest of the Hallel collection (Psalms 113-118). Yet its liturgical use is clearer than any superscription could be. It is the last of the Egyptian Hallel, the final psalm of the Passover meal at night, the central psalm of the Palm Sunday liturgy, and the most quoted psalm in the New Testament.
Psalm 118 in the Jewish liturgical tradition:
The Mishnah (Pesachim 10:7) lays out the ritual flow of the Passover meal, with the congregation chanting specific psalms between the four cups. After the third cup (the "Cup of Blessing") they sing Psalms 113-114 (the first half of the Egyptian Hallel); after the fourth cup (the "Cup of Praise") they sing Psalms 115-118 (the second half). The last psalm of the meal is Psalm 118. Everyone rises and chants it together, and when it is finished the meal formally ends.
This means that the words "sang a hymn" after Jesus' Last Supper (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26) refer, by Jewish liturgical tradition, to the singing of Psalms 115-118, of which Psalm 118 is the last. The final Old Testament passage Jesus sang with His own lips (before His arrest) was Psalm 118.
Let us think about what this means. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus sang with His own lips:
Jesus walked toward Gethsemane carrying Psalm 118. This is no abstract liturgical psalm. It is the script He took up in person, and every line is fulfilled in His own life.
The density of New Testament quotation:
Psalm 118 is quoted or clearly referenced more than 20 times in the New Testament, making it one of the most heavily quoted psalms there (alongside Psalm 22 and Psalm 110). The two most important quotations:
This density is enough to show that Psalm 118 is one of the Old Testament foundations of the gospel of Christ. If Psalm 22 is "the psalm of the cross" and Psalm 110 "the psalm of the ascension," then Psalm 118 is "the psalm of Palm Sunday, the cornerstone, and the resurrection." Together the three psalms cover the central events of Christ's life.
Psalm 118 has 29 verses. Structurally it is framed by the refrains at the beginning and end (both 118:1-4 and 118:29 sing "his loving kindness endures forever"), forming a perfect inclusio. "His loving kindness endures forever" appears 5 times in Psalm 118 (118:1, 2, 3, 4, 29), the core creedal refrain of the whole psalm.
Section focus: Psalm 118 opens with a four-verse refrain of summons, each verse ending with "his loving kindness endures forever." This is a signature structure of Hebrew liturgical poetry, with the congregation chanting in groups, each group taking up the call from the one before. The structure reaches its extreme in Psalm 136 ("his loving kindness endures forever" repeated 26 times); Psalm 118 is the condensed version.
118:1 "Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever."
Psalms 118:1（World English Bible）
"Give thanks" (הוֹדוּ, hodu), the imperative of the verb יָדָה (yadah, to publicly acknowledge, to give thanks). This is one of the core verbs of praise in the Hebrew Bible, meaning "to publicly acknowledge what He has done."
"He is good" (טוֹב, tov), the most central attribute of God in the Hebrew Bible. It runs from Genesis 1, where everything was "good" (tov), all the way to its repeated declaration in the Psalms. "Yahweh is good" is a foundational creed of Hebrew faith, found in many places (Psalms 25:8; 34:8; 86:5; 100:5; 106:1; 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1; 145:9).
"His loving kindness endures forever" (כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ, ki le-olam chasdo): כִּי (ki, because), לְעוֹלָם (le-olam, forever), חֶסֶד (chesed, loving kindness), with the third-person singular suffix (his).
Literally: "because his chesed is forever."
Chesed, the core word of the Hebrew Psalter, appears 127 times. Its meaning is covenant love, faithful love, a love that refuses to let go, as detailed in earlier psalms. "His chesed is le-olam (forever)" is the ultimate Hebrew trust in the love of God.
This sentence, "his loving kindness endures forever," recurs throughout the Hebrew Bible as a core confession:
This is the "standard refrain" of Israel's worship tradition, sung at every major liturgical occasion. Psalm 118 places it at the beginning and the end, so the whole psalm is framed by this core creed.
118:2 "Let Israel now say that his loving kindness endures forever."
Psalms 118:2（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: יֹאמַר־נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל. Yomar-na, "let them now say." In Hebrew, "let... (say, do)" is a summoning wish, inviting the whole congregation to take part. The congregation is called to chant the refrain together: "his loving kindness endures forever."
118:3 "Let the house of Aaron now say that his loving kindness endures forever."
Psalms 118:3（World English Bible）
This calls the priestly family to join the refrain in particular. In the ancient temple liturgy, the priests were divided into groups responsible for different rites, and the house of Aaron, the line of the high priest, oversaw the central rites such as the Day of Atonement. Psalm 118 calls the priestly family to sing the refrain especially for this psalm, a special arrangement within the festival liturgy.
118:4 "Now let those who fear Yahweh say that his loving kindness endures forever."
Psalms 118:4（World English Bible）
These three verses form a call that expands layer by layer.
The first layer: "Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yisra'el), the whole covenant people.
The second layer: "the house of Aaron" (בֵית־אַהֲרֹן, beit-Aharon), the priestly family. Within the tribe of Levi, the descendants of Aaron served as priests and were responsible for the temple rites. In the liturgical scene of Psalm 118, "the house of Aaron" are the priests who lead the congregation.
The third layer: "those who fear Yahweh" (יִרְאֵי יְהוָה, yir'ei Yahweh), the broadest layer of all. "Those who fear Yahweh" refers not only to Jews but also to Gentiles who have turned to Yahweh. In the Hebrew Bible this expression often describes non-Jews who left the idolatry of their own nations to come to the God of Israel (compare the use of yir'ei Yahweh in Esther and Jonah; in the New Testament, Cornelius in Acts 10:2 is described as a Gentile who "feared God" = phoboumenos ton Theon).
This vision expands through three layers, Israel → the priests → those who fear Yahweh, and it is the heart of the liturgical structure of Psalm 118. The whole congregation includes the core of the nation (Israel), the core of the liturgy (the house of Aaron), and those at the edge of the faith who have turned to God (the Gentile God-fearers). No one is shut out. As long as you "fear Yahweh," you are called to join this refrain.
Section focus: The psalm turns from the call of the refrain into a personal thanksgiving narrative, as the psalmist begins to look back on his own story of deliverance. In Hebrew this section carries a strong contrast of "narrow → broad," from "distress" ("narrowness") to "a broad place" ("breadth"). This is the standard picture of deliverance in the Hebrew Psalter.
118:5 "Out of my distress, I called on Yah. Yah answered me with freedom."
Psalms 118:5（World English Bible）
"Distress" (מִן־הַמֵּצַר, min-ha-metsar), from מֵצַר (metsar, narrowness, pressure). This word shares a root with "the pains of Sheol" (metsarei she'ol) in Psalm 116:3. The Hebrews pictured pain as being squeezed into a narrow place: suffocating, pressed in, unable to turn.
"A broad place" (בַמֶּרְחָב, ba-merchav), מֶרְחָב (merchav, breadth, open space). The same word as in Psalm 18:19, "he brought me forth into a broad place." To be delivered is to be led into the open. Hebrew uses spatial metaphor to express emotional experience: narrowness is being trapped, breadth is freedom.
"Called on Yah" (קָרָאתִי יָּהּ, qarati Yah), the perfect of the verb קָרָא (qara, to cry out, to call) plus Yah (the short form of Yahweh). To cry out is one of the core verbs of the Psalter, the shout with all one's strength in a crisis. Note that here the text uses Yah rather than the full Yahweh. Yah is the shortened form, more forceful and more urgent, like a person in an emergency who can only gasp out a single short name. Yah is also the heart of hallelu-Yah (hallelujah), the most common short form for praising Yahweh in the Psalms.
"Yah answered me" (עָנָנִי, anani), the perfect of the verb עָנָה (anah, to answer, to respond). This is the standard cry-and-answer pair in the Hebrew Psalter: cry (qara), answer (anah). The two verbs often appear together in the Psalms (Psalms 3:4; 17:6; 20:9; 91:15; 99:6). The two simple verbs of this verse carry the whole event of salvation: crying out of distress → God answering → from narrowness to breadth. This is the core script of Psalm 118, and it is the script of every believer's story of deliverance.
118:6 "Yahweh is on my side. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
Psalms 118:6（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: יְהוָה לִי
"Yahweh is on my side" is literally "Yahweh is for me," a short declaration of belonging. Li ("for me"), and what a vast sense of security this one preposition carries.
"I will not be afraid" (לֹא אִירָא, lo ira), the verb יָרֵא (yare, to fear).
"What can man do to me?" (מַה־יַּעֲשֶׂה לִי אָדָם, mah-ya'aseh li adam), אָדָם (adam, man, humankind). In the Hebrew Bible adam means "mortal man," set in fundamental contrast to the eternal Yahweh. He is Yahweh; they are only adam.
A key New Testament quotation. Hebrews 13:6 cites it directly:
Hebrews 13:6, "So that with good courage we say, 'The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?'"
The author of Hebrews uses Psalm 118:6 as the ground for the believer's "boldness in the face of difficulty." This is one of the key verses where the New Testament directly quotes Psalm 118, showing how widely this psalm was used in the early Christian community.
118:7 "Yahweh is on my side among those who help me. Therefore I will look in triumph at those who hate me."
Psalms 118:7（World English Bible）
"Among those who help me" (יְהוָה לִי בְּעֹזְרָי, Yahweh li be-ozerai), literally "Yahweh is for me, together with my helpers." The plural of עֹזֵר (ozer, helper) means many helpers, yet all these "helpers" come from Yahweh. In the Hebrew Bible "help" is often an attribute of God (Genesis 49:25, "the Almighty, who will help you"; Psalm 121:2, "My help comes from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth"), and human helpers are simply the concrete channels God sends. The psalmist realizes that all those around him who have helped him were, in the end, arranged by Yahweh Himself.
"Look in triumph" (אֶרְאֶה בְשֹׂנְאָי, er'eh be-sone'ai), the verbs רָאָה (ra'ah, to see) and שָׂנֵא (sane, to hate). Literally, "I will look upon those who hate me." In Hebrew, "to look upon someone" is an expression of witnessing God carry out His judgment. This is not the psalmist's personal lust for revenge but his confidence that God will surely vindicate the wronged. It is the same faith as Psalm 27:13, "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living." God will surely make His justice plain.
118:8 "It is better to take refuge in Yahweh, than to put confidence in man."
Psalms 118:8（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: טוֹב לַחֲסוֹת. Concise, balanced, and profound, one of the most frequently quoted sayings in the Hebrew Psalter.
118:9 "It is better to take refuge in Yahweh, than to put confidence in princes."
Psalms 118:9（World English Bible）
These two verses are the most quoted "refuge" pair in the Hebrew Psalter.
"Take refuge" (חָסָה, chasah), a core verb of the Hebrew Psalter, with a thread already built up in earlier psalms (Psalm 2:12 → Psalm 5:11 → Psalm 11:1 → Psalm 16:1 → Psalm 91:4). Chasah is not the abstract idea of "trust" but the concrete act of fleeing into a shelter to hide.
"Better than" (טוֹב מ-, tov mi-), Hebrew טוֹב + מִן (tov + min) = "better than."
"Put confidence in man" (מִבְּטֹחַ בָּאָדָם, mibbetoach ba-adam), the verb בָּטַח (batach, to rely on). Batach is usually the core verb for "trust" (Psalms 4:5; 13:5; 28:7), but applied to man it becomes a warning.
The artistry of the pair:
Many commentators regard Psalm 118:8 as the "middle verse of the Bible." By the Hebrew Bible's count of verses (as opposed to the middle by chapter), Psalm 118:8 is the central verse. If this "middle verse" tradition holds, then the central message of the Bible is "it is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to put confidence in man," and together with Psalm 117 (the "middle chapter," calling all nations to praise Yahweh) it forms the "geometric center creed" of the Bible.
Section focus: The psalm turns from the declaration of "refuge" into a narrative of victory on the battlefield. The psalmist describes the crisis of being surrounded by the nations, then turns to the victory of "cutting them off in the name of Yahweh." In the Hebrew Psalter, "the nations surrounding" is a common military image (compare Psalm 2:1-2; Psalm 27:3). This section also foreshadows Christ's "rejection-to-victory" reversal on the cross.
118:10 "All the nations surrounded me, but in Yahweh’s name, I cut them off."
Psalms 118:10（World English Bible）
"All the nations surrounded" (כָּל־גּוֹיִם סְבָבוּנִי, kol-goyim sevavuni), the plural of גּוֹי (goy, nation) and סָבַב (savav, to surround). "All the Gentiles surrounded me" is hyperbolic poetic language picturing a man entirely encircled by his enemies. It echoes the image of Psalm 2:1-2, where the nations band together against Yahweh's anointed, with David the king (and ultimately Christ) facing the hostility of the whole world.
"In the name of Yahweh" (בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה, be-shem Yahweh). In Hebrew, "in the name of so-and-so" is an expression of drawing on that person's presence, power, and very self. Shem (name) is not merely a "label" but the sum of a person, His attributes and His power. It is the same expression as David's "in the name of Yahweh our God" in Psalm 20:1, 7. In the New Testament this expression becomes personal in "in the name of Jesus." In Acts 3:6 Peter says to the lame man, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!" a continuation of the same spirit.
"I cut them off" (אֲמִילַם, amilam), the verb מוּל (mul, to cut off, to cut away). This word is debated, and it could mean "to cut off" or "to receive, to bring into circumcision" (different senses of the same root). Both readings are possible, but the context (surrounding, hostility) leans toward "cut off, defeat." In the Hebrew Bible mul refers to circumcision in most contexts (Genesis 17:11 and so on), but in a war setting (such as Psalm 90:6, "in the evening it is withered and dry") it also means "to cut down." Psalm 118:10 is the latter, the psalmist defeating his enemies in the name of Yahweh.
118:11 "They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me. In Yahweh’s name I indeed cut them off."
Psalms 118:11（World English Bible）
"Surrounded me... surrounded me" (סַבּוּנִי גַם־סְבָבוּנִי, sabbuni gam-sevavuni), where two forms of the same root savav (to surround) are repeated. This is a rhetorical device in Hebrew poetry stressing "completely surrounded." Sabbuni ("they surrounded me," perfect) + gam ("also, indeed") + sevavuni ("they surrounded me," another form), literally "they surrounded me, and surrounded me still." The psalmist is conveying an airtight sense of encirclement, on every side and layer upon layer. It is the same kind of "trapped" picture as Psalm 22:12, 16, "Many bulls have surrounded me... dogs have surrounded me."
118:12 "They surrounded me like bees. They are quenched like the burning thorns. In Yahweh’s name I cut them off."
Psalms 118:12（World English Bible）
"Bees" (דְּבוֹרִים, devorim), the plural of bee. Bees of the ancient Near East were known for their aggressiveness (compare Deuteronomy 1:44; Isaiah 7:18-19, where God summons bees as judgment).
"The burning thorns" (כְּאֵשׁ קוֹצִים, ke-esh qotsim), thorns that catch fire and burn fast but die out just as fast. The point is that the enemies' attack is like a thorn fire, fierce but short-lived.
118:13 "You pushed me back hard, to make me fall, but Yahweh helped me."
Psalms 118:13（World English Bible）
"You pushed me" (דַחֹה דְחִיתַנִי, dachoh dechitani), the verb דָּחָה (dachah, to push, to shove) in emphatic repetition, a common Hebrew way of using a doubled verbal root to express forceful action. The psalmist says to the enemy, "You pushed me with all your might," speaking directly to the enemy. Notice that in this verse the psalmist suddenly shifts from "Yahweh" to a second-person address to the enemy, a dramatic shift of perspective in Hebrew poetry.
"To make me fall" (לִנְפֹּל, linpol), the infinitive of the verb נָפַל (nafal, to fall). In the Hebrew Psalter, falling is both a physical fall and a failure of faith, the same word as in Psalm 37:24, "though he stumble, he shall not fall headlong." The enemy seeks not only to strike the psalmist down on the battlefield but to make him give up his trust in Yahweh.
"Yahweh helped me" (וַיהוָה עֲזָרָנִי, va-Yahweh azarani), the perfect of the verb עָזַר (azar, to help) plus "me." Note the perfect tense: "he has already helped me." The psalmist looks back during the battle or just after it: the fact is that Yahweh has already helped me. The enemy's fierce shoving and Yahweh's holding form the core tension of the verse. However fierce the enemy, Yahweh's help has already arrived.
118:14 "Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation."
Psalms 118:14（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת
This verse is a word-for-word quotation of Exodus 15:2:
Exodus 15:2 (the victory song of Moses after crossing the Red Sea), "Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation." The Hebrew is exactly the same.
Psalm 118:14 deliberately reproduces the victory song of the Exodus, a striking example of "layered quotation" in the Hebrew Psalter. The author of Psalm 118 borrows the language of victory at the Red Sea, meaning "my deliverance is just like the deliverance of the Exodus," applying Israel's collective history of salvation to a personal crisis.
Isaiah 12:2 also quotes the same line: "Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation." In his own song of deliverance, Isaiah uses the same wording.
The three quotations form a "chain":
This means it is the "standard confession of salvation" in the Hebrew Bible. From the Exodus to Psalm 118 to Isaiah's messianic prophecy, the same line is used. Zimrat Yah ("my song is Yah") means God Himself becomes the object and the content of my praise.
Section focus: After the victory on the battlefield, the psalmist makes "the declaration that he will not die": "I will not die, but live." This is the high point of faith in Psalm 118, and a prophecy directly taken up by the gospel of Christ in the New Testament. From being punished severely to "not given over to death," it is the deepest confession of faith from within the valley of the shadow of death.
118:15 "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. “The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly."
Psalms 118:15（World English Bible）
"The tents of the righteous" (אָהֳלֵי צַדִּיקִים, aholei tsaddiqim), the plural of אֹהֶל (ohel, tent) and צַדִּיק (tsaddiq, righteous one). Aholei (tents) recalls the image of Israel's festival tents: at Sukkot the congregation lived in temporary tents to remember the wilderness journey. The "tents" of this verse hint at the festival liturgical scene. At feasts such as Passover and Sukkot, the congregation came on pilgrimage from all over to Jerusalem and pitched temporary tents outside the city. When the great crowd of pilgrims heard the story of someone delivered out of distress, the whole camp ("the tents of the righteous") would rejoice together.
"The voice of rejoicing and salvation" (קוֹל רִנָּה וִישׁוּעָה, qol rinnah vi-yshu'ah), קוֹל (qol, voice), רִנָּה (rinnah, rejoicing, glad song), and יְשׁוּעָה (yeshu'ah, salvation, the root of the name Jesus). Rinnah is the particular Hebrew word for loud rejoicing, often used for festival praise or for celebration after victory. "The voice of rejoicing and salvation" is the signature sound of the festival, the songs of praise rising one after another among the pilgrim tents.
"Right hand" (יָמִין, yamin). Yamin in the Hebrew Bible symbolizes strength, power, and victory. "The right hand of Yahweh" is the signature image of His active work of salvation. It echoes Exodus 15:6 (the song of Moses after crossing the Red Sea), "Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power," returning again to the language of the Exodus victory.
"Does valiantly" (עֹשָׂה חָיִל, osah chayil), the participle of the verb עָשָׂה (asah, to do, to accomplish) and חַיִל (chayil, strength, force, valor). Chayil is the core Hebrew word for "mighty strength, valor, wealth," the same word as "noble" in the "noble woman" of Proverbs 31:10. "The right hand of Yahweh does chayil" means His right hand has accomplished great things.
118:16 "The right hand of Yahweh is exalted! The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly!”"
Psalms 118:16（World English Bible）
"Exalted" (רוֹמֵמָה, romemah), the emphatic form of the verb רוּם (rum, to rise, to lift up). In Hebrew, "the hand lifted high" is the signature gesture of declaring victory. In Exodus 17:11-12 Moses lifted his hand to give Israel victory over Amalek; in Joshua 8:18 Joshua lifted the javelin in his hand to give Israel victory over Ai. "The right hand of Yahweh is exalted" means Yahweh Himself displays the posture of victory.
The threefold repetition of "the right hand of Yahweh" (118:15, 16a, 16b) is a device of emphatic repetition in Hebrew poetry. Yamin (right hand) in Hebrew culture is the symbol of strength, power, and victory, the same word as in Psalm 110:1, "Sit at my right hand." Jesus later quotes Psalm 110 to describe Himself seated at the Father's right hand after the ascension, and "the right hand of Yahweh" of Psalm 118:15-16 finds its personal extension in the New Testament: Christ reigns at the right hand of God. Threefold repetition in Hebrew poetry is the mark of completeness and perfection (in Genesis 1 God saw it was "good" seven times; Jeremiah cried "the temple, the temple, the temple of Yahweh" three times). Psalm 118:15-16 uses the threefold "right hand" to declare complete victory.
118:17 "I will not die, but live, and declare Yah’s works."
Psalms 118:17（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: לֹא אָמוּת
"I will not die" (לֹא אָמוּת, lo amut), the imperfect of the verb מוּת (mut, to die) with the negative.
"But live" (כִּי־אֶחְיֶה, ki-echyeh), the imperfect of the verb חָיָה (chayah, to live).
This verse holds a very special place in Christian tradition:
For the Christian, Psalm 118:17 finds its deepest fulfillment in the New Testament through the resurrection of Christ. Because Christ has "not died," we too will "still live." This is the Old Testament preparation for John 11:25-26, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies."
118:18 "Yah has punished me severely, but he has not given me over to death."
Psalms 118:18（World English Bible）
"Punished me severely" (יַסֹּר יִסְּרַנִּי, yassor yisseranni), the verb יָסַר (yasar, to discipline, to chastise) in emphatic repetition, a common Hebrew way of using a doubled verbal root to express severity and intensity. Literally, "he has indeed disciplined me severely."
"Has not given me over to death" (וְלַמָּוֶת לֹא נְתָנָנִי, ve-la-mavet lo netanani), the negated form of the verb נָתַן (natan, to give, to hand over) and מָוֶת (mavet, death).
This is one of the deepest theologies of suffering in the Hebrew Psalter: His discipline is real, but He has not handed me over to death. Severe discipline does not mean abandonment. In the midst of judgment He kept room for deliverance.
This verse is a comfort to every believer going through severe discipline: He is disciplining you severely because He still wants you to live.
Section focus: The psalm turns from the battlefield into the liturgy of entering the temple. The psalmist asks, "Open to me the gates of righteousness," a scene of a pilgrim entering the temple. The three verses carry a strong sense of movement from "the gate" to "entering." This is the pivotal turn of the liturgical drama of Psalm 118, from the battlefield to the temple.
118:19 "Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will enter into them. I will give thanks to Yah."
Psalms 118:19（World English Bible）
"Open" (פִּתְחוּ־לִי, pitchu-li), the plural imperative of the verb פָּתַח (patach, to open) plus "for me." Spoken to the priests and the gatekeepers: open the gate, for I will enter.
"The gates of righteousness" (שַׁעֲרֵי־צֶדֶק, sha'arei-tsedeq), שַׁעַר (sha'ar, gate) and צֶדֶק (tsedeq, righteousness). Literally "the gates of righteousness."
The Hebrew temple had multiple courts and multiple gates. The "gate of righteousness" is the gate that only the righteous may pass through, the same theme as Psalm 15, "who may dwell on your holy hill," and Psalm 24, "who may ascend the hill of Yahweh." Entering the house of Yahweh requires worthiness; it is the gate of the righteous.
But here is the wonder of Psalm 118: the psalmist himself asks for the gate to open. Does that mean he considers himself righteous? No. The more precise reading is that he acknowledges only the righteous may enter, yet he trusts in Yahweh's justifying, and so he boldly asks for the gate to open. This is in keeping with the New Testament spirit of justification by faith. We enter not on our own righteousness but on Yahweh's חֶסֶד (chesed).
118:20 "This is the gate of Yahweh; the righteous will enter into it."
Psalms 118:20（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: זֶה־הַשַּׁעַר לַיהוָה
The response of the priests and gatekeepers: yes, this gate belongs to Yahweh, and the righteous may enter!
In Hebrew, "this is the gate of Yahweh" is a formal confirmation of entry. At the moment the congregation enters the temple, the priests declare "this is the gate of Yahweh," confirming that this is the dwelling of the true God. Zeh ("this") is a demonstrative word of emphasis in Hebrew, "this very gate," and not any other gate in the city. This absolute confirmation, that only this one gate leads to Yahweh, foreshadows the uniqueness of Jesus in the New Testament: "I am the door" (John 10:9); "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me" (John 14:6). The "one gate" of Psalm 118:20 becomes personal in Christ; He Himself is that gate.
There is a still finer New Testament echo here. Hebrews 10:19-22 speaks of entering the Most Holy Place "by the blood of Jesus," redefining "entering the house of Yahweh" as coming before God through Christ. The "the righteous will enter" of Psalm 118:20 is deepened in the New Testament: not on one's own righteousness but on the righteousness of Christ. The worthiness of the righteous is granted afresh in the New Testament through justification by faith. Anyone who believes in Christ becomes "righteous" and is worthy to enter that gate.
118:21 "I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me, and have become my salvation."
Psalms 118:21（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: אוֹדְךָ כִּי
"You have answered me" (עֲנִיתָנִי, anitani), the perfect of the verb עָנָה (anah, to answer) plus "me." Note that this is the same word as the turning point at the end of Psalm 22:21.
Recall Psalm 22:21. After the deepest sense of abandonment, suddenly comes "you have answered me," the bursting point of the whole psalm. Psalm 118:21 uses the same word, also a summary declaration after deliverance.
The echo of the two psalms: Psalm 22 is the psalm of the cross (verses 1-21 a lament + verses 22-31 the victory); Psalm 118 is the last of the Hallel (the bookend "his loving kindness endures forever" + the middle narrative of victory). Both psalms make anitani, "you have answered me," the heart of the declaration of deliverance.
Section focus: This is the core high point of Psalm 118 and the most densely quoted part in the New Testament. "The stone which the builders rejected" is directly quoted at least 6 times in the New Testament, one of the key passages for Christian Christology. "This is the day that Yahweh has made" became the central confession of Christian Sunday worship.
118:22 "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
Psalms 118:22（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: אֶבֶן מָאֲסוּ
"Stone" (אֶבֶן, even), the core Hebrew word for "stone."
"The builders rejected" (מָאֲסוּ הַבּוֹנִים, ma'asu ha-bonim), the verb מָאַס (ma'as, to reject, to despise) and the plural participle of בָּנָה (banah, to build), "the builders." Literally, "which the builders rejected."
"The cornerstone" (לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָּה, le-rosh pinnah), רֹאשׁ (rosh, head, chief) and פִּנָּה (pinnah, corner). In Hebrew this expression carries a double meaning:
The Greek renders it "the head of the corner," carrying over the Hebrew wordplay. New Testament quotations seem to lean toward the "cornerstone" sense, but they keep open the possibility of "capstone."
The picture of this verse: when the builders were choosing stones at the worksite, one stone seemed unfit and they threw it aside. Later they found that this very stone was the key foundation stone of the whole building. All the engineers had misjudged it, but it was the one God chose.
118:23 "This is Yahweh’s doing. It is marvelous in our eyes."
Psalms 118:23（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: מֵאֵת יְהוָה
"Yahweh's doing" (מֵאֵת יְהוָה, me-et Yahweh), מִן + אֵת (min + et, from), "from Yahweh."
"Marvelous" (נִפְלָאת, nifla't), the passive participle of the verb פָּלָא (pala, to be wonderful, to surpass reason). This word shares a root with wondrous deeds (Exodus 15:11, "doing wonders"). This is the wondrous work of God, surpassing all human prediction.
The New Testament quotes 118:22-23 at least 6 times:
Matthew 21:42. After Jesus finished the parable of the wicked tenants in the temple to the chief priests, He quoted Psalm 118:22-23 directly: "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes'?" The context is Jesus pointing to Himself: "You are the builders who reject me, but I will become the cornerstone."
Mark 12:10-11, the parallel passage with the same quotation.
Luke 20:17, the parallel passage; Luke adds, "Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on" (Luke 20:18, echoing the "stumbling stone" of Isaiah 8:14-15).
Acts 4:11. When Peter preached to the Sanhedrin (chief priests, scribes, elders) he quoted it directly: "He is the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner." Note that Peter says to the very chief priests who crucified Jesus, "You are those builders," a quotation that convicts them to their face.
Ephesians 2:20. In Ephesians, Paul combines Psalm 118:22 with Isaiah 28:16: "being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone." The cornerstone is not only the key stone but the standard of alignment for the whole building of the church.
1 Peter 2:6-7. In his letter, Peter again quotes Psalm 118:22 with Isaiah 28:16: "Coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house... For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.'"
In all, 6 direct quotations. Among Old Testament passages used in the New Testament, only Psalm 22:1 ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") and Psalm 110:1 ("The Lord says to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand'") match this density.
Why is Psalm 118:22 so important?
118:24 "This is the day that Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!"
Psalms 118:24（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: זֶה־הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה
"The day that Yahweh has made" (זֶה־הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה יְהוָה, zeh-ha-yom asah Yahweh), literally "this day Yahweh has made." עָשָׂה (asah, to do, to accomplish): God made this day. In Hebrew, "God made the day" hints that this day was deliberately appointed and carries special meaning; it is no ordinary day. Zeh-ha-yom ("this day") + asah Yahweh ("Yahweh has made"), a particular, unique day that God Himself marked out.
"Rejoice and be glad" (נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה, nagilah ve-nismechah), the two cohortatives of the verbs גִּיל (gil, to rejoice) and שָׂמַח (samach, to be glad), "let us rejoice and be glad." The two verbs are close in meaning but differ in emotional intensity: gil is outward joy (leaping, loud shouting), samach is inward joy. Set side by side they mean "let us be joyful inside and out," the body shouting and the heart full of gladness.
Christian tradition has seen this verse as a prophecy of "resurrection day":
Psalm 118:22-23 is the discovery of the cornerstone (the "rejected stone became the key"); Psalm 118:24 follows immediately, "this day Yahweh has made." Christian interpretation has long read these two verses together:
In the worship tradition of the early church, every Lord's Day was a "little Easter," and the congregation stood to declare, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." This verse became the central festal confession of the Christian Lord's Day.
Section focus: This is the second high point of Psalm 118, the psalm of Palm Sunday. "Save us now" (hoshi'ana) is the source of "Hosanna." "Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh" is the line the crowds sang as they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, quoted in all four Gospels. This section is the second densely quoted part in the New Testament.
118:25 "Save us now, we beg you, Yahweh! Yahweh, we beg you, send prosperity now."
Psalms 118:25（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: אָנָּא יְהוָה
"Save us now" (הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא, hoshi'ah-na), the imperative of the verb יָשַׁע (yasha, to save) and נָא (na, a particle of pleading, "oh, please"). This verb yasha shares a root with the name of Jesus, יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshua), meaning "Yahweh is salvation." Hoshi'ah-na, "oh, save us, we beg you," and when the Hebrews cried out this line, they were crying out the very mission of the Messiah who would be named for "salvation."
Literally, "oh, save us, we beg you," the most urgent plea for help. In Hebrew the particle na ("please") added to an imperative turns a command into an urgent plea. The sense is "oh, please save us," carrying the urgency of a child tugging at a father's sleeve.
This is exactly the source of "Hosanna." The Greek Ὡσαννά is the transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic hoshi'ana, taken directly from Psalm 118:25. Among Hellenistic Jews and in the early church, "Hosanna" had already shifted from a cry for help to a cry of praise, but its original meaning is always "save us, we beg you."
"Send prosperity now" (הַצְלִיחָה נָּא, hatslichah na), the imperative of the verb צָלַח (tsalach, to prosper, to succeed) and נָא. Tsalach describes things succeeding according to God's will, the same word as in Genesis 24:21, where the servant looking for a wife for Isaac "looked steadfastly at her, wondering whether Yahweh had made his journey prosperous or not." Hatslichah-na, "oh, make things succeed, we beg you," a pair set alongside "save us, we beg you."
The pairing of two urgent pleas, salvation and prosperity, forms the most complete prayer of the Hebrew pilgrim: save us out of crisis, and let our endeavors go forward well. This is exactly the prayer of the church today, asking both to escape temptation ("deliver us from evil") and to see the work flourish ("your kingdom come").
118:26 "Blessed is he who comes in Yahweh’s name! We have blessed you out of Yahweh’s house."
Psalms 118:26（World English Bible）
The Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא
"He who comes in the name of Yahweh" (הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה, ha-ba be-shem Yahweh), the participle of the verb בּוֹא (bo, to come), the preposition בְּ ("in"), and שֵׁם יְהוָה (the name of Yahweh). Literally, "the one who comes in the name of Yahweh."
The original meaning of this verse in Hebrew: when pilgrims arrived at the temple, the priests at the gate said to them, "You who come in the name of Yahweh, be blessed." It was the priests' blessing on the pilgrims.
But in the New Testament this line becomes very important.
On Palm Sunday (Jesus entering Jerusalem), all four Gospels quote Psalm 118:25-26:
All four Gospels quote the same verse, an extremely rare thing, and proof enough that the "Hosanna" of Palm Sunday was a historical event, the direct fulfillment of Psalm 118:25-26.
The profound paradox of this event:
Psalm 118 binds Palm Sunday and Good Friday together: the same psalm, the same week, the same Jesus. The crowds welcomed Him with Psalm 118:26 (Sunday); the religious leaders rejected Him as in Psalm 118:22 (Friday); on the third day He became the "day that Yahweh has made" of Psalm 118:24 (resurrection day). The whole script of Psalm 118 unfolded in Him within a single week.
118:27 "Yahweh is God, and he has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar."
Psalms 118:27（World English Bible）
"Yahweh is God" (אֵל יְהוָה, El Yahweh), literally "El is Yahweh," or "Yahweh is God." This is the most basic confession of faith in the Hebrew Bible, the same spirit as Deuteronomy 4:35, "Yahweh is God. There is no one else besides him." In a world of many gods, to declare "Yahweh is God" means there is only this one and no other.
"He has given us light" (יָאֶר לָנוּ, ya'er lanu), the verb אוֹר (or, to give light). Giving light is at the heart of Hebrew blessing (Numbers 6:25, the Aaronic blessing, "Yahweh make his face to shine on you"). In Hebrew, "to make the face shine" means "to look on you with delight," the theological translation of a father's warm gaze upon his child. Psalm 118:27 uses the same word: God's face has already shone on us, meaning we have already been looked upon with His delight.
"Bind the sacrifice with cords" (אִסְרוּ־חַג בַּעֲבֹתִים, isru-chag ba-avotim), the verb אָסַר (asar, to bind, to tie), חַג (chag, festival, sacrifice), and עֲבֹת (avot, cords).
Chag in Hebrew means both "festival" and "the festal sacrifice," and this verse is ambiguous. One reading: "bring the festival to the corner of the altar" (festival activity); another: "bind the sacrifice with cords to the corner of the altar" (a concrete act of sacrifice). The latter is more concrete, picturing the offering at Sukkot.
"The horns of the altar" (קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, qarnot ha-mizbeach), the projections at the four corners of the altar. Qeren (horn) is the key liturgical part of the altar (Exodus 27:2; Leviticus 4:7). The four corners of the ancient Israelite altar were where blood was applied on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:18, the high priest "take some of the blood... on the horns of the altar"); they were also the refuge a desperate person could grasp to plead for his life (1 Kings 1:50, Adonijah "caught hold of the horns of the altar"; 1 Kings 2:28, Joab "caught hold of the horns of the altar").
A deeper New Testament echo. Hebrews 13:10-13 speaks of "we have an altar... therefore Jesus also... suffered outside of the gate," likening Christ's suffering on the cross to the rite of the altar. The "lead the sacrifice to the horns of the altar" of Psalm 118:27 finds its personal fulfillment in the New Testament: the very Jesus who sang Psalm 118 at the Last Supper would, hours later, be led as the final sacrifice to the altar, the cross. He took the place of every sacrifice; His own blood took the place of the blood applied to the horns of the altar. Psalm 118:27 is the prophecy Christ sang at the Last Supper and then fulfilled in His own body.
118:28 "You are my God, and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will exalt you."
Psalms 118:28（World English Bible）
"My God" (אֵלִי, Eli), the intimate possessive "my El," the same address as Psalm 22:1, "My God, my God." El is the most basic Hebrew title for God (in contrast to the plural of majesty Elohim), stressing the intimacy of the person. It is no abstract "Most High" but "my El," the one who belongs to me, whom I know, to whom I belong.
The emphatic repetition of this verse: "you are my God" appears twice, the first paired with "I will give thanks to you," the second with "I will exalt you." The personal possessive "my God" is a confession grown out of the journey of the whole psalm. The psalm opens with a call to the congregation (118:1-4, "give thanks"), the middle is the personal narrative (118:5-21, "I"), and at this verse it returns to the intimate confession, "you are mine."
Note that 118:28 forms a strong contrast with Psalm 22:1:
The same "my God," moving from a cry to thanksgiving, is exactly the arc of the Hebrew Psalter. The end of every lament awaits this very reversal, from "why have you forsaken me" to "you are my God, and I will give thanks to you." Christ sang Psalm 22:1 on the cross, and the risen Christ, three days later, fulfilled Psalm 118:28 before all the nations to the ends of the earth. The arc of one psalm is the arc of the life of Christ.
Section focus: The last verse of Psalm 118 returns to the refrain of the opening. This is a perfect inclusio. The whole psalm is enveloped by "his loving kindness endures forever."
118:29 "Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever."
Psalms 118:29（World English Bible）
The Hebrew is identical to 118:1: הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה
The beginning and end are exactly the same, the most perfect inclusio in Hebrew poetry.
The whole drama of Psalm 118, from distress to victory, from rejection to the cornerstone, from the welcome with palm branches to the sacrifice at the altar, returns in the end to this one sentence:
"Yahweh is good; his loving kindness endures forever."
Every story of deliverance is, in the end, a story of chesed. Every declaration of resurrection is, in the end, a story of chesed. Every reversal of the rejected stone being set as the cornerstone is a story of chesed. This sentence carries the core faith of the whole Hebrew Bible, and it is the last line Jesus sang with His own lips on the night He was betrayed.
| Section | Dominant Voice | Directed Toward | Emotional Arc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verses 1-4 | Congregation (call) | Israel / house of Aaron / God-fearers | The solemnity of the refrain |
| Verses 5-9 | Individual (narrative) | The hearers | From distress to breadth |
| Verses 10-14 | Individual (victory) | Enemies + God | The high pitch of the battlefield |
| Verses 15-18 | Individual ("not die") | God | The deepest confession of faith |
| Verses 19-21 | Individual (entering the temple) | Priests / God | The movement of pilgrimage |
| Verses 22-24 | Congregation (cornerstone declaration) | All | The surprise of revelation |
| Verses 25-26 | Pilgrims + priests (Hosanna + blessing) | Pilgrims / congregation | The liturgical call and response |
| Verses 27-28 | Congregation + individual (altar) | God | The climax of the festival |
| Verse 29 | Congregation (closing refrain) | God | Return to the opening |
The arc of the whole psalm is a liturgical script of entering the temple. It begins with the refrain's call from afar, follows the steps of pilgrimage through distress, victory, and the declaration that he will not die, reaches the temple gate, enters the gate of the righteous, declares the cornerstone, welcomes the one who comes in the name of Yahweh, binds the sacrifice to the horns of the altar, and finally returns to the refrain of the opening line. The whole psalm is a liturgy turned into poetry.
| Vocabulary | Original | Transliteration | Verses | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| give thanks | יָדָה (Hi.) | hodu | 118:1, 19, 21, 28, 29 | publicly acknowledge / give thanks |
| good | טוֹב | tov | 118:1, 8, 9, 29 | good / fine |
| loving kindness | חֶסֶד | chesed | 118:1, 2, 3, 4, 29 | covenant love |
| forever | עוֹלָם | olam | 118:1, 2, 3, 4, 29 | endless time |
| house of Aaron | בֵית־אַהֲרֹן | beit-Aharon | 118:3 | the priestly family |
| fear | יָרֵא | yare | 118:4 | reverence |
| distress | מֵצַר | metsar | 118:5 | narrow straits |
| broad place | מֶרְחָב | merchav | 118:5 | the openness of freedom |
| help | עֹזֵר | ozer | 118:7 | helper |
| take refuge | חָסָה | chasah | 118:8, 9 | to flee into a shelter |
| rely | בָּטַח | batach | 118:8, 9 | to trust |
| princes | נְדִיבִים | nedivim | 118:9 | the powerful |
| surround | סָבַב | savav | 118:10, 11, 12 | to encircle |
| push | דָּחָה | dachah | 118:13 | to shove |
| strength | עֹז | oz | 118:14 | might |
| song | זִמְרָה | zimrah | 118:14 | a song of praise |
| salvation | יְשׁוּעָה | yeshu'ah | 118:14, 15, 21 | deliverance |
| right hand | יָמִין | yamin | 118:15, 16 | strength / power |
| will not die | לֹא־אָמוּת | lo-amut | 118:17 | not die |
| punish severely | יָסַר | yasar | 118:18 | to chastise severely |
| gates of righteousness | שַׁעֲרֵי־צֶדֶק | sha'arei-tsedeq | 118:19 | the gate of righteousness |
| answer | עָנָה | anah | 118:21 | to respond |
| stone | אֶבֶן | even | 118:22 | stone |
| head of the corner | רֹאשׁ פִּנָּה | rosh pinnah | 118:22 | cornerstone / capstone |
| marvelous | פָּלָא | pala | 118:23 | wonderful |
| day | יוֹם | yom | 118:24 | the day God appointed |
| save us, we beg you | הוֹשִׁיעָה־נָּא | hoshi'ah-na | 118:25 | the source of "Hosanna" |
| prosper | צָלַח | tsalach | 118:25 | to succeed |
| he who comes in the name | הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם | ha-ba be-shem | 118:26 | the central Palm Sunday line |
| give light | אוֹר | or | 118:27 | to make the face shine |
| festival / sacrifice | חַג | chag | 118:27 | the festal sacrifice |
| horns of the altar | קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ | qarnot ha-mizbeach | 118:27 | the four corners of the altar |
Psalm 118 is the most structurally complete and dramatic of all the psalms:
A 1-4: Opening refrain, a fourfold call (his loving kindness endures forever x 4)
B 5-9: Personal narrative, from distress to breadth
C 10-14: Military victory, threefold "in the name of Yahweh"
D 15-18: The declaration that he will not die, threefold "the right hand of Yahweh"
E 19-21: Entering the gate of the righteous
F 22-23: The core of the cornerstone ★ (CENTER)
E' 24: "the day that Yahweh has made"
D' 25-26: Hosanna, he who comes in the name of Yahweh
C' 27: The festival altar
B' 28: Personal thanksgiving, "my God"
A' 29: Closing refrain (identical to 118:1)
Core structural observations:
Within the Hallel collection (Psalms 113-118), Psalm 118 is the final peak:
Psalm 113 a universal call ("from the rising of the sun to its going down")
Psalm 114 remembrance of the Exodus ("when Israel went out of Egypt")
Psalm 115 against idols ("not to us")
Psalm 116 personal thanksgiving ("I love Yahweh")
Psalm 117 a universal call ("all you nations")
Psalm 118 the festival's high point (cornerstone, Hosanna) ← the peak of the whole group
The length and drama of Psalm 118 stand in contrast to the five before it: those are relatively short (even the longest, Psalm 115, has only 18 verses), while Psalm 118 has 29; those are more lyrical, while Psalm 118 is a dramatic liturgical script.
Synonymous parallelism:
Structural parallelism:
Dialogical parallelism:
The key words that recur in Psalm 118:
Psalm 118 is the most script-like psalm in the Hebrew Psalter:
The whole psalm reads like a complete liturgical drama, exactly the liturgical setting of the Passover meal and Palm Sunday.
In Psalm 118, 118:1 and 118:29 are identical:
"Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever."
This is the most perfect inclusio in Hebrew poetry, the beginning and end exactly the same, without any variation. All the drama of the whole psalm is framed by this single sentence.
The "stone which the builders rejected" of Psalm 118:22 carries a concrete meaning in ancient Near Eastern building practice. When ancient stonemasons chose stones, especially the cornerstone, they had to find one perfectly squared, free of cracks, and large enough. Once a stone seemed unfit, it was thrown aside.
But sometimes, only after the whole design was finished did the workers discover that a certain "rejected stone" fit perfectly as the key foundation stone or capstone. This is a genuine building phenomenon, and the story of a rejected stone later becoming the key stone happened again and again on ancient worksites.
The Hebrew Psalter lifts this building phenomenon into theology: God's choosing often overturns human judgment.
The pilgrimage and entry into the temple pictured in Psalm 118:19-20 matches the liturgy of Israel's three great festivals (Passover, Pentecost, Sukkot). Pilgrims came from afar to Jerusalem, singing the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134) as they went up, until they reached the temple gate, where the priests at the gate questioned their worthiness (compare Psalm 15, Psalm 24, "who may ascend the hill of Yahweh?"), and once confirmed opened the gate to let them in.
The "open to me the gates of righteousness" → "this is the gate of Yahweh" of Psalm 118 is exactly the poeticized form of this entry exchange.
The "Hosanna, he who comes in the name of Yahweh" of Psalm 118:25-26 reflects the ancient rite of welcoming a victorious king into the city. When an ancient Near Eastern king returned in triumph, the townspeople would go out to meet him, sing and shout, and spread things on the road (2 Samuel 14:30; 2 Kings 9:13, and so on). Palm branches as a symbol of welcome appear both in the Maccabean wars (1 Maccabees 13:51, celebrating the victorious entry into the temple) and in the New Testament Palm Sunday.
The crowds waving palm branches to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem were carrying out the concrete rite of welcoming a victorious king; they thought Jesus was the military Messiah come to drive out the Romans. But Jesus rode a donkey's colt (Zechariah 9:9), not a horse; He brought the messianic kingdom of peace, not a military overthrow. The "he who comes in the name of Yahweh" of Psalm 118:26 found a fulfillment in the New Testament quite different from what the crowds expected.
The "bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar" of Psalm 118:27 involves the concrete structure of the Israelite altar. Exodus 27:1-2 describes the altar of the tabernacle, with projections at the four corners (qarnot, "horns"). The functions of these horns:
Psalm 118:27 pictures the concrete act of festival sacrifice, binding the sacrifice to the horns of the altar.
| Scripture | Content |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 8:14-15 | "He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense": the Messiah as the "stumbling stone" |
| Isaiah 28:16 | "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation": the Messiah as the "cornerstone" |
| Daniel 2:34-35, 45 | The "stone cut out without hands" of Daniel that crushes the nations: the messianic kingdom |
| Psalm 118:22-23 | "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" |
| Matthew 21:42 | Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22 + Isaiah 8:14-15 + Daniel 2:35 |
| Mark 12:10-11 / Luke 20:17-18 | Parallel passages |
| Acts 4:11 | Peter quotes Psalm 118:22 |
| Romans 9:33 | Paul combines Isaiah 8:14 + Isaiah 28:16 |
| Ephesians 2:20 | "Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone" |
| 1 Peter 2:6-8 | Peter combines Isaiah 28:16 + Psalm 118:22 + Isaiah 8:14: three passages on "Christ is the stone" |
Psalm 118:22 is the central node of this line, linking the cornerstone of Isaiah and the stone of Daniel to the Christ of the New Testament.
| Scripture | Content |
|---|---|
| Psalm 118:25 | hoshi'ana "save us now, we beg you." |
| Psalm 118:26 | "blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh" |
| Matthew 21:9 | "Hosanna to the son of David." |
| Mark 11:9-10 | "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." |
| Luke 19:38 | "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord." |
| John 12:13 | "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel." |
| Revelation 7:9-10 | People of every nation and tribe holding palm branches before the throne: the "Palm Sunday" of the last day |
| Scripture | Content |
|---|---|
| Psalm 16:10 | "you will not leave my soul in Sheol" → Acts 2:27, 31; 13:35 |
| Psalm 118:17 | "I will not die, but live" |
| Psalm 118:24 | "this is the day that Yahweh has made" → the Christian Lord's Day |
| Isaiah 53:10-12 | The resurrection of the suffering servant |
| Daniel 12:2-3 | The resurrection at the end of days |
| Old Testament Scripture | New Testament Echo | Note on the Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Psalm 118:6 "Yahweh is on my side. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" | Hebrews 13:6 "The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?" | Direct quotation: on the believer's boldness in the face of difficulty |
| Psalm 118:14 "Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation" | Exodus 15:2 / Isaiah 12:2, the same line | The standard confession of salvation across the books of Scripture |
| Psalm 118:22-23 "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" | Matthew 21:42 | Jesus quotes it in the temple in person, foretelling that He would be rejected yet become the one who holds everything together |
| Psalm 118:22-23 | Mark 12:10-11 | Parallel passage |
| Psalm 118:22-23 | Luke 20:17 | Parallel passage + Luke 20:18 adds the "stumbling stone" supplement |
| Psalm 118:22 | Acts 4:11 | Peter quotes it directly to the Sanhedrin: a conviction to their face |
| Psalm 118:22 | Ephesians 2:20 | Paul: "Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone" |
| Psalm 118:22 | 1 Peter 2:6-7 | Peter combines Isaiah 28:16 + Psalm 118:22 + Isaiah 8:14 |
| Psalm 118:24 "this is the day that Yahweh has made" | Church tradition of Sunday worship | The central confession of every Christian Lord's Day |
| Psalm 118:25-26 "Hosanna / he who comes in the name of Yahweh" | Matthew 21:9 Palm Sunday | Quoted in all four Gospels |
| Psalm 118:25-26 | Mark 11:9 | Parallel passage |
| Psalm 118:25-26 | Luke 19:38 | Parallel passage |
| Psalm 118:25-26 | John 12:13 | Parallel passage |
| Psalm 118:26 "he who comes in the name of Yahweh" | Matthew 23:39 Jesus to Jerusalem | A prophecy of the Second Coming: "you will... say again" |
| Psalm 118:17 "I will not die, but live" | John 11:25-26; Revelation 1:18 | Christ's declaration of resurrection |
| Psalm 118:1, 29 "his loving kindness endures forever" | Revelation 19:1-3 "Hallelujah! Salvation, glory... belong to our God" | The same spirit before the marriage feast of the Lamb at the last day |
In all, more than 15 New Testament echoes and quotations. Psalm 118 is one of the most densely quoted psalms in the New Testament.
The special place of Psalm 118 in the Psalter: it carries four core events of the life of Christ.
Palm Sunday (5 days before the passion). The crowds waved palm branches in welcome, singing Psalm 118:25-26, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh."
The Last Supper (1 day before the passion). Jesus and His disciples sang Psalm 118 as the last song of the meal.
Good Friday (the day of the crucifixion). Psalm 118:22, "the stone which the builders rejected," is fulfilled in His being rejected.
4. Resurrection day. Psalm 118:24, "this is the day that Yahweh has made," is fulfilled in His rising from the dead.
One psalm carries the most important week of the life of Christ, from Palm Sunday to Easter. Every year around Easter, Christians reread Psalm 118 and find that the whole of Jesus' passion week was written ahead of time in this one psalm.
At a deeper level, Psalm 118 is also a core liturgical psalm of the early church. The Sunday worship tradition of declaring "This is the day the Lord has made" comes from Psalm 118:24; the Palm Sunday cry "Hosanna" comes from Psalm 118:25; the cornerstone declaration before Communion comes from Psalm 118:22. Psalm 118 has soaked into the heart of Christian liturgy.
Psalm 118 teaches us that the whole Old Testament points to Christ, but few psalms point as densely as this one. This is the psalm Jesus sang with His own lips; this is the psalm Jesus fulfilled in His own body; this is the psalm the church uses again and again.
Whenever we cry "Hosanna," we are singing Psalm 118. Whenever we worship on the Lord's Day, we are fulfilling Psalm 118. Whenever we confess Christ as the cornerstone, we are repeating Psalm 118. Whenever we say "his loving kindness endures forever," we are singing Psalm 118 together with the saints of every generation and with Jesus Himself.
This is the psalm of Jesus. This is the psalm of the church. This is the psalm of each one of us.
Authoritative Commentaries
Further Reading
Chinese Resources (contributions welcome)
| Theme | Content |
|---|---|
| The bookend refrain inclusio | 118:1 + 29 are identical: every story of deliverance is, in the end, a story of חֶסֶד (chesed) |
| Better to take refuge in Yahweh than to trust man | 118:8-9: possibly the "middle verse" of the Bible; corresponding to the "middle chapter" of Psalm 117 |
| The echo of the song of the Exodus | 118:14 quotes Exodus 15:2 word for word; Isaiah 12:2 also uses it: the standard confession of salvation |
| The declaration that he will not die | 118:17 "I will not die, but live": the Old Testament root of resurrection theology |
| Severe discipline does not mean abandonment | 118:18: He disciplines me severely, but has not given me over to death |
| The core of the cornerstone | 118:22-23 → 6 direct quotations in the New Testament: a central passage of Christology |
| The celebration of the Lord's Day | 118:24 "this is the day that Yahweh has made": the central confession of Sunday worship |
| Hosanna = save us, we beg you | 118:25 hoshi'ana: the psalm of Palm Sunday |
| He who comes in the name of Yahweh | 118:26 → quoted in all four Gospels: the central line of Palm Sunday |
| The whole of Psalm 118 = the psalm Jesus sang at the Last Supper | Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26: He sang this psalm with His own lips |