Psalm 118 commentary

PSALM 118 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
I TRODUCTIO
SPURGEO , "AUTHOR A D SUBJECT. In the book Ezra 3:10-11, we read that
"when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests
in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to
praise he Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together
by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his
mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great
shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord
was laid." ow the words mentioned in Ezra are the first and last sentences of this
Psalm, and we therefore conclude that the people chanted the whole of this sublime
song; and, moreover, that the use of this composition on such occasions was
ordained by David, whom we conceive to be its author. The next step leads us to
believe that he is its subject, at least in some degree; for it is clear that the writer is
speaking concerning himself in the first place, though he may not have strictly
confined himself to all the details of his our personal experience. That the Psalmist
had a prophetic view of our Lord Jesus is very manifest; the frequent quotations
from this song in the ew Testament prove this beyond all questions; but at the
same time it could not have been intended that every particular line and sentence
should be read in reference to the Messiah, for this requires very great ingenuity,
and ingenious interpretations are seldom true. Certain devout expositors have
managed to twist the expression of Psalms 118:17, "I shall not die, but live, "so as to
make it applicable to our Lord, who did actually die, and whose glory it is that he
died; but we cannot bring our minds to do such violence to the words of holy writ.
The Psalm, seems to us to describe either David or some other man of God who was
appointed by the divine choice to a high and honourable office in Israel. This elect
champion found himself rejected by his friends and fellow countrymen, and at the
same time violently opposed by his enemies. In faith in God he battles for his
appointed place, and in due time he obtains it in such a way as greatly to display the
power and goodness of the Lord. He then goes up to the house of the Lord to offer
sacrifice, and to express his gratitude for the divine interposition, all the people
blessing him, and wishing him abundant prosperity. This heroic personage, whom
we cannot help thinking to be David himself, broadly typified our Lord, but not in
such a manner that in all the minutiae of his struggles and prayers we are to hunt
for parallels. The suggestion of Alexander that the speaker is a typical individual
representing the nation, is exceedingly well worthy of attention, but it is not
inconsistent with the idea that a personal leader may be intended, since that which
describes the leader will be in a great measure true of his followers. The experience
of the Head is that of the members, and both may be spoken of in much the same
terms. Alexander thinks that the deliverance celebrated cannot be identified with

any one so exactly as with that from the Babylonian exile; but we judge it best to
refer it to no one incident in particular, but to regard it as a national song, adapted
alike for the rise of a chosen here, and the building of a temple. Whether a nation is
founded again by a conquering prince, or a temple founded by the laying of its
cornerstone in joyful state, the Psalm is equally applicable.
DIVISIO . We propose to divide this Psalm thus, from Psalms 118:1-4 the faithful
are called upon to magnify the everlasting mercy of the Lord; from Psalms 118:5-18
the Psalmist gives forth a narrative of his experience, and an expression of his faith;
in Psalms 118:19-21 he asks admittance into the house of the Lord, and begins the
acknowledgment of the divine salvation. In Psalms 118:22-27 the priests and people
recognize their ruler, magnify the Lord for him, declare him blessed, and bid him
approach the altar with his sacrifice. In Psalms 118:28-29 the grateful hero himself
exalts God the ever merciful.
ELLICOTT, "The character of this psalm as a Temple song of thanksgiving is
stamped on every line of it. The marked divisions with the refrains (Psalms 118:1-4;
Psalms 118:8-9) have induced commentators to arrange it in parts, supposed to have
been sung in turn by the full choir, the congregation, and the priests. It is not,
however, by any means certain to what particular event or time the psalm is to he
assigned. Many incidents in connection with the rebuilding of the second Temple
have been fixed upon in connection with Psalms 118:22-23. Others have gone to the
Maccabæan period for the occasion of the thanksgiving. Several expressions seem to
allude to a particular feast, with its peculiar prayers and sacrifices (Psalms 118:24-
27), and there can be little doubt that this was the Feast of Tabernacles. The words
of Psalms 118:25 were, we know, sung on one of the days—called the Great
Hosanna (Save now)—of the feast; a name given also to the boughs carried and
waved in the sacred procession. If Psalms 118:19-23 imply the completion of the
Temple, it is natural to fix on the first complete celebration of the Feast of
Tabernacles after the Return ( ehemiah 8:14 seq.).
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

BAR ES, "O give thanks unto the Lord ... - Let others unite with me in giving
thanks to the Lord; let them see, from what has occurred in my case, what occasion there
is for praise. Every instance of a particular favor shown to anyone is to others an
occasion for praise, inasmuch as it is an illustration of the general character of God. On
this verse compare the notes at Psa_106:1. The language is nearly the same.
GILL, "O give thanks unto the Lord,.... For all his mercies, temporal and spiritual;
as all should, who are partakers of them: this should be done always, and for all things,
in the name of Christ; it is but reasonable service;
for he is good; in himself, and to others: is essentially and diffusively good; the
fountain of all goodness, and the author of all good things;
because his mercy endureth for ever; in his own heart, and in his covenant; his
grace and lovingkindness displayed in Christ; the blessings and promises of it, which are
the sure mercies of David: these always remain, notwithstanding the unworthiness of his
people; and though he hides his face sometimes from them, and chastises them; see
Psa_106:1; the goodness and mercy of God were seen in setting David on the throne; and
abundantly more in giving Christ to be the Saviour of his people; for both which thanks
should be given, and the kindness acknowledged, by the persons mentioned in the
following verses.
HE RY 1-4, "It appears here, as often as elsewhere, that David had his heart full of
the goodness of God. He loved to think of it, loved to speak of it, and was very solicitous
that God might have the praise of it and others the comfort of it. The more our hearts are
impressed with a sense of God's goodness the more they will be enlarged in all manner of
obedience. In these verses,
I. He celebrates God's mercy in general, and calls upon others to acknowledge it, from
their own experience of it (Psa_118:1): O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is not only
good in himself, but good to you, and his mercy endures for ever, not only in the
everlasting fountain, God himself, but in the never-failing streams of that mercy, which
shall run parallel with the longest line of eternity, and in the chosen vessels of mercy,
who will be everlasting monuments of it. Israel, and the house of Aaron, and all that fear
God, were called upon to trust in God (Psa_115:9-11); here they are called upon to
confess that his mercy endures for ever, and so to encourage themselves to trust in him,
Psa_118:2-4. Priests and people, Jews and proselytes, must all own God's goodness, and
all join in the same thankful song; if they can say no more, let them say this for him, that
his mercy endures for ever, that they have had experience of it all their days, and confide
in it for good things that shall last for ever. The praises and thanksgivings of all that truly
fear the Lord shall be as pleasing to him as those of the house of Israel or the house of
Aaron.
JAMISO 1-4, "Psa_118:1-29. After invoking others to unite in praise, the writer
celebrates God’s protecting and delivering care towards him, and then represents
himself and the people of God as entering the sanctuary and uniting in solemn praise,
with prayer for a continued blessing. Whether composed by David on his accession to

power, or by some later writer in memory of the restoration from Babylon, its tone is
joyful and trusting, and, in describing the fortune and destiny of the Jewish Church and
its visible head, it is typically prophetical of the Christian Church and her greater and
invisible Head.
The trine repetitions are emphatic (compare Psa_118:10-12, Psa_118:15, Psa_118:16;
Psa_115:12, Psa_115:13).
Let ... say — Oh! that Israel may say.
now — as in Psa_115:2; so in Psa_118:3, Psa_118:4. After “now say” supply “give
thanks.”
that his mercy — or, “for His mercy.”
CALVI , "1Praise ye Jehovah In this passage we see that David does not merely in
a private capacity render thanks to God, but that he loudly summons the people to
engage in the common exercises of piety. This he does, not simply from his having
been divinely appointed to be the captain and teacher of others; but, God having
invested him with royal power, had manifested his sympathy with his distressed
Church. Hence he exhorts the Israelites to magnify the grace of God, under whose
kind protection he appears to re-establish them in safety. In the beginning of the
psalm he alludes generally to the goodness and mercy of God, but he shortly
instances himself as an evidence of his goodness, as will be seen in its proper place.
It becomes us at present to recall to mind what I mentioned in the preceding psalm,
that a reason for praising God is given to us on account of his mercy, in preference
to his power or justice; because, though his glory shine forth in them also, yet will
we never promptly and heartily sound forth his praises, until he win us by the
sweetness of his goodness. Accordingly, in Psalms 51:17, we found that the lips of
the faithful were opened to praise God, when they perceived that he was truly their
deliverer. In restricting his address to Israel, and to the children of Aaron, he is
guided by a regard to his own times, because, up to that period, the adoption did not
extend beyond that one nation. He again resumes the order which he observed in
Psalms 116:1; for, after exhorting the children of Abraham, who had been separated
from the Gentiles by the election of God, and also the sons of Aaron, who, by virtue
of the priesthood, ought to take the precedence in conducting the psalmody, he
directs his discourse to the other worshippers of God; because there were many
hypocrites among the Israelites, who, occupying a place in the Church, were yet
strangers to it. This is not inconsistent with David’s here speaking by the spirit of
prophecy, respecting the future kingdom of Christ. That kingdom, no doubt,
extended to the Gentiles, but its commencement and first-fruits were among God’s
chosen people.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 1. O give thanks unto the LORD. The grateful hero feels that he
cannot himself alone sufficiently express his thankfulness, and therefore he calls in
the aid of others. Grateful hearts are greedy of men's tongues, and would
monopolize them all for God's glory. The whole nation was concerned in David's
triumphant accession, and therefore it was right that they should unite in his
adoring song of praise. The thanks were to be rendered unto Jehovah alone, and not
to the patience or valour of the hero himself. It is always well to trace our mercies to

him who bestows them, and if we cannot give him anything else, let us at any rate
give him our thanks. We must not stop short at the second agent, but rise at once to
the first cause, and render all our praises unto the Lord himself. Have we been of a
forgetful or murmuring spirit? Let us hear the lively language of the text, and allow
it to speak to our hearts: "Cease your complaining, cease from all self glorification,
and give thanks unto the Lord."
For he is good. This is reason enough for giving him thanks; goodness is his essence
and nature, and therefore he is always to be praised whether we are receiving
anything from him or not. Those who only praise God because he does them good
should rise to a higher note and give thanks to him because he is good. In the truest
sense he alone is good, "There is none good but one, that is God"; therefore in all
gratitude the Lord should have the royal portion. If others seem to be good, he is
good. If others are good in a measure, he is good beyond measure. When others
behave badly to us, it should only stir us up the more heartily to give thanks unto
the Lord because he is good; and when we ourselves are conscious that we are far
from being good, we should only the more reverently bless him that "he is good."
We must never tolerate an instant's unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord;
whatever else may be questionable, this is absolutely certain, that Jehovah is good;
his dispensations may vary, but his nature is always the same, and always good. It is
not only that he was good, and will be good, but he is good; let his providence be
what it may. Therefore let us even at this present moment, though the skies be dark
with clouds, yet give thanks unto his name.
Because his mercy endureth for ever. Mercy is a great part of his goodness, and one
which more concerns us than any other, for we are sinners and have need of his
mercy. Angels may say that he is good, but they need not his mercy and cannot
therefore take an equal delight in it; inanimate creation declares that he is good, but
it cannot feel his mercy, for it has never transgressed; but man, deeply guilty and
graciously forgiven, beholds mercy as the very focus and centre of the goodness of
the Lord. The endurance of the divine mercy is a special subject for song:
notwithstanding our sins, our trials, our fears, his mercy endureth for ever. The best
of earthly joys pass away, and even the world itself grows old and hastens to decay,
but there is no change in the mercy of God; he was faithful to our forefathers, he is
merciful to us, and will be gracious to our children and our children's children. It is
to be hoped that the philosophical interpreters who endeavour to clip the word "for
ever", into a mere period of time will have the goodness to let this passage alone.
However, whether they do or not, we shall believe in endless mercyâ€”mercy to
eternity. The Lord Jesus Christ, who is the grand incarnation of the mercy of God,
calls upon us at every remembrance of him to give thanks unto the Lord, for "he is
good."
EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS.
Whole Psalm. This is the last of those Psalms which form the great Hallel, which the
Jews sang at the end of the passover. Adam Clarke.
Whole Psalm. The whole Psalm has a peculiar formation. It resembles the Maschal
Psalms, for each verse has of itself its completed sense, its own scent and hue; one
thought is joined to another as branch to branch and flower to flower. Franz
Delitzsch.
Whole Psalm. othing can surpass the force and majesty, as well as the richly

varied beauty, of this Psalm. Its general burden is quite manifest. It is the prophetic
expression, by the Spirit of Christ, of that exultant strain of anticipative triumph,
wherein the virgin daughter of Zion will laugh to scorn, in the immediate prospect
of her Deliverer's advent, the congregated armies of the Man of Sin (Psalms 118:10-
13). Arthur Pridham.
Whole Psalm. The two Psalms 117:1-2 th and 118th, are placed together because,
though each is a distinct portion in itself, the 117th is an exordium to that which
follows it, an address and an invitation to the Gentile and heathen world to
acknowledge and praise Jehovah.
We are now arrived at the concluding portion of the hymn, which Christ and his
disciples sung preparatory to their going forth to the Mount of Olives. othing
could be more appropriate or better fitted to comfort and encourage, at that awful
period, than a prophecy which, overleaping the suffering to be endured, showed
forth the glory that was afterwards to follow, and a song of triumph, then only
recited, but in due time to be literally acted, when the cross was to be succeeded by a
crown. This Psalm is not only frequently quoted in the ew Testament, but it was
also partially applied at one period of our Saviour's sojourn on earth, and thus we
are afforded decisive testimony to the purpose for which it is originally and
prophetically destined. It was partially used at the time when Messiah, in the days of
his humiliation, was received with triumph and acclamation into Jerusalem; and we
may conclude it will be fully enacted, when our glorified and triumphant Lord,
coming with ten thousand of his saints, will again stand upon the earth and receive
the promised salutation, "Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of Jehovah."
This dramatic representation of Messiah coming in glory, to take his great power
and reign among us, is apportioned to the chief character, "the King of kings and
Lord of lords, "to his saints following him in procession, and to priests and Levites,
representing the Jewish nation.
The Conqueror and his attendants sing the 117th Psalm, an introductory hymn,
inviting all, Jews and Gentiles, to share in the merciful kindness of God, and to sing
his praises. It is a gathering together of all the Lord's people, to be witnesses and
partakers of his glory. Psalms 118:1-3 are sung by single voices. As the procession
moves along, the theme of rejoicing is announced. The first voice repeats, O give
thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
Another single voice calls on Israel to acknowledge this great truth; and a third
invites the house of Aaron, the priesthood, to acknowledge their share in Jehovah's
love. Psalms 118:4 is a chorus; the whole procession, the living: and the dead who
are raised to meet Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16), shout aloud the burden of the song,
Psalms 118:1. Arrived at the temple gate, or rather, the gate of Jerusalem, the
Conqueror alone sings, Psalms 118:5-7. He begins by recounting the circumstances
of his distress. ext, he tells of his refuge: I betook me to God, I told him my
sorrows, and he heard me. The procession, in chorus, sings Psalms 118:8-9, taking
up the substance of Messiah's chaunt, and fully echoing the sentiment, It is better to
trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. The Conqueror alone again
sings Psalms 118:10-14. He enlarges on the magnitude of his dangers, and the
hopelessness of his situation. It was not a common difficulty, or a single enemy,
whole nations compassed him about. The procession in chorus, Psalms 118:15-16,
attributes their Lord's gloat deliverance to his righteous person, and to his righteous

cause. Justice and equity and truth, all demanded that Messiah should not be
trodden down. "Was it not thine arm, O Jehovah, which has gotten thee the
victory?" Messiah now takes up the language of a conqueror, Psalms 118:17-19. My
sufferings were sore, but they were only for a season. I laid down my life, and I now
take it up again: and then, with a loud voice, as when he roused Lazarus out of the
grave, he cries to those within the walls, Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will
go into them, and I will praise the LORD. The priests and Levites within instantly
obey his command, and while they throw open the gates, they sing, This is the gate
of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter. As he enters, the Conqueror
alone repeats Psalms 118:21. His sorrows are ended, his victory is complete. The
objects for which he lived and died, and for which his prayers were offered, are now
fulfilled, and thus, in a few short words, he expresses his joy and gratitude to God.
The priests and Levites sing in chorus Psalms 118:22-24. Depositaries and
expounders of the prophecies as they had long been, they now, for the first time,
quote and apply one, Isaiah 28:16, which held a conspicuous place, but never before
was intelligible to Jewish ears. "The man of sorrows, "the stone which the builders
refused, is become the headstone of the corner. The Conqueror is now within the
gates, and proceeds to accomplish his good purpose, Lu 1:68. Hosannah, save thy
people, O LORD, and send them now prosperity, Psalms 118:25. The priests and
Levites are led by the Spirit to use the words foretold by our Lord, Mt 28:39. ow at
length the veil is removed, and his people say, Blessed be he that cometh in the name
of the Lord, Psalms 118:26. The Conqueror and his train (Psalms 118:27) now
praise God, who has given light and deliverance and salvation, and they offer to him
the sacrifice of thanksgiving for all that they enjoy. The Conqueror alone (Psalms
118:28) next makes a solemn acknowledgment of gratitude and praise to Jehovah,
and then, all being within the gates, the united body, triumphant procession, priests
and Levites, end, as they commenced, O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever. R. H. Ryland, in "The Psalms restored to Messiah,
"1853.
Whole Psalm. It was Luther's favourite Psalm, his beauteous Confitemini, which
"had helped him out of what neither emperor nor king, nor any other man on earth,
could have helped him." With the exposition of this his noblest jewel, his defence
and his treasure, he occupied himself in the solitude of his Patmos (Coburg). Franz
Delitzsch.
Whole Psalm. This is my Psalm, my chosen Psalm. I love them all; I love all holy
Scripture, which is my consolation and my life. But this Psalm is nearest my heart,
and I have a peculiar right to call it mine. It has saved me from many a pressing
danger, from which nor emperor, nor kings, nor sages, nor saints, could have saved
me. It is my friend; dearer to me than all the honours and power of the earth... But
it may be objected, that this Psalm is common to all; no one has a right to call it his
own. Yes; but Christ is also common to all, and yet Christ is mine. I am not jealous
of my property; I would divide it with the whole world... And would to God that all
men would claim the Psalm as especially theirs! It would be the most touching
quarrel, the most agreeable to Godâ€”a quarrel of union and perfect charity.
Luther. From his Dedication of his Translation of Psalms 118:1-29 to the Abbot
Frederick of uremberg.
Ver. 1. For he is good. The praise of God could not be expressed in fewer words

than these, "For he is good." I see not what can be more solemn than this brevity,
since goodness is so peculiarly the quality of God, that the Son of God himself when
addressed by some one as "Good Master, "by one, namely, who beholding his flesh,
and comprehending not the fulness of his divine nature, considered him as man
only, replied, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God."
And what is this but to say, If you wish to call me good, recognize me as God?
Augustine.
Ver. 1. His mercy endureth for ever. What the close of Psalms 117:1-2 says of God's
truth, viz., that it endureth for ever, Psalms 118:1-4 says of its sister, his mercy or
lovingkindness. Franz Delitzsch.
Ver. 1-4. As the salvation of the elect is one, and the love of God to them one, so
should their song be one, as here four several times it is said, His mercy endureth for
ever. David Dickson.
Ver. 1-4. Because we hear the sentence so frequently repeated here, that "the mercy
of the Lord endureth for ever, "we are not to think that the Holy Spirit has
employed empty tautology, but our great necessity demands it: for in temptations
and dangers the flesh begins to doubt of the mercy of God; therefore nothing should
be so frequently impressed on the mind as this, that the mercy of God does not fail,
that the Eternal Father wearies not in remitting our sins. Solomon Gesner.
BE SO , "Verses 1-4
Psalms 118:1-4. O give thanks unto the Lord — All sorts of persons, which are
expressed particularly in the next three verses, as they are mentioned in like manner
and order Psalms 115:9-11, where see the notes. Let Israel — After the flesh, all the
tribes and people of Israel, except the Levites. Let the house of Aaron — The priests
and Levites, who were greatly discouraged and oppressed in Saul’s time, but
received great benefits under David’s government. Let them that fear the Lord —
The Gentile proselytes, of whom there were greater numbers in David’s time than
formerly had been, and were likely to be still more. Say, that his mercy endureth for
ever — ot only in the everlasting fountain thereof, God himself, but in its never
failing streams, which shall run parallel with the longest lines of eternity; and in the
vessels of mercy, who will be for ever monuments of it. Israel, and the house of
Aaron, and all that fear God, were called upon, Psalms 115., to trust in him. Here
they are called upon to acknowledge his goodness, and join in the same thankful
song, thus encouraging themselves to trust in him. Priests and people, Jews and
proselytes, must all confess that his mercy endureth for ever; that they have had
experience of it all their days, and that they confide in it for good things that shall
last to all eternity.
COFFMA , "Verse 1
PSALM 118
A HYM OF PRAISE TO GOD BECAUSE THE
REJECTED STO E HAS BECOME THE HEAD OF THE COR ER
A MESSIA IC PROPHECY OF THE SO OF GOD

A PSALM OF DAVID
We find ourselves unable to accept the dictum of most present-day scholars that,
"This is a marching song sung by the pilgrims not yet arrived coming to Jerusalem
to worship,"[1] or that it is a national hymn, "Referring to the whole congregation
of Israel."[2] either of these views is tenable.
(1) Regarding the liturgical explanation (pilgrims marching to the Temple), as Addis
admitted, "It is impossible to recover the original arrangement in detail."[3]
Furthermore, how did all those marching pilgrims bring the goats, and the sheep
and oxen for the sacrifices, all the while singing as they came? We simply can't see it
in this psalm. Besides this, "There is little agreement on the specific persons who
speak"[4] in various verses of the psalm.
(2) The "national hymn" interpretation. This is simply preposterous, because the
personal pronouns, "I," "my" and "me" occur thirty times in twenty-five verses
(Psalms 118:5-29). The psalm is intensely personal.
(3) The language of the psalm could not possibly have been spoken by a group of
singers. Such expressions as, "I will cut them off," repeated three times in Psalms
118:10-12, presumes an authority that no group of singers, no priest, or even the
whole nation of Israel had in their possession. Language such as this belongs only in
the mouth of a king. Only a powerful king enjoying the blessings of God Himself
could have "cut off nations" as indicated in these verses.
Barnes and others have downgraded the idea that the authorship and occasion of
the psalm can now be determined.
"The common opinion has been that it is a psalm of David, and that it was
composed when his troubles with Saul ceased, and when he became recognized as
king. Some have referred it to Hezekiah ... others to the return from Babylon ...
others to the times of the Maccabees. It would be useless to examine these opinions.
They are all conjectures, and no certainty is possible."[5]
evertheless, it appears to us as a certainty that David is the author and that the
psalm was written upon the occasion of the final defeat of King Saul and of David's
coming to the throne of Israel. The whole psalm fits this assumption perfectly.
Supporting this interpretation is the fact that both Christ and the apostles applied
what happened to David in this psalm to the Lord Jesus Christ, which indeed is
proper enough because David was the Old Testament Type of Christ. It is the
wealth of ew Testament references to this psalm, therefore, which confirms our
view of the Davidic and Messianic character of the composition.
Psalms 118:1-4
I TRODUCTIO

"O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;
For his lovingkindness endureth forever.
Let Israel now say,
That his lovingkindness endureth forever.
Let the house of Aaron now say,
That his lovingkindness endureth forever.
Let them now which fear Jehovah say,
That his lovingkindness endureth forever."
If this song was composed by King David upon the occasion of his offering a
sacrifice of thanksgiving for God's raising him to the throne of Israel, such a triple
repetition of praising God's lovingkindness appears understandable and highly
appropriate. We discussed the "three groups" mentioned here under Psalms 115:11.
It appears reasonable enough to suppose that upon the occasion of the king's coming
to the tabernacle, the singers would indeed have chanted such an introduction as
this.
COKE, "Verse 1
Psalms 118.
An exhortation to praise God for his mercy. The Psalmist by his experience sheweth
how good it is to trust in God. Under the type of the Psalmist, the coming of Christ
in his kingdom is expressed.
DR. DELA EY is of opinion, that this psalm was composed by David, after his
victory over the Philistines, recorded 2 Samuel 23. 1 Chronicles 11 and sung in the
tabernacle as an epinicion or hymn of thanksgiving to God for this victory. It
begins, O give thanks unto the Lord, &c. and then goes on in such a flow of
gratitude to God, such expressions of trust and confidence in him, and glory to him,
and adds to all this such descriptions of his enemies, in such a variety of lights and
images, as are the peculiar distinction of David's genius. Life of David, book 2: chap.
9. The psalm seems to be written in the form of a dialogue, in which there are
several interlocutors. All the first part was sung by David. At Psalms 118:19 he calls
upon the Israelites to open the gates, that he might praise God in the sanctuary; and
in Psalms 118:20 the Israelites reply. David then seems to take up the strain at the
21st and 22nd verses: the people at the 23rd and 24th; David again the 25th, the
priests at the 26th and 27th, and David at the 28th and 29th. This was the last of the
psalms which the Jews reckoned into their great ‫הלל‬ hallel, or which they sung after
their passover, and was therefore probably the conclusion of that hymn which the

blessed man Christ Jesus, with his disciples, sung after his last passover. It is plainly
most suitable to the occasion; and the learned Jews, both ancient and modern,
confess it to speak of the Messiah; to whom the writers of the ew Testament have
applied it. See Matthew 21:42. Acts 4:11.
CO STABLE, "Verses 1-4
1. Praise for Yahweh"s loyal love118:1-4
The first verse is a call to acknowledge God"s lovingkindness. Then the psalmist
appealed to all Israel, the priests, and all those who fear God to acknowledge the
limitless quality of His loyal love (cf. Psalm 115:9-13). Perhaps this call and response
structure found expression in antiphonal worship in which a leader or leaders
issued the call and the people responded out loud.
Verses 1-29
Psalm 118
This is the last in this series of the Egyptian Hallel psalms ( Psalm 113-118). It
describes a festal procession to the temple to praise and sacrifice to the Lord. The
historical background may be the dedication of the restored walls and gates of
Jerusalem in Ezra and ehemiah"s time, following the return from Babylonian
captivity, in444 B.C. [ ote: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p306.] It contains
elements of communal thanksgiving, individual thanksgiving, and liturgical psalms.
The subject is God"s loyal love for His people. The situation behind it seems to be
God"s restoration of the psalmist after a period of dishonor. This would have been a
very appropriate psalm to sing during the Feast of Tabernacles as well as at
Passover and Pentecost. The Lord Jesus and His disciples probably sang it together
in the Upper Room at the end of the Lord"s Supper (cf. Matthew 26:30).
"As the final psalm of the "Egyptian Hallel", sung to celebrate the Passover ..., this
psalm may have pictured to those who first sang it the rescue of Israel at the Exodus
, and the eventual journey"s end at Mount Zion. But it was destined to be fulfilled
more perfectly, as the echoes of it on Palm Sunday and in the Passion Week make
clear to every reader of the Gospels." [ ote: Kidner, Psalm 73-150 , pp412-13.]
EBC, "THIS is unmistakably a psalm for use in the Temple worship, and probably
meant to be sung antiphonally, on some day of national rejoicing (Psalms 118:24). A
general concurrence of opinion points to the period of the Restoration from Babylon
as its date, as in the case of many psalms in this Book 5 but different events
connected with that restoration have been selected. The psalm implies the
completion of the Temple, and therefore shuts out any point prior to that. Delitzsch
fixes on the dedication of the Temple as the occasion; but the view is still more
probable which supposes that it was sung on the great celebration of the Feast of
Tabernacles, recorded in ehemiah 8:14-18. In later times Psalms 118:25 was the
festal cry raised while the altar of burnt offering was solemnly compassed, once on
each of the first six days of the Feast of Tabernacles, and seven times on the seventh.
This seventh day was called the "Great Hosanna; and not only the prayers at the

Feast of Tabernacles, but even the branches of osiers (including the myrtles), which
are bound to the palm branch (Lulab), were called Hosannas" (Delitzsch). The
allusions in the psalm fit the circumstances of the time in question. Stier, Perowne,
and Baethgen concur in preferring this date: the last named critic, who is very slow
to recognise indications of specific dates, speaks with unwonted decisiveness, when
he writes, "I believe that I can say with certainty, Psalms 118:1-29 was sung for the
first time at the Feast of Tabernacles in the year 444 B.C." Cheyne follows his usual
guides in pointing to the purification and reconstruction of the Temple by Judas
Maccabaeus as "fully adequate to explain alike the tone and the expressions." He is
"the terrible hero," to whose character the refrain, "In the name of Jehovah I will
cut them down," corresponds. But the allusions in the psalm are quite as
appropriate to any other times of national jubilation and yet of danger, such as that
of the Restoration, and Judas the Maccabee had no monopoly of the warrior trust
which flames in that refrain.
Apparently the psalm falls into two halves, of which the former (Psalms 118:1-16)
seems to have been sung as a processional hymn while approaching the sanctuary,
and the latter (Psalms 118:17-29), partly at the Temple gates, partly by a chorus of
priests within, and partly by the procession when it had entered. Every reader
recognises traces of antiphonal singing; but it is difficult to separate the parts with
certainty. A clue may possibly be found by noting that verses marked by the
occurrence of "I," "me," and "my" are mingled with others more impersonal. The
personified nation is clearly the speaker of the former class of verses, which tells a
connected story of distress, deliverance, and grateful triumph; while the other less
personal verses generalise the experience of the first speaker, and sustain
substantially the part of the chorus in a Greek play. In the first part of the psalm we
may suppose that a part of the procession sang the one and another portion the
other series; while in the second part (Psalms 118:17-29) the more personal verses
were sung by the whole cortege arrived at the Temple, and the more generalised
other part was taken by a chorus of priests or Levites within the sanctuary. This
distribution of verses is occasionally uncertain, but on the whole is clear, and aids
the understanding of the psalm.
First rings out from the full choir the summons to praise, which peculiarly belonged
to the period of the Restoration. [Ezra 3:11;, Psalms 106:1; Psalms 107:1] As in
Psalms 115:1-18, three classes are called on: the whole house of Israel, the priests,
and "those who fear Jehovah"-i.e., aliens who have taken refuge beneath the wings
of Israel’s God. The threefold designation expresses the thrill of joy in the recovery
of national life; the high estimate of the priesthood as the only remaining God-
appointed order, now that the monarchy was swept away; and the growing desire to
draw the nations into the community of God’s people.
BI 1-4, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for
ever.
The perpetuity of Divine mercy
This is a subject for—

I. Joyous gratitude. “O give thanks,” etc. Why should the perpetuity of Divine mercy
inspire such fervent gratitude?
1. Because all men that now live require mercy. All men are so guilty and depraved as
to render them more or less unhappy here, and miserable hereafter. Mercy creates
men anew in Christ Jesus in good works.
2. Because all men that will hereafter live require mercy. Thank God, then, that
mercy is to run on to the crash of doom.
II. The celebration of all men. The perpetuity of mercy is a subject in which men of all
characters, of all lands, of all times may triumphantly rejoice. Here we can all meet, both
the rich and the poor. (Homilist.)
Boundless mercy
O this mercy of God! I am told it is an ocean. Then I place on it four swift-sailing craft,
with compass, and charts, and choice rigging, and skilful navigators, and I tell them to
launch away, and discover for me the extent of this ocean. That craft puts out in one
direction, and sails to the north; this to the south; this to the east; this to the west. They
crowd on all their canvas, and sail ten thousand years, and one day come up the harbour
of heaven; and I shout to them from the beach, “Have you found the shore?” and they
answer: “No shore to God’s mercy.” Swift angels, despatched from the throne, attempt to
go across it. For a million years they fly and fly; but then come back and fold their wings
at the foot of the throne, and cry: “No shore; no shore to God’s mercy!” (T. De Witt
Talmage.)
K&D 1-18, "The Hodu-cry is addressed first of all and every one; then the whole body
of the laity of Israel and the priests, and at last (as it appears) the proselytes (vid., on
Psa_115:9-11) who fear the God of revelation, are urgently admonished to echo it back;
for “yea, His mercy endureth for ever,” is the required hypophon. In Psa_118:5, Israel
too then begins as one man to praise the ever-gracious goodness of God. ָ‫,י‬ the Jod of
which might easily become inaudible after ‫י‬ ִ‫את‬ ָ‫ר‬ ָ‫,ק‬ has an emphatic Dagesh as in Psa_
118:18, and ‫ֽר‬ ַ‫צ‬ ֵ ַ‫ה‬ has the orthophonic stroke beside ‫ר‬ ַ‫צ‬ (the so-called ‫ל‬ ֵ ַ‫,)מ‬ which points
to the correct tone-syllable of the word that has Dechî.
(Note: Vid., Baer's Thorath Emeth, p. 7 note, and p. 21, end of note 1.)
Instead of ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ַ‫נ‬ ָ‫ע‬ it is here pointed ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫נ‬ ָ‫,ע‬ which also occurs in other instances not only with
distinctive, but also (though not uniformly) with conjunctive accents.
(Note: Hitzig on Pro_8:22 considers the pointing ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫נ‬ ָ‫ק‬ to be occasioned by Dechî,
and in fact ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫נ‬ ָ‫ע‬ in the passage before us has Tarcha, and in 1Sa_28:15 Munach; but in
the passage before us, if we read ‫ה‬ָ‫במרחבי‬ as one word according to the Masora, ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫נ‬ ָ‫ע‬ is
rather to be accented with Mugrash; and in 1Sa_28:15 the reading ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ַ‫נ‬ ָ‫ע‬ is found side
by side with ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫נ‬ ָ‫ע‬ (e.g., in Bibl. Bomberg. 1521). Nevertheless ‫ני‬ ָ‫צרפת‬ Psa_17:3, and ‫ני‬ ָ‫הר‬

Job_30:19 (according to Kimchi's Michlol, 30a), beside Mercha, show that the
pointing beside conjunctive as beside disjunctive accents wavers between a& and a4,
although a4 is properly only justified beside disjunctive accents, and ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫וּ‬ ִ‫צ‬ also really
only occurs in pause.)
The constructions is a pregnant one (as in Psa_22:22; Psa_28:1; Psa_74:7; 2Sa_18:19;
Ezr_2:62; 2Ch_32:1): He answered me by removing me to a free space (Psa_18:20).
Both lines end with ָ‫;י‬ nevertheless the reading ‫ה‬ָ‫י‬ ְ‫ב‬ ַ‫ח‬ ְ‫ר‬ ֶ ַ‫ב‬ is attested by the Masora (vid.,
Baer's Psalterium, pp. 132f.), instead of ָ‫י‬ ‫ב‬ ָ‫ח‬ ְ‫ר‬ ֶ ַ . It has its advocates even in the Talmud
(B. Pesachim 117a), and signifies a boundless extent, ‫יה‬ expressing the highest degree of
comparison, like ‫ה‬ָ‫י‬ ְ‫ל‬ ֵ ְ‫א‬ ַ‫מ‬ in Jer_2:31, the deepest darkness. Even the lxx appears to have
read ‫מרחביה‬ thus as one word (εᅶς πλατυσµόν, Symmachus εᅶς εᆒρυχωρίαν). The Targum
and Jerome, however, render it as we do; it is highly improbable that in one and the
same verse the divine name should not be intended to be used in the same force of
meaning. Psa_56:1-13 (Psa_56:10; Psa_56:5, Psa_56:12) echoes in Psa_118:6; and in
Psa_118:7 Psa_54:1-7 (Psa_54:6) is in the mind of the later poet. In that passage it is
still more clear than in the passage before us that by the Beth of ‫י‬ ֵ‫ר‬ְ‫ֽז‬ּ‫ע‬ ְ Jahve is not meant
to be designated as unus e multis, but as a helper who outweighs the greatest multitude
of helpers. The Jewish people had experienced this helpful succour of Jahve in
opposition to the persecutions of the Samaritans and the satraps during the building of
the Temple; and had at the same time learned what is expressed in Psa_118:7-8 (cf. Psa_
146:3), that trust in Jahve (for which ְ‫ב‬ ‫ה‬ ָ‫ס‬ ָ‫ח‬ is the proper word) proves true, and trust in
men, on the contrary, and especially in princes, is deceptive; for under Pseudo-Smerdis
the work, begun under Cyrus, and represented as open to suspicion even in the reign of
Cambyses, was interdicted. But in the reign of Darius it again became free: Jahve
showed that He disposes events and the hearts of men in favour of His people, so that
out of this has grown up in the minds of His people the confident expectation of a world-
subduing supremacy expressed in Psa_118:10.
The clauses Psa_118:10, Psa_118:11, and Psa_118:12, expressed in the perfect form,
are intended more hypothetically than as describing facts. The perfect is here set out in
relief as a hypothetical tense by the following future. ‫ם‬ִ‫ּוי‬ ‫ל־‬ ָⅴ signifies, as in Psa_117:1, the
heathen of every kind. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ּר‬‫ב‬ ְ (in the Aramaic and Arabic with )‫ז‬ are both bees and wasps,
which make themselves especially troublesome in harvest time. The suffix of ‫ם‬ ָ‫יל‬ ִ‫מ‬ ֲ‫א‬ (from
‫מוּל‬ = ‫ל‬ ַ‫ל‬ ָ‫,מ‬ to hew down, cut in pieces) is the same as in Exo_29:30; Exo_2:17, and also
beside a conjunctive accent in Psa_74:8. Yet the reading ‫ם‬ ַ‫יל‬ ִ‫מ‬ ֲ‫,א‬ like ‫ן‬ ַ‫ית‬ ִ‫ח‬ְ‫י‬ Hab_2:17, is
here the better supported (vid., Gesenius, Lehrgebäude, S. 177), and it has been adopted
by Norzi, Heidenheim, and Baer. The ‫י‬ ִⅴ is that which states the ground or reason, and
then becomes directly confirmatory and assuring (Psa_128:2, Psa_128:4), which here,
after the “in the name of Jahve” that precedes it, is applied and placed just as in the oath
in 1Sa_14:44. And in general, as Redslob has demonstrated, ‫י‬ ִⅴ has not originally a
relative, but a positive (determining) signification, ‫כ‬ being just as much a demonstrative
sound as ‫,ד‬ ‫,ז‬ ‫,שׁ‬ and ‫ת‬ (cf. ᅚκεሏ, ᅚκεሏνος, κει'νος, ecce, hic, illic, with the Doric τηνεί, τᇿνος).
The notion of compassing round about is heightened in Psa_118:11 by the juxtaposition

of two forms of the same verb (Ges. §67, rem. 10), as in Hos_4:18; Hab_1:5; Zep_2:1,
and frequently. The figure of the bees is taken from Deu_1:44. The perfect ‫כוּ‬ ֲ‫ֽע‬ּ (cf. Isa_
43:17) describes their destruction, which takes place instantly and unexpectedly. The
Pual points to the punishing power that comes upon them: they are extinguished
(exstinguuntur) like a fire of thorns, the crackling flame of which expires as quickly as it
has blazed up (Psa_58:10). In Psa_118:13 the language of Israel is addressed to the
hostile worldly power, as the antithesis shows. It thrust, yea thrust (inf. intens.) Israel,
that it might fall (‫ּל‬ ְ‫נ‬ ִ‫;ל‬ with reference to the pointing, vid., on Psa_40:15); but Jahve's
help would not suffer it to come to that pass. Therefore the song at the Red Sea is revived
in the heart and mouth of Israel. Psa_118:14 (like Isa_12:2) is taken from Exo_15:2. ‫י‬ִ ָ‫ע‬
(in MSS also written ‫י‬ִ ָ‫)ע‬ is a collateral form of ‫י‬ִ ֻ‫ע‬ (Ew. §255, a), and here signifies the
lofty self-consciousness which is united with the possession of power: pride and its
expression an exclamation of joy. Concerning ‫ת‬ ַ‫ר‬ ְ‫מ‬ִ‫ז‬ vid., on Psa_16:6. As at that time, the
cry of exultation and of salvation (i.e., of deliverance and of victory) is in the tabernacles
of the righteous: the right hand of Jahve - they sing - ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ָ‫ח‬ ‫ה‬ ָ‫ּשׂ‬‫ע‬ (Num_24:18), practises
valour, proves itself energetic, gains (maintains) the victory. ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ֵ‫ּומ‬‫ר‬ is Milra, and
therefore an adjective: victoriosa (Ew. §120 d), from ‫ם‬ ַ‫מ‬ ָ‫ר‬ = ‫רוּם‬ like ‫ם‬ ֵ‫ּומ‬‫שׁ‬ from ‫ם‬ ֵ‫מ‬ ָ‫.שׁ‬ It is
not the part. Pil. (cf. Hos_11:7), since the rejection of the participial Mem occurs in
connection with Poal and Pual, but not elsewhere with Pilel (‫ם‬ ֵ‫ּומ‬‫ר‬ = ‫ם‬ ֵ‫ּומ‬‫ר‬ ְ‫מ‬ from ‫.)רוּם‬ The
word yields a simpler sense, too, as adject. participle Kal; romēmáh is only the fuller
form for ramáh, Exo_14:8 (cf. rámah, Isa_26:11). It is not its own strength that avails for
Israel's exultation of victory, but the energy of the right hand of Jahve. Being come to the
brink of the abyss, Israel is become anew sure of its immortality through Him. God has,
it is true, most severely chastened it (‫י‬ִ ַ‫ר‬ ְ ִ‫י‬ with the suffix anni as in Gen_30:6, and ָ‫י‬
with the emphatic Dagesh, which neither reduplicates nor connects, cf. Psa_118:5, Psa_
94:12), but still with moderation (Isa_27:7.). He has not suffered Israel to fall a prey to
death, but reserved it for its high vocation, that it may see the mighty deeds of God and
proclaim them to all the world. Amidst such celebration of Jahve the festive procession
of the dedication of the Temple has arrived at the enclosure wall of the Temple.
2 Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”

BAR ES, "Let Israel now say ... - The Hebrew people; the people of God. They
have now, in my case, a new illustration of the mercy of God which ought to animate
them, and to encourage their hearts. Compare Psa_115:9.
CLARKE, "Let Israel now say - Seeing the hand of the Lord so visibly, and the
deliverance gained, that God’s mercy endureth for ever.
GILL, "Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let such who have
had an experience of it acknowledge and declare it to others; not only believe in it with
their hearts, and privately give thanks for it, but with the mouth make confession of it to
the glory of divine grace; not only literal Israel, whom the Lord brought out of Egypt, led
and fed in the wilderness, and settled in the land of Canaan; and to whom the law and
the services of God, the covenants and promises, word and ordinances, belonged; and
who now were so happy under the government of such a king as David; but also the
spiritual Israel of God, the whole Israel of God, Jews and Gentiles, under the Gospel
dispensation; the Israel whom God has chosen, Christ has redeemed, and the Spirit
effectually calls and sanctifies; such who are Israelites indeed, who have been
encouraged to hope in the Lord, and in his mercy, and are made partakers of it; these
should speak of the grace and mercy of God, and the continuance of it, for the
encouragement of others.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 2. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. God
had made a covenant with their forefathers, a covenant of mercy and love, and to
that covenant he was faithful evermore. Israel sinned in Egypt, provoked the Lord
in the wilderness, went astray again and again under the judges, and transgressed at
all times; and yet the Lord continued to regard them as his people, to favour them
with his oracles, and to forgive their sins. He speedily ceased from the chastisements
which they so richly deserved, because he had a favour towards them. He put his
rod away the moment they repented, because his heart was full of compassion. "His
mercy endureth for ever" was Israel's national hymn, which, as a people, they had
been called upon to sing upon many former occasions; and now their leader, who
had at last gained the place for which Jehovah had destined him, calls upon the
whole nation to join with him in extolling, in this particular instance of the divine
goodness, the eternal mercy of the Lord. David's success was mercy to Israel, as well
as mercy to himself. If Israel does not sing, who will? If Israel does not sing of
mercy, who can? If Israel does not sing when the Son of David ascends the throne,
the very stones will cry out.
Ver. 2. Let Israel now say. Albeit all the elect have interest in God's praise for
mercies purchased by Christ unto them, yet the elect of Israel have the first room in
the song; for Christ is first promised to them, and came of them according to the

flesh, and will be most marvellous about them. David Dickson.
Ver. 2. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let such who have had
an experience of it, acknowledge and declare it to others; not only believe it with
their hearts, and privately give thanks for it, but with the mouth make confession of
it to the glory of divine grace. John Gill.
Ver. 2-4. ow. Beware of delaying. Delays be dangerous, our hearts will cool, and
our affections will fall down. It is good then to be doing while it is called today,
while it is called now. ow, now, now, saith David; there be three nows, and all to
teach us that for aught we know, it is now or never, today or not at all; we must
praise God while the heart is hot, else our iron will cool. Satan hath little hope to
prevail unless he can persuade us to omit our duties when the clock strikes, and
therefore his skill is to urge us to put it off till another time as fitter or better. Do it
anon, next hour, next day, next week (saith he); and why not next year? Hereafter
(saith he) it will be as well as now. This he saith indeed, but his meaning (by
hereafter) is never: and he that is not fit today, hath no promise but he shall be more
unapt tomorrow. We have neither God nor our own hearts at command; and when
we have lost the opportunity, God to correct us perhaps will not give us affections.
The cock within shall not crow to awaken us, the sun shall not shine, and then we
are in danger to give over quite; and if we come once to a total omission of one duty,
why not of another, and of another, and so of all? and then farewell to us. Richard
Capel (1586-1656) in "Tentations, their ature, Danger, Cure."
3 Let the house of Aaron say:
BAR ES, "Let the house of Aaron now say ... - Compare Psa_115:10. The
ministers of religion. They are appointed to serve God; to lead in his worship; to defend
his truth; to keep up faith in the truth of religion. They are, therefore, interested in my
case, and may derive from it a new proof of the merciful character of God which they
may employ, not only for their own encouragement in personal piety, but in the duties of
their office. My case furnishes a new argument, of which they can make use in defending
the truth, and in illustrating the power of religion.
CLARKE, "The house of Aaron - The priesthood is still preserved, and the temple
worship restored.

GILL, "Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
The priests and Levites that blessed the people, and taught them the knowledge of divine
things; but not these literally, at least not only these, since the priesthood of Aaron is
changed, and the law of it abrogated, and all believers are now priests unto God, and
offer up spiritual sacrifices to him; and particularly the sacrifice of praise for his grace
and mercy, the perpetuity of which they should publish and proclaim all abroa
SPURGEO , "Ver. 3. Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for
ever. The sons of Aaron were specially set apart to come nearest to God, and it was
only because of his mercy that they were enabled to live in the presence of the thrice
holy Jehovah, who is a consuming fire. Every time the morning and evening lamb
was sacrificed, the priests saw the continual mercy of the Lord, and in all the holy
vessels of the sanctuary, and all its services from hour to hour, they had renewed
witness of the goodness of the Most High. When the high priest went in unto the
holy place and came forth accepted, he might, above all men, sing of the eternal
mercy. If this Psalm refers to David, the priests had special reason for thankfulness
on his coming to the throne, for Saul had made a great slaughter among them, and
had at various times interfered with their sacred office. A man had now come to the
throne who for their Master's sake would esteem them, give them their dues, and
preserve them safe from all harm. Our Lord Jesus, having made all his people
priests unto God, may well call upon them in that capacity to magnify the
everlasting mercy of the Most High. Can any one of the royal priesthood be silent?
Psalms 118:4*
4 Let those who fear the Lord say:
BAR ES, "Let them now that fear the Lord say ... - Compare Psa_115:11. All
that worship God are interested in what God has done for me. It is a manifestation of the
divine character which should cheer them. They are called, therefore, to unite with the
author of the psalm in praise and thanksgiving, not merely from sympathy with him, but
because great truths of religion had been illustrated, in his case, which were of as much
importance to them as to him.
CLARKE, "That fear the Lord - All sincere penitents and genuine believers. See
the notes on Psa_115:9-11 (note).

GILL, "Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for
ever. Not the proselytes to the Jewish religion only, but all that feared the Lord among
all people, as Aben Ezra observes; such as fear the Lord and his goodness, and have had
an experience of his grace and mercy, which has caused them to fear him; and to whom
the mercy of God is great, and on whom it is from everlasting to everlasting; and
therefore should speak well of it, and set their seal to it, that it abides for ever; see Psa_
103:11.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 4. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy
endureth for ever. If there were any throughout the world who did not belong to
Israel after the flesh, but nevertheless had a holy fear and lowly reverence of God,
the Psalmist calls upon them to unite with him in his thanksgiving, and to do it
especially on the occasion of his exaltation to the throne; and this is no more than
they would cheerfully agree to do, since every good man in the world is benefited
when a true servant of God is placed in a position of honour and influence. The
prosperity of Israel through the reign of David was a blessing to all who feared
Jehovah. A truly God fearing man will have his eye much upon God's mercy,
because he is deeply conscious of his need of it, and because that attribute excites in
him a deep feeling of reverential awe. "There is forgiveness with thee that thou
mayest be feared."
In the three exhortations, to Israel, to the house of Aaron, and to them that fear the
Lord, there is a repetition of the exhortation to say, "that his mercy endureth for
ever." We are not only to believe, but to declare the goodness of God; truth is not to
be hushed up, but proclaimed. God would have his people act as witnesses, and not
stand silent in the day when his honour is impugned. Specially is it our joy to speak
out to the honour and glory of God when we think up, in the exaltation of his dear
Son. We should shout "Hosannah, "and sing loud "Hallelujahs" when we behold
the stone which the builders rejected lifted into its proper place.
In each of the three exhortations notice carefully the word "now." There is no time
like time present for telling out the praises of God. The present exaltation of the Son
of David now demands from all who are the subjects of his kingdom continual songs
of thanksgiving to him who hath set him on high in the midst of Zion. ow with us
should mean always. When would it be right to cease from praising God, whose
mercy never ceases?
The fourfold testimonies to the everlasting mercy of God which are now before us
speak like four evangelists, each one declaring the very pith and marrow of the
gospel; and they stand like four angels at the four corners of the earth holding the
winds in their hands, restraining the plagues of the latter days that the mercy and
long suffering of God may endure towards the sons of men. Here are four cords to
bind the sacrifice to the four horns of the altar, and four trumpets with which to
proclaim the year of jubilee to every quarter of the world. Let not the reader pass on
to the consideration of the rest of the Psalm until he has with all his might lifted up
both heart and voice to praise the Lord, "for his mercy endureth for ever."
"Let us with a gladsome mind

Praise the Lord, for he is kind;
For his mercies shall endure
Ever faithful, ever sure."
Ver. 4. Them that fear the LORD. Who were neither of "the house of Aaron, "that
is, of the priests or Levites; nor of "the house of Israel, "that is, native Jews; yet
might be of the Jewish religion, and "fear the LORD." These were called proselytes,
and are here invited to praise the Lord. Joseph Caryl.
Ver. 4. God's mercy endureth for ever. That is, his covenant mercy, that precious
church privilege: this is perpetual to his people, and should perpetually remain as a
memorial in our hearts. And therefore it is that this is the foot or burden of these
first four verses. either is there any idle repetition, but a notable expression of the
saints' insatiableness of praising God for his never failing mercy. These heavenly
birds having got a note, sing it over and over. In the last Psalm there are but six
verses, yet twelve Hallelujahs. Abraham Wright.
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
BAR ES, "I called upon the Lord in distress - Margin, as in Hebrew, “out of
distress.” In the very midst of trouble he called upon the Lord; his voice was heard, as it
were, coming from the depth of his sorrows. See the notes at Psa_18:6.
The Lord answered me - That is, he heard my prayers, and delivered me. See the
notes at Psa_18:6.
And set me in a large place - I was before pressed on every side; sorrows
compassed me around; I could not move; I had no liberty. Now he gave me space and
freedom on every side, so that I could move without obstruction or pain. This is literally,
“The Lord” - (not ‫יהוה‬ Yahweh here, but ‫יה‬ Yâhh) “answered me in a large place.” See
Psa_4:1, note; Psa_18:19, note.
CLARKE, "I called upon the Lord - I am a standing proof and living witness of
God’s mercy. Take encouragement from me.

GILL, "I called upon the Lord in distress,.... Or "out of that strait" (q); when
David was encompassed by Saul and his men, or when at the court of Achish, or when
his own people talked of stoning him. As this may respect the Messiah, it may design his
distresses in the garden, when surrounded with sorrow, and being in an agony prayed
the more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood; and may be
applied to his members, as it often is their case to be in distress, straits and difficulties,
through outward afflictions and pressures, inward corruptions, temptations, and
desertions, and through the low exercise of grace; when they are as it were imprisoned,
and so straitened they cannot come forth in the free exercise of it; at all which seasons
prayer is necessary; and nothing is more proper than to call upon the Lord, which is
both duty and privilege, and often attended with success, as follows;
the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place; as he did David, when he
delivered him from all his troubles, placed him on the throne of Israel, and gave him rest
from all his enemies round about; see Psa_31:8. And so he did the Messiah, when he
raised him from the dead, received him to heaven, where he sits at the right of God in
human nature: this is a large place indeed, large enough for the innumerable company of
angels, and for all the saints, for whom everlasting habitations and mansions of bliss are
preparing by him; and which is the glories liberty of the children of God; see Psa_18:19;
and these also, upon calling on the Lord in distress, are heard and answered, and
brought into large places, where they walk at liberty; so at first conversion, when
distressed about their souls, and cry for help, they are answered and brought out of the
pit, and have their feet set upon a rock and their goings established; and when at other
times their grace is drawn forth into exercise, their souls are enlarged in duty, are
favoured with large views of the love of God, with an increase of spiritual light,
knowledge, peace, and joy; and are delivered from their troubles, and out of the hands of
their enemies. Or it may be rendered, "the Lord answered me largely" (r); as he did
Solomon, when he gave him more than he asked for; and as he does his people, when he
gives them a sufficiency, and an abundance of his grace, and even not only above their
deserts, but above their thoughts and expectations; see Eph_3:20.
HE RY 5-11, "He preserves an account of God's gracious dealings with him in
particular, which he communicates to others, that they might thence fetch both songs of
praise and supports of faith, and both ways God would have the glory. David had, in his
time, waded through a great deal of difficulty, which gave him great experience of God's
goodness. Let us therefore observe here,
1. The great distress and danger that he had been in, which he reflects upon for the
magnifying of God's goodness to him in his present advancement. There are many who,
when they are lifted up, care not for hearing or speaking of their former depressions; but
David takes all occasions to remember his own low estate. He was in distress (Psa_
118:5), greatly straitened and at a loss; there were many that hated him (Psa_118:7), and
this could not but be a great grief to one of an ingenuous spirit, that strove to gain the
good affections of all. All nations compassed me about, Psa_118:10. All the nations
adjacent to Israel set themselves to give disturbance to David, when he had newly come
to the throne, Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, Ammonites, etc. We read of his enemies
round about; they were confederate against him, and thought to cut off all succours
from him. This endeavour of his enemies to surround him is repeated (Psa_118:11):
They compassed me about, yea, they compassed me about, which intimates that they

were virulent and violent, and, for a time, prevalent, in their attempts against him, and
when put into disorder they rallied again and pushed on their design. They compassed
me about like bees, so numerous were they, so noisy, so vexatious; they came flying upon
him, came upon him in swarms, set upon him with their malignant stings; but it was to
their own destruction, as the bee, they say, loses her life with her sting, Animamque in
vulnere ponit - She lays down her life in the wound. Lord, how are those increased that
trouble me! Two ways David was brought into trouble: -
JAMISO , "distress — literally, “straits,” to which “large place” corresponds, as in
Psa_4:1; Psa_31:8.
CALVI , "5I called upon God in my distress. We have here a particular application
of the doctrine we formerly mentioned, to the person of David; with which also is
conjoined the rejoicing of the whole Church, for whose public welfare God made
provision by upholding him. By his own example he establishes the faithful, showing
them that they ought not to faint in the day of adversity. He seems designedly to
anticipate an objection, which is apt to arise in the minds of men the moment that
the goodness of God is proclaimed, “Why does he permit his servants to be so sore
oppressed and afflicted?” David therefore reminds them, notwithstanding, that
God’s mercy never fails, for we have in prayer, consolation and an antidote for all
our ills. The season, too, in which he says that he made supplication, by means of
which he obtained deliverance, was that of distress, which touches us, that the time
of sad adversity is most proper for abounding in prayer.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 5. I called upon the LORD in distress, or, "out of anguish I
invoked Jah." othing was left him but prayer, his agony was too great for aught
beside; but having the heart and the privilege to pray he possessed all things.
Prayers which come out of distress generally come out of the heart, and therefore
they go to the heart of God. It is sweet to recollect our prayers, and often profitable
to tell others of them after they are heard. Prayer may be bitter in the offering, but
it will be sweet in the answering. The man of God had called upon the Lord when he
was not in distress, and therefore he found it natural and easy to call upon him
when he was in distress. He worshipped he praised, he prayed: for all this is
included in calling upon God, even when he was in a straitened condition. Some
read the original "a narrow gorge"; and therefore it was the more joy to him when
he could say "The Lord answered me, and set me in a large place." He passed out of
the defile of distress into the well watered plain of delight. He says, "Jah heard me
in a wide place, "for God is never shut up, or straitened. In God's case hearing
means answering, hence the translators rightly put, "The Lord answered me,
"though the original word is "heard." The answer was appropriate to the prayer,
for he brought him out of his narrow and confined condition into a place of liberty
where he could walk at large, free from obstruction and oppression. Many of us can
join with the Psalmist in the declarations of this verse; deep was our distress on
account of sin, and we were shut up as in a prison under the law, but in answer to
the prayer of faith we obtained the liberty of full justification wherewith Christ

makes men free, and we are free indeed. It was the Lord who did it, and unto his
name we ascribe all the glory; we had no merits, no strength, no wisdom, all we
could do was to call upon him, and even that was his gift; but the mercy which is to
eternity came to our rescue, we were brought out of bondage, and we were made to
delight ourselves in the length and breadth of a boundless inheritance. What a large
place is that in which the great God has placed us! All things are ours, all times are
ours, all places are ours, for God himself is ours; we have earth to lodge in and
heaven to dwell in, â€”what larger place can be imagined? We need all Israel, the
whole house of Aaron, and all them that fear the Lord, to assist us in the expression
of our gratitude; and when they have aided us to the utmost, and we ourselves have
done our best, all will fall short of the praises that are due to our gracious Lord.
Ver. 5. Perhaps Psalms 118:5, which says, I called upon the LORD in distress
(literally, out of the narrow gorge), and the LORD answered me on the open plain â
€”which describes the deliverance of Israel from their captivity, â€”may have been
sung as they defiled from a narrow ravine into the plain; and when they arrived at
the gate of the temple, then they broke forth in full chorus into the words, "Open to
me the gates of righteousness" (Psalms 118:19). Christopher Wordsworth.
Ver. 5. It is said, I called upon the LORD. Thou must learn to call, and not to sit
there by thyself, and lie on the bench, hang and shake thy head, and bite and devour
thyself with thy thoughts; but come on, thou indolent knave, down upon thy knees,
up with thy hands and eyes to heaven, take a Psalm or a prayer, and set forth thy
distress with tears before God. Martin Luther.
Ver. 5. The LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. It may be rendered,
The LORD answered me largely;as he did Solomon, when he gave him more than he
asked for; and as he does his people, when he gives them a sufficiency and an
abundance of his grace; not only above their deserts, but above their thoughts and
expectations. See Ephesians 3:20. John Gill.
BE SO , "Verses 5-7
Psalms 118:5-7. I called upon the Lord in distress — As if he had said, You may see
an example of the divine mercy in me, who was in grievous straits and dangers, but,
imploring God’s protection and help, he answered me, and set me in a large place —
He not only delivered me, but placed me in a secure condition, free from all such
molestation. Dr. Waterland renders the clause, The Lord answered me with
enlargement. The Lord is on my side — It is evident he takes my part; I will not
fear, &c. — Though I have many enemies, I am not afraid of them, for greater is he
that is for me than all those that are against me. What can man do unto me? —
Man, a frail and impotent creature in himself, and much more when he is opposed
to the almighty God. He can do nothing to me but what God permits him to do;
nothing but what God can and will make to work for my good. The apostle quotes
this verse with application to all true Christians, Hebrews 13:6. The Lord taketh my
part, &c. — He is present with my helpers, and enables them to defend me;
therefore shall I see my desire, &c. — I shall see my enemies defeated in their
designs against me.
COFFMA ,"Verse 5

"Out of my distress I called upon Jehovah:
Jehovah answered me and set me in a large place.
Jehovah is on my side; I will not fear:
What can man do unto me?
Jehovah is on my side among them that help me:
Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me."
"And set me in a large place" (Psalms 118:5). The palace of the king of Israel would
indeed qualify for such a designation.
"I will not fear what man can do unto me" (Psalms 118:6). The author of Hebrews
quoted this making it applicable to Christians in Hebrews 13:6.
"Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me" (Psalms 118:7). David
indeed lived to see the death of King Saul, and the fierce partisans who had
attempted to kill him, either dispersed and powerless, or slain in battle.
CO STABLE, "Verses 5-9
The writer gave personal testimony to God"s deliverance of him in answer to
prayer. Setting him in "a large place" ( Psalm 118:5, ASB) pictures freedom to
move about without constraint. Since God was with him, he did not need to fear
what other people might do to him (cf. Hebrews 13:6). Furthermore the Lord would
be his helper, so he could expect to prevail over his adversaries. Therefore it is
better to trust in Yahweh than to place one"s confidence in men, even the most
powerful of men. "Man" and "princes" ( Psalm 118:8-9) constitute a merism
meaning all people, both lowly and exalted (cf. Psalm 146:3).
EBC, "Then, with Psalms 118:5, the single voice begins. His experience, now to be
told, is the reason for the praise called for in the previous verses. It is the familiar
sequence reiterated in many a psalm and many a life, -distress, or "a strait place,"
[Psalms 116:3] a cry to Jehovah, His answer by enlargement, and a consequent
triumphant confidence, which has warrant in the past for believing that no hand
can hurt him whom Jehovah’s hand helps. Many a man passes through the
psalmist’s experience without thereby achieving the psalmist’s settled faith and
power to despise threatening calamities. We fail both in recounting clearly to
ourselves our deliverances and in drawing assurance from them for the future.
Psalms 118:5 b is a pregnant construction. He "answered me in [or, into] an open
place"-i.e., by bringing me into it The contrast of a narrow gorge and a wide plain
picturesquely expresses past restraints and present freedom of movement. Psalms
118:6 is taken from Psalms 56:9; Psalms 56:11; and Psalms 118:7 is influenced by
Psalms 54:4, and reproduces the peculiar expression occurring there, "Jehovah is
among my helpers,"-on which compare remarks on that passage.

6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
BAR ES, "The Lord is on my side - Margin, as in Hebrew,” for me.” The Lord is
with me. He is my helper. He defends my cause.
I will not fear - I have nothing to be afraid of. God is more mighty than any or all of
my foes, and he can deliver me from them all. Compare Psa_56:4, Psa_56:9,Psa_56:11.
What can man do unto me? - Any person; all people. They can do no more than
God permits. They cannot destroy me when he means to save me; they cannot defeat his
gracious designs toward me. I am safe if God is my Friend. Compare the notes at Rom_
8:31.
GILL, "The Lord is on my side,.... Or "for me" (s); he was on the side of David,
hence all his prosperity and victories, the wonderful things done by him, his exaltation to
the throne, and the establishment of it; and so he was on the side of Christ, he was near
unto him, at his right hand, to guide, direct, and assist him as man; and he is likewise on
the side of his people, to fight their battles for them, to support them under all their
afflictions, to supply all their wants, to deliver them from all evil, to carry on the work of
grace in their souls, and to bring them to glory, The Targum is,
"the Word of the Lord is for my help.''
I will not fear: what can man do unto me? David did not; he was not afraid of ten
thousands of men, no, not of a whole army that encamped against him, God being for
him, the strength of his life, and his salvation, Psa_3:6; nor did the Messiah; he was not
afraid of Herod when he was told he would kill him; nor of the high priests, Scribes and
Pharisees, though he knew he should fall into their hands, and they would deliver him to
the Gentiles, to be scourged and crucified; nor of Judas and his band of men, who came
to take him; nor of Pilate his judge, who had no power against him but what was given
him. Nor have the saints any reason to fear what man can do unto them, when grace is in
exercise; for what is man to God, who is but flesh, and that flesh grass? Nor can he do
anything without a divine permission; is often frustrated in his attempt; and what he is
suffered to do is overruled for good; and the utmost he can do is to kill the body; he
cannot destroy the soul, or hinder the happiness of it; see Psa_56:4.

JAMISO , "Men are helpless to hurt him, if God be with him (Psa_56:9), and, if
enemies, they will be vanquished (Psa_54:7).
CALVI , "6Jehovah is with me among those who help me Confiding solely in God’s
help, he sets at defiance not a few enemies merely, but the whole world. “Defended
by God’s hand, I may boldly and safely set at nought all the machinations of men.”
When all the power of the universe is deemed as nothing, in comparison of God,
then, indeed, is due honor attributed to him. Thus he tacitly reproves the unbelief of
almost all men, who spontaneously alarm themselves with groundless fears. All,
indeed, desire peace of mind; but, in consequence of robbing God of the praise due
to his power, their own ingratitude does not permit them to realize this blessing.
Were they, as is fitting, to submit in all things to the good pleasure and power of
God, they would be always ready boldly to surmount all those difficulties, the dread
of which from time to time annoys them. But paying more regard to the mischievous
attempts of men, than to the help which God can give them, they deserve to tremble
at the rustling of the falling leaf. It is the wish of David, by his own example, to
correct such perversity; and, with this view, he affirms that, in the enjoyment of
God’s favor, he would fear no man, being fully persuaded that he could rescue him
from all the nefarious plots which were laid for him. Or if he composed this psalm
after his deliverance, we see how much he had profited by the experience of the
grace of God. Therefore, as frequently as God shall succor us, let our confidence in
him for the future be increased, and let us not be unmindful of his goodness and
power, which we experienced in our extremity. Possibly, he relates the meditations
which occurred to him in the midst of his distresses; the former conjecture appears
more probable, that, after he obtained deliverance, he gloried, for the future, in
God’s continued assistance. Some refer the clause, those who are helpers with me, to
the small troop which David had drawn to him; but this, in my opinion, is too
refined; for it would tend little to the honor of God to class him among the six
hundred whom David commanded, as if he were one of the troop. My interpretation
is more simple, that he calls God his helper. “It is enough for me that God is on my
side.” Were he deprived of all human aid, still he would have no hesitation in
opposing God against all his enemies.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 6. The LORD is on my side, or, he is "for me." Once his justice
was against me, but now he is my reconciled God, and engaged on my behalf. The
Psalmist naturally rejoiced in the divine help; all men turned against him, but God
was his defender and advocate, accomplishing the divine purposes of his grace. The
expression may also be translated "to me, "that is to say, Jehovah belongs to me,
and is mine. What infinite wealth is here! If we do not magnify the Lord we are of
all men most brutish.
I will not fear. He does not say that he should not suffer, but that he would not fear:
the favour of God infinitely outweighed the hatred of men, therefore setting the one
against the other he felt that he had no reason to be afraid. He was calm and

confident, though surrounded with enemies, and so let all believers be, for thus they
honour God.
What can man do unto me? He can do nothing more than God permits; at the very
uttermost he can only kill the body, but he hath no more that he can do. God having
purposed to set his servant upon the throne, the whole race of mankind could do
nothing to thwart the divine decree: the settled purpose of Jehovah's heart could not
be turned aside, nor its accomplishment delayed, much less prevented, by the most
rancorous hostility of the most powerful of men. Saul sought to slay David, but
David outlived Saul, and sat upon his throne. Scribe and Pharisee, priest and
Herodian, united in opposing the Christ of God, but he is exalted on high none the
less because of their enmity. The mightiest man is a puny thing when he stands in
opposition to God, yea, he shrinks into utter nothingness. It were a pity to be afraid
of such a pitiful, miserable, despicable object as a man opposed to the almighty God.
The Psalmist here speaks like a champion throwing down the gauntlet to all comers,
defying the universe in arms; a true Bayard, without fear and without reproach, he
enjoys God's favour, and he defies every foe.
Ver. 6. The LORD is on my side. The reason which the Psalmist gives here for his
trusting, or for his not fearing, is the great fact, that the Lord is on his side; and the
prominent idea which this brings before us is Alliance; the making common cause,
which the great God undoubtedly does, with imperfect, yet with earnest, trusting
man.
We know very well the great anxiety shown by men, in all their worldly conflicts, to
secure the aid of a powerful ally; in their lawsuits, to retain the services of a
powerful advocate; or, in their attempts at worldly advancement, to win the
friendship and interest of those who can further the aims they have in view. When
Herod was highly displeased with the armies of Tyre and Sidon, they did not
venture to approach him until they had made Blastus, the king's chamberlain, their
friend. If such and such a person be on their side, men think that all must go well.
Who so well off as he who is able to say, The LORD is on my side? Philip Bennet
Power, in "The I Will's of the Psalms, "1861.
Ver. 6. God is with those he calls and employs in public service. Joshua was
exhorted to be strong and of good courage, "For the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Joshua 1:9). So also was Jeremiah, "Be not afraid of their faces; for I am with thee
to deliver thee" (Jeremiah 1:8). God's presence should put life into us. When
inferior natures are backed with a superior, they are full of courage: when the
master is by, the dog will venture upon creatures greater than himself and fear not;
at another time he will not do it when his master is absent. When God is with us,
who is the supreme, it should make us fearless. It did David; The LORD is on my
side; I will not fear what man can do unto me. Let him do his worst, frown, threat,
plot, arm, strike; the Lord is on my side, he hath a special care for me, he is a shield
unto me, I will not fear, but hope; as it is in the next verse. "I shall see my desire on
them that hate me, "I shall see them changed or ruined. Our help is in the name of
the Lord, but our fears are in the name of man. William Green hill.
Ver. 6. I will not fear. David, (or God's people, if you will,) being taught by
experience, exults in great confidence, but does not say, the Lord is my helper, and I
shall suffer no more, knowing that while he is a pilgrim here below he will have

much to suffer from his daily enemies; but he says, The LORD is my helper, I will
not fear what man can do unto me. Robert Bellarmine.
Ver. 6. Man does not here mean a man, but mankind, or man as opposed to God.
Joseph Addison, Alexander.
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
BAR ES, "The Lord taketh my part with them that help me - The psalmist
had friends. There were those who stood by him. He relied, indeed, on their aid, but not
on their aid without God. He felt that even their help was valuable to him only as God
was with them. There was direct dependence on God in reference to himself; and there
was the same sense of dependence in respect to all who were engaged in his defense.
This might be rendered, however, simply “for my help,” and is so rendered by DeWette.
The Septuagint and Latin Vulgate render it, “The Lord is my helper.”
Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me - literally, “I shall see
upon those that hate me;” that is, I shall look upon them according to my wish; I shall
see them overthrown and subdued. See the notes at Psa_54:7. Compare Psa_92:11; Psa_
112:8.
CLARKE, "The Lord taketh my part with them that help me - Literally, The
Lord is to me among my helpers. Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate
me. Literally, And I shall look among them that hate me. As God is on my side, I fear not
to look the whole of them in the face. I shall see them defeated.
GILL, "The Lord taketh my part with them that help me,.... With the four
hundred men that were with David, and stood by him in his troubles, 1Sa_22:2; see Psa_
54:4; and with those who ministered unto Christ as man, Luk_8:3. Or, "the Lord is for
me, with" or "among my helpers" (t); he is the principal helper, he is one for all; he is in
the room and stead of other helpers; having him, there is no need of any other: the Lord
is the only helper of his people, vain is the help of man; he helps them out of all their
troubles and difficulties, in the exercise of every grace, and in the discharge of every
duty; he helps them to all their mercies temporal and spiritual, to grace here, and glory
hereafter. The Targum is,
"the Word of the Lord is to help me;''

therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me; see "vengeance" on
them, as the Targum; which was desired by David, by the Messiah, and by the saints; not
for the sake of that itself, but for the glory of divine justice. David saw this, Psa_54:7; so
will the Messiah, when all his enemies, that will not have him to reign over them, will be
slain before him; and so will the people of God, when antichrist is destroyed.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 7. The LORD taketh my part with them that help me. Jehovah
condescended to be in alliance with the good man and his comrades; his God was
not content to look on, but he took part in the struggle. What a consolatory fact it is
that the Lord takes our part, and that when he raises up friends for us he does not
leave them to fight for us alone, but he himself as our chief defender deigns to come
into the battle and wage war on our behalf. David mentioned those that helped him,
he was not unmindful of his followers; there is a long record of David's mighty men
in the book of Chronicles, and this teaches us that we are not to disdain or think
little of the generous friends who rally around us; but still our great dependence and
our grand confidence must be fixed upon the Lord alone. Without him the strong
helpers fail; indeed, apart from him in the sons of men there is no help; but when
our gracious Jehovah is pleased to support and strengthen those who aid us, they
become substantial helpers to us.
Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. The words, "my desire,
"are added by the translators; the Psalmist said, "I shall look upon my haters: I
shall look upon them in the face, I shall make them cease from their contempt, I
shall myself look down upon them instead of their looking down upon me. I shall see
their defeat, I shall see the end of them." Our Lord Jesus does at this moment look
down upon his adversaries, his enemies are his footstool; he shall look upon them at
his second coming, and at the glance of his eyes they shall flee before him, not being
able to endure that look with which he shall read them through and through.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
BAR ES, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man -
This is stated apparently as the result of his own experience. He had found people weak
and faithless; he had not so found God. Compare Psa_40:4; Psa_62:8-9. Literally,
“Good is it to trust in Yahweh more than to confide in man.” This is the Hebrew form of
comparison, and is equivalent to what is stated in our version, “It is better,” etc. It is
better,

(1) because man is weak - but God is Almighty;
(2) because man is selfish - but God is benevolent;
(3) because man is often faithless and deceitful - God never;
(4) because there are emergencies, as death, in which man cannot aid us, however
faithful, kind, and friendly he may be - but there are no circumstances in this life, and
none in death, where God cannot assist us; and
(5) because the ability of man to help us pertains at best only to this present life - the
power of God will be commensurate with eternity.
CLARKE, "Better to trust in the Lord - Man is feeble, ignorant, fickle, and
capricious; it is better to trust in Jehovah than in such.
GILL, "It is better to trust in the Lord,.... This, with what follows in Psa_118:9, is
the conclusion from the above premises and experience; it is good to trust in the Lord;
such enjoy peace, are in safety, shall not want any good thing, nor ever be ashamed and
confounded: the Targum is,
"it is better to trust in the Word of the Lord;''
than to put confidence in man; it is not good to put confidence in man at all; it is
trusting to a broken staff, to a mere shadow, which can yield no support or relief: it is
best to trust in the Lord; he is able to help, as well as willing; he is faithful to his word,
and unchangeable in his promises; whereas man, though he may have a will to help,
oftentimes has it not in his power; and when it is in his power, and has promised it, he
disappoints, being changeable or unfaithful. Wherefore trust not in man, but in the
Lord; yea, cursed is the man that trusts in man; see Jer_17:5.
JAMISO , "Even the most powerful men are less to be trusted than God.
CALVI , "8It is better to trust in Jehovah He appears to state nothing but what is
common-place, it being unanimously admitted, that when God and men come into
comparison, he must be viewed as infinitely exalted above them, and therefore it is
best to trust in him for the aid which he has promised to his own people. All make
this acknowledgment, and yet there is scarcely one among a hundred who is fully
persuaded that God alone can afford him sufficient help. That man has attained a
high rank among the faithful, who, resting satisfied in God, never ceases to entertain
a lively hope, even when he finds no help upon earth. The comparison, however, is
improper, inasmuch as we are not allowed to transfer to men even the smallest
portion of our confidence, which must be placed in God alone. The meaning is by no
means ambiguous; the Psalmist is ridiculing the illusory hopes of men by which they
are tossed hither and thither; and declares, that when the world smiles upon them
they wax proud, and either forsake God or despise him. Some are of opinion that
David bitterly reproaches his enemies with their being deceived in depending upon
the favor of Saul. This appears to me to be too limited a view of the passage; and I
question not that David here proposes himself as an example to all the faithful; in

that he had reaped the full fruit of his hope, when, depending solely upon God, he
had patiently borne the loss of all earthly succor. In the 9th verse, in which he
substitutes princes for men, there is an extension of the idea. “ ot only those who
put their confidence in men of low degree act foolishly, but also, those who confide
even in the greatest potentates; for the trust that is put in flesh shall at last be
accursed, but the enjoyment of God’s favor will convert even death itself into life.”
SPURGEO , "Ver. 8. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in
man. It is better in all ways, for first of all it is wiser: God is infinitely more able to
help, and more likely to help, than man, and therefore prudence suggests that we
put our confidence in him above all others. It is also morally better to do so, for it is
the duty of the creature to trust in the Creator. God has a claim upon his creatures'
faith, he deserves to be trusted; and to place our reliance upon another rather than
upon himself, is a direct insult to his faithfulness. It is better in the sense of safer,
since we can never be sure of our ground if we rely upon mortal man, but we are
always secure in the hands of our God. It is better in its effect upon ourselves: to
trust in man tends to make us mean, crouching, dependent; but confidence in God
elevates, produces a sacred quiet of spirit, and sanctifies the soul. It is, moreover,
much better to trust in God, as far as the result is concerned; for in many cases the
human object of our trust fails from want of ability, from want of generosity, from
want of affection, or from want of memory; but the Lord, so far from falling, does
for us exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or even think. This verse is
written out of the experience of many who have first of all found the broken reeds of
the creature break under them, and have afterwards joyfully found the Lord to be a
solid pillar sustaining all their weight.
Ver. 8. It may perhaps be considered beneath the dignity and solemnity of our
subject to remark, that this 8th verse of this Psalm is the middle verse of the Bible.
There are, I believe, 31,174 verses in all, and this is the 15,587th. I do not wish, nor
would I advise you to occupy your time in counting for yourselves, nor should I
indeed have noticed the subject at all, but that I wish to suggest one remark upon it,
and that is, that though we may generally look upon such calculations as only
laborious idleness, â€”and they certainly have been carried to the most minute
dissection of every part of Scripture, such as to how many times the word "Lord,
"the word "GOD, " and even the word "and, "occurs, â€”yet I believe that the
integrity of the holy volume owes a vast deal to this scruple weighing of these
calculators. I do not say, nor do I think, that they had such motives in their minds;
but whatever their reasons were, I cannot but think that there was an overruling
Providence in thus converting these trifling and apparently useless investigations
into additional guards and fences around the sacred text. Barton Bouchier.
Ver. 8. It is better to trust in the LORD, etc. Luther on this text calleth it, artem
artium, et mirificam, ac suam artem, non fidere hominibus, that is, the art of arts,
and that which he had well studied, not to put confidence in man: as for trust in
God, he calleth it sacrificium omnium gratissimum et suavissimum, et cultum
omnium pulcherrimum, the most pleasant and sweetest of all sacrifices, the best of
all services we perform to God. John Trapp.
Ver. 8. It is better to trust in the LORD. All make this acknowledgment, and yet

there is scarcely one among a hundred who is fully persuaded that God alone can
afford him sufficient help. That man has attained a high rank among the faithful,
who resting satisfied in God, never ceases to entertain a lively hope, even when he
finds no help upon earth. John Calvin.
Ver. 8. It is a great cause oftentimes why God blesseth not means, because we are so
apt to trust in them, and rob God of his glory, not waiting for a blessing at his
hands. This causeth the Lord to cross us, and to curse his own benefits, because we
seek not him, but sacrifice to our own nets, putting confidence in outward means.
Therefore when we hope for help from them, God bloweth upon them, and turneth
them to our hurt and destruction. Abraham Wright.
Ver. 8. When my enemies have been brought to contempt, let not my friend present
himself unto me as a good man, and bid me repose my hope in himself; for still must
I trust in the Lord alone. Augustine.
Ver. 8-9. othing is more profitable than dwelling on familiar truths. Was there
ever a good man who did not believe that it was better to trust in Jehovah than rely
on any created arm? Yet David here repeats this truth, that if possible it may sink
deep into every mind. William S. Plumer.
BE SO , "Verse 8-9
Psalms 118:8-9. It is better to trust in the Lord — It is much safer, and more to a
person’s comfort; than to put confidence in man — As mine enemies do in their own
numbers, and in their powerful confederates. “Armies of men, however numerous,
and, to appearance, powerful, may be routed and dispersed at once: princes may not
be able to help us; if able, they may fail us, as not being willing to do it; if both able
and willing, they may die ere they can execute their purpose. But that hope which is
placed in God, can never, by these or any other means, be disappointed.” — Horne.
COFFMA , "Verse 8
"It is better to take refuge in Jehovah
Than to put confidence in man.
It is better to take refuge in Jehovah
Than to put confidence in princes."
o one in ancient history had found the word of princes any more unreliable than
had David, His first great disappointment was with Saul the king of Israel.
"It is better to take refuge in Jehovah" (Psalms 118:8-9). Why is it "better?" Barnes
answered that question: "(1) It is better because man is weak ... God is Almighty; (2)
man is selfish ... God is benevolent; (3) man is often treacherous and deceitful ... God
is faithful; and (4) in some emergencies, such as death, man cannot help ... God can
assist us in any extremity."[6]
EBC, "Psalms 118:8-9 are impersonal, and generalise the experience of the
preceding verses. They ring out loud, like a trumpet, and are the more intense for

reiteration. Israel was but a feeble handful. Its very existence seemed to depend on
the caprice of the protecting kings who had permitted its return. It had had bitter
experience of the unreliableness of a monarch’s whim. ow, with superb reliance,
which was felt by the psalmist to be the true lesson of the immediate past, it peals
out its choral confidence in Jehovah with a "heroism of faith which may well put us
to the blush." These verses surpass the preceding in that they avow that faith in
Jehovah makes men independent of human helpers, while the former verses
declared that it makes superior to mortal foes. Fear of and confidence in man are
both removed by trust in God. But it is perhaps harder to be weaned from the
confidence than to rise above the fear.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
BAR ES, "It is better ... than to put confidence in princes - Even in the most
mighty of the human race; in those who of all people may be supposed to have the most
ability to aid us; in those whose favor is often sought more than the favor of God. Princes
are only men; often as faithless and deceitful as other men; often less reliable in their
character than those in more humble life. and in the great matters where we most need
aid - in sickness, in danger, in death, in the eternal world - as absolutely powerless as
men in the lowest condition of poverty, or in the most humble rank.
CLARKE, "In princes - Men of high estate are generally proud, vainglorious, self-
confident, and rash: it is better to trust in God than in them. Often they cannot deliver,
and often they will not when they can. However, in the concerns of our salvation, and in
matters which belong to Providence, they can do nothing.
GILL, "It is better to trust in the Lord,.... The Targum is,
"in the Word of the Lord.''
This is repeated for the sake of what follows:
than to put confidence in princes; who have greater ability to help, and whose
honour should engage them to keep their word; and yet it is better to trust in the Lord
than in them; see Psa_146:3. Two different words being used in this verse and Psa_

Psalm 118 commentary

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Psalm 118 commentary

Similar to Psalm 118 commentary (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Psalm 118 commentary