“The psalm (may have) originated in victory celebrations of Israel’s king and people (cf. II Chron. 20:27). Later it was probably used in periodic commemoration of God’s past goodness to the Davidic dynasty” Laymen, 684. “The ‘I’ standing collectively for Israel, verses 5-14, 17-19, 21, and 28 seem to portray a great deliverance which has come to a king, possibly David himself. There are similar sentiments in Psalm 18” Miller, 381. “It is best to see this as a corporate thanksgiving, although an individual leads in expressing gratitude on behalf of himself and the whole congregation” Longman, 399. “The psalm uniquely combines corporate hymnic praise (vv. 1-4, 22-24, 29), individual thanksgiving (vv. 5-18, 21, 28); processional liturgy of entering the temple gates and processing to the altar (vv. 19-20, 26-27). It alternates between referring to Yahweh in the third person and addressing him in the second person” Broyles, 438. This was “perhaps as an entrance liturgy into the temple in Jerusalem, in much the same way that Psalms 15 and 24 may have been used” NICOT, 864.

118:1-4 Give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness is good

118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good- I Chron. 16:34; II Chron. 5:13; 7:3; 20:21; Ps. 106:1; 107:1; 136:1; Jer. 33:11; Ezra 3:11

These same three groups, Israel, the house of Aaron, and those who fear the LORD, were mentioned in 115:9-13. See a similar list in 135:19-20

118:5-9 The Speaker’s (the King’s) testimony of being rescued by God

118:10 All nations surrounded me- Verses 10-12 all begin with the same thought. The nations surround God’s people. The word surround is used 4 times in these 3 verses. The image of all the nations gathering against God’s people appears in Psalms 2, 46, 48; Isaiah 29:1-8; Ezekiel 38-39; Zech 14:1-9. “We are reminded of the world’s furious hostility to the city of God” Kidner, 413-414.

In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off- “The Hb. verb here is elsewhere translated ‘I circumcised them’!” Broyles, 441.

118:15-18 The right hand of the LORD does valiantly

118:19-21 He enters God's gates with thanksgiving

118:22-29 God made the rejected stone the chief corner stone.

Psalm 118 and the Exodus
118:14, 21 Quote Exodus 15:2

118:15-16 right hand of the LORD- Exodus 15:6, 6, 12

118:23 marvelous- wonders in Exodus 15:11

118:24 The day- Exodus 14:13

118:28 I will extol You- Exodus 15:2

Psalm 118 and Jesus
118:26 Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13

118:22 Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; I Peter 2:7

118:17-18 were some of Jesus' last words ever and they anticipate HIs resurrection.

“It is not only the shortest psalm in the collection but also the shortest chapter in the Bible” Alter, 414; Longman, 398. It is 27 words in the NASB and 28 in the ESV. In Hebrew it is only 17 words. “Many Hebrew mss.attach it to Ps. 116….Other Hebrew mss. join the psalm to Ps. 118” Allen, 117.

The basic structure of a song of praise is simple. It begins with a call to praise (vs. 1). Then the word translated for or because introduces the reason for praise (lines 1 and 2 of vs. 2). Last, there is a final call to praise (line 3 of vs. 2).

“Underlying this invitation is the conviction that the God of Israel is the God who rules the world” McCann, 1150.

117:1 Praise the LORD, all nations- Other psalms, like Psalm 96:3, speak of praising God among the nations, but here all the nations and all peoples are called to praise God- Alter, 414.

Laud Him, all peoples!- “This verb appears to be an Aramaic word for ‘praise, laud’; and unless it was also Hebrew but not used much in the psalms, it may indicate that the Psalmist chose it to address the nations since Aramaic was spoken in the non-Israelite world and became the dominant language at the time of captivity” Ross, 435. The word is used 11 times in the OT: I Chron. 16:35; Pss. 63:3; 65:7; 89:9; 106:47; 117:1; 145:4; 147:12; Prov. 29:11; Ecc. 4:2; 8:15.

117:2 God’s lovingkindness is described as ‘great.’ The word ‘great’ can refer to victory on the battlefield. For example, it is used twice in Exodus 17:11 in the description of Israel’s battle with Amalek. Also see the word in military contexts in I Sam. 2:9; II Sam. 1:23; 11:23. The word is used for the flood waters prevailing- Gen. 7:18-20 – our iniquities prevailing- Ps. 65:3- God’s blessings- Gen. 49:26- His lovingkindness- Ps. 103:11. “The Hebrew root is often used to indicate the power of a military conquer. Here it also affirms that God conquers the world, but that God does so by the power of His faithful love” McCann, 1150. God’s lovingkindness has triumphed; it has prevailed.

Lovingkindness and truth are accompanied by each other in Ex. 34:6; Ps. 25:10; 36:5; 40:10; 57:10; 85:10; 86:15; 89:14; 92:2; 98:3; 100:5; 108:4; 115:1; 138:2

And the truth of the LORD is everlasting- The emphasis of the second line can be summed up by saying that God’s plans and promises are as fresh and intact now as on the day that they were made; and they will remain so” Kidner, 412. His love and truth know ‘neither measure nor end” Allen, 118.

God’s lovingkindness and truth were dramatically demonstrated in the exodus and the events surrounding it. God revealed Himself to Moses as “abounding in lovingkindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). “Their history was a monument to the greatness of His loyal love, for it was full of instances of loving, protecting, delivering, pardoning grace” Allen, 118. As Israel sang Psalm 117 at Passover, they remembered God’s lovingkindness and truth in the exodus. God’s dealing with Israel are a cause for universal praise among all nations and an attraction to all nations to worship such a God.

Psalm 117 and Jesus
The crucifixion/resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate display of the LORD’s lovinkindness and truth. In the cross, God’s lovingkindness and truth have triumphed, prevailed, and conquered the ruthless enemies of sin and death. The cross serves as a call for all nations to worship Him (John 12:32; Phil. 2:5-11; Rev. 5:8-14).

Interestingly, as brief as Psalm 117 is, it is quoted in the New Testament. In Romans 15:8-12 Paul quotes from several OT passages (Rom. 15:9/ Psalm 18:49; Rom. 15:10/ Deut. 32:43; Rom. 15:11/Psalm 117:1; Rom. 15:12/Isaiah 11:10) to show God’s desire has always

A few notes

“The Septuagint and Vulgate treat this as two psalms, the second of them beginning at verse 10 (but some Heb. MSS make a similar break after verse 11).” Kidner, 407.

“He has come now to the temple to tell the whole assembly what has happened, and to offer God what he had vowed to Him in his extremity” Kidner, 407.

“The situation was one of deadly threat (3, 8, 15), brought about by human deceitfulness (11) and personal lack of discernment (6)” Motyer, 563. “Either the psalmist has been delivered from what appeared to be a fatal illness (vss. 2, 8) or from false accusers (vss. 10-11) who plotted his death. Out of gratitude for his deliverance, he thanks God publicly so that others may share in his joy and faith” Miller, 378. The Psalm is “far from wallowing in personal details, (and) focus(es) attention on what God has done” Laymen, 683.

“Such psalms as this, once written down, would help many another person to find words for his own public thanksgiving” Kidner, 407.

116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD- “Precious could mean either ‘highly valued’ or, in a less happy sense, ‘costly’” Kidner, 410. “Precious here means costly (cf. Ps. 72:14; I Kings 5:17; 7:9-11)” Miller, 380. II Kings 1:13-14; Prov. 20:15.

Is the death of His godly ones- “The death of the devout costs Yahweh dear” (cf. Mt. 10:29-31; and in ultimate terms, Jn. 10:28f.)” Kidner, 411. “The death of a saint is not something the LORD considers as cheap” BK, 877.

“Verse 15 has puzzled commentators for millennia. Most versions follow closely the translation of the 1611 Authorized Version: ‘Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.’” NICOT, 861. What does this verse mean? “The death of his saints, ‘his beloved,’ is like a precious jewel which he bestows- precious to him and them because at death he receives them home. In this sense, death is the final and greatest earthy blessing of God on His people” Motyer, 564. Phil. 1:20-23; Rev. 14:13.

On the other hand, this passage can be understood another way. The NET translation has “The LORD values the lives of his faithful followers.” “The word usually translated as ‘precious’ is from the Hebrew root yaqar, which means ‘be dignified, honorable, heavy, valuable.’ It occurs nine times in the book of Psalms (36:7; 37:20; 45:9; 49:8, 12, 20; 72:14; 116:15; 139:17)” NICOT, 861. “He has learned by experience that the premature death of God’s people ‘costs Yahweh dear’ (JB; cf. 72:14) and that He is quick to avert such a tragedy” Laymen, 684. “As translated by the NIV, verse 15 seems strange and out of context, appearing to say that God delights in the death of His faithful servants....The psalmist is one of God’s faithful servants, and God had just saved him from death” Longman, 397. “The NIV and the NRSV make v. 15 sound as if God welcomes the death of the faithful, but the whole point of the psalm is that God will life and works to make life a reality” McCann, 1149. God “does not lightly permit adversity (‘death’’ vs. 3, 8) or an early death (cf. 79:11; 102:20). They are ‘precious’ (cf. 72:14) to Him” VanGemeren, 728. On the same page, VanGemeren, 728, refers to a study by John A. Emerton “The death of His beloved creates sadness to our Lord.” “The psalmist has learned by experience how reluctant Yahweh is to allow the premature death of those united to Him in a covenant relationship, and how quickly He rushes to avert such a tragedy (cf. Ps. 72:14)” Allen, 115.

115:2 Why should the nations say, Where, now, is their God?- 42:3, 10; 79:10; Joel 2:17; Micah 7:10 This question may be “motivated by the fact that the Lord had no idol who represented His presence” Longman, 393.

115:4 the work of man’s hands- Psalm 135:15-18. The word work in vs. 4 is the noun from the verb translated do in vs. 3. The participle is used in vs. 8 to those who make idols. In vs. 15 God is Maker of heaven and earth. “There is no spiritual force or reality behind the idol; it did not represent an invisible ‘god’; it had no more reality than its material craftsmanship (4-7; Is. 40:18-25; 41:5-7)” Motyer, 563.

115:8 Those who make them will become like them- II Kings 17:15; Jer. 2:5; Rom. 1:18-32. “This is truly ‘their end’, as Psalm 73:17 puts it, in contrast to that of the righteous, whose God is theirs ‘for ever’ (73:26)” Kidner, 405. “False worship is not innocent but demoralizing, and ultimately the worshipers will perish with their perishable idols” VanGemeren, 721.

Everyone who trusts in them- Similar sections of Scripture appear in Isaiah 40:18-20; 41:14-29; 44:9-20; 45:14-17; 46:1-7; Jer. 10:1-16; Hab. 2:18-19. Calling of such lifeless gods does not work- Deut. 32:37-38; Judges 10:11-14; Jer. 2:27-28.

115:18 But as for us, we will bless the LORD- “The ‘we’ in v. 18 is emphatic, as if the community of God’s people wants to distinguish itself as sharply as possible from those who make and trust in other gods” McCann, 1145. “To bless the LORD is natural response to His blessing (Eph. 1:3)” Laymen’s, 683.

How does this relate to the Exodus?

115:4-8 The Exodus was God’s judgment on the gods of Egypt- Ex. 12:12; Num. 33:4.115:1 The Exodus was not to promote the people but to glorify God- Exodus 9:16; Ezek. 20:7-9.
115:1 God’s lovingkindness and truth demonstrated in the Exodus- Exodus 34:6-7.

How is this fulfilled in Jesus?

115:1 God saves us in a way that brings Him glory- Galatians 6:14
115:1 The cross is the ultimate display of God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness.
115:2 Where is your God? On the cross. Yancey illustration.
115:17 Think of this as being a song that Jesus would have sung with the disciples in the upper room- Mt. 26:30; Mk 14:26.

“This psalm celebrates the deliverance of God’s people at the exodus- a fitting song to be sung at Passover which was instituted at that time (Ex. 12)” BK, 876. “This is a hymn, but a unique one. It contains no imperative call for worship.” Broyles, 426. This psalm is “a fierce delight and pride in the great march of God gleams through every line of this poem” Kidner, 402-403.

“The psalm celebrates God’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt- vs. 1, 3, 5, His provision during the wilderness wanderings- vs. 8, and Israel’s entry into the promised land- vs. 3, 5” Longman, 392.

Psalm 114 and its place among Psalm 113-118. “Psalm 114 is somewhat unique in this collection of psalms. First, it does not contain the words hallelujah that are characteristic of this group of psalms. Since Psalm 113 both begins and ends with the words, and Psalm 115-117 end with them, some suggest that the final hallelujah of Psalm 113 should be transposed to the beginning of Psalm 114. The final psalm in this collection, however, Psalm 118, also does not have the expression, either at its beginning or end, so the missing hallelujah in Psalm 114 should not be viewed as problematic” NICOT, 850. “Psalm 114 is classified as a community hymn, but it lacks the usual words of invitation to worshippers to join in reciting the hymn” NICOT, 850.

How does the Psalm look back at the Exodus?
114:1 Egypt, strange language

114:2 His sanctuary- Exodus 15:13, 17

114:3, 5 Crossing the Red sea- Exodus 14:21-31

The Jordan River divided- Joshua 3-4

114:4, 6 Mountains and hills skipped- Exodus 19:18; 20:18-21

114:8 Water from a rock- Exodus 17:1-7; Num. 20:2-13; Deut. 8:15

How does the Psalm look forward to Jesus’?
114:1 “Out of Egypt I have called My Son” in Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:14-15. The OT Exodus foreshadows a greater exodus in Jesus.

114:2 His sanctuary- Jesus is in John 1:1, 14, but God’s people His dwelling place in I Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:19-22.

114:4, 6 Word used for lambs in Greek translation used in Revelation over 20 times of Jesus.

114:4, 6, 7 Earth quaked Matt. 27:51; 28:2 at the death and resurrection of Jesus

114:8 Jesus placed in rock- Matt. 27:60; Mark 15:46- but the living water came out from the rock. Jesus was the Rock I Cor. 10:4.

“The New Testament frequently applies this concept to God’s people, the church (see I Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20; II Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21)” Willis, 70.

“That Jesus’ life and ministry follow the pattern of the exodus, wilderness wanderings, and conquest reminds us that, just as Israel looked to their past for hope, we are to look to the death and resurrection of our Passover Lamb, for the confidence to live in an uncertain present” Longman, 392.

“This is the first of six psalms collectively known as the hallel that are recited in synagogues during the festival service” Alter, 403. Psalms 113-118 are the Egyptian Hallel. “Psalms 113-114 are sung before the Passover meal and Psalms 115-118 after it. These psalms are also sung at the feast of Pentecost, Tabernacles, and Dedication (Hanakuah, or Lights)” Miller, 373. These psalms were “used at all major festivals but especially the beginning and conclusion of the Passover” McCann, 1138. Sometimes we stress Passover for that was the time at which Jesus sang these songs: Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26.

It is “also an appropriate culmination to Psalms 111-112. Like Psalm 111, it articulates God’s sovereignty (see below on vv. 1-4; see also 111:2-6, esp. v. 4, which recalls the exodus) and it offers an especially appropriate response to the exclamation of 111:9c (See ‘name’ in 111:9c; 113:1-3). Furthermore, like Psalms 111-112, Psalm 113 asserts that God’s power is manifested in gracious, compassionate provision for the poor (See Ps. 111:4-5a, 112:9a; 113:7-9)” McCann, 1138.

Psalm 113 is an appropriate introduction to Psalms 113-118. Of the Psalms known as the Egyptian Hallel only the second one, Psalm 114, “speaks directly of the Exodus” Kidner, 401.

113:1-3 Praise the LORD- all places and at all times

113:4-6 The LORD is exalted above all

113:7-9 The LORD lifts the needy to sit with princes

Jesus and Psalm 113

“There was more relevance in these psalms to the Exodus- the greater Exodus- than could be guessed in Old Testament times” Kidner, 401.

“Verses 7 and 8 anticipate the great downward and upward sweep of the gospel, which was to go even deeper and higher than the dust and the throne of princes: from the grave to the throne of God (Eph. 2:5f)” Kidner, 402. Psalm 113 speaks only of lifting the poor but Luke 1:52 also speaks of God bringing down the mighty.

“The psalm gives hope to the socially vulnerable, the poor and childless woman. In terms of the latter, the Old Testament narratives are full of stories of God opening the wombs of barren women: Sarah (Gen. 11:30; 21:1-5), Rebekah (25:21), Rachel (30:22), Samson’s mother (Judges 13:2-3), Hannah (I Sam. 1:2), the Shunnamite (II Kings 4:16), Elizabeth (Luke 1:7). Of these, the story of Hannah deserves special mention, because, after she gives birth to Samuel, she praises God in a song that shares a number of elements with Psalm 113 (I Sam. 2:1-10)” Longman, 390.

Mary’s song celebrates God lifting up the humble- Luke 1:46-56. “Hannah’s joy became all Israel’s; Sarah’s become the world’s. And the song of Hannah was to be outshone one day by the Magnificat” Kinder, 402. “The story of God’s care for Hannah becomes a model for God’s care for Israel, memorialized in the Passover celebration” NICOT, 849.

Jesus sang the Egyptian Hallel in Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26.

Vs. 6 anticipate Philippians 2:6-8 “What amazing condescension was it for the Son of God to come from heaven to earth, and take our nature upon him, that He might seek and save those that are lost” Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, 547. A noun is used in the LXX of Psalm 113:6 but the corresponding verb in Greek is used in Philippians 2:8.

I Corinthians 1:18-31 God humbles the mighty and exalts the lowly through the gospel.

Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14 Humble himself will be exalted and exalt himself will be humbled.

Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Luke 13:30 The first will be last and the last first.

Ephesians 1:20; 2:6 God raised

This "is a wisdom poem based on the nature of God set forth in Psalm 111” Miller, 372. It is an acrostic as Psalm 111. “Like the preceding psalm, this one is also an acrostic in which every colon begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, again indicating order and complete coverage of the topic” Longman, 387. This psalm “anticipates the exaltation of the righteous and the grievous destruction of the wicked” BK, 875. “Psalm 111 celebrates God’s grace, this one commends the good works which are its intended corollary” Laymen’s, 681.

The same vocabulary that appear in Psalms 111 and 112 show how linked these Psalms are.

Upright- 111:1, 8; 112:2

Delights- 111:2; 112:1

Righteous- 111:3; 112:3, 9

Gracious and Compassionate- 111:4; 112:4

Remembered- 111:4; 112:6

Give- 111:5; 112:9

Forever- 111:5, 8, 9; 112:6

Fear- 111:5, 10; 112:1, 7, 8

Justice- 111:7 or judgment- 112:5

Upheld- 111:8; 112:8

Psalm 112 also has similarities to Psalm 1. It “begins and ends with exactly the same words that open and close Psalm 1, ‘happy’ and ‘perish’” McCann, 1136.

“They are vivid reminders that faithfulness to God and to God’s purpose is not a guarantee of success and security as the world defines these concepts. Happiness and security are derived not by conformity to the standards of the world but by transforming ourselves to be like God” McCann, 1137.

Jesus and Psalm 112

The righteous man gives and lends- 112:5, 9 and Jesus gave the greatest gift of all- John 3:16; I John 3:16; 4:9-10.

Jesus’ giving is because He is gracious and compassionate. The cross reflects this more clearly than any other event- 112:4, 5

His righteousness endures forever. His sacrifice on the cross is always remembered- 112:3, 9

He is the Light of the world- 112:4; John 8:12

He will Never be shaken- 112:6; Acts 2:25-28 and its quotation of Psalm 16:8-11.

Psalms 111 and 112 are connected in their subject matter and vocabulary. “Both are acrostic containing twenty-two lines, each succeeding line beginning with the following letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 111 describes God as reflected in His works, and Psalm 112 the man who fears God and properly responds to Him. Some of the phraseology used in Psalm 111 to describe God is repeated in Psalm 112 to describe the God-fearing man” Miller, 370. “Psalm 111 focuses primarily on God’s work, Psalm 112 focuses on human response and consists of a description of the happiness of those who fear the Lord” McCann, 1133. “Each half line or verset begins with a different letter of the alphabet in sequence. Most of the lines begin with either a noun or an adjective exhibiting the appropriate alphabetic character in the initial letter.” There are eight (8) acrostic Psalms in the Psalms- Alter, 399.

111:1 Praise the LORD!!- 112:1; 113:1 will begin the same way. Only Ps. 111 and 112 begin with Praise the LORD but do not end with it- VanGemeren, 702. “The initial Hallelujah stands outside this acrostic schemes” Laymen’s, 681. The Psalm begins and ends with praise .

111:2 “This verse was well-chosen to grace the entrance of the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, the scene of some fundamental physical discoveries. But while this verse is God’s charter for the scientist and artist, verse 10 must be it partner, lest ‘professing to be wise’ we become fools, like the men of Romans 1:18-23” Kidner, 397.

111:3 Splendid and majestic is His work- Ps. 21:5; Job 40:10 work is singular.

And His righteousness endures forever- “The next psalm boldly reproduces part of this verse and of the next two in its portrait of a godly man (see on 112:3, 9)

111:4 The LORD is gracious and compassionate- Exodus 34:6-7; Num. 14:18; Ps. 86:5, 15; 103:8; 145:8

111:5 He has given food to those who fear Him- Ps. 132:15; 136:25; 145:15; 146:7; Matt. 6:31-33.

111:6 In giving them the heritage of the nations- This seems like a specific reference to God giving Israel the land of Canaan.

111:7 The ‘precepts’ also reveal the nature of the covenant God. The word of God was not a burden. It was to give order to God’s people, that they might reflect the nature of their King in their national existence” VanGemeren, 704.

111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom- Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Ecc. 12:13; Job 28:28. “True reverence is in fact the starting point for an ability to cope with life’s meaning and problems” Laymen’s, 681.