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Psalms 116

1

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

2

Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

3

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

4

Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

5

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

6

The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

7

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

8

For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

9

I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10

I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

11

I said in my haste, All men are liars.

12

What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

13

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

14

I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

15

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

16

O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

17

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

18

I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people,

19

In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.

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Psalms 116

Psalm 116 is a thanksgiving expressing gratitude for deliverance from death while vowing repayment through public testimony, exemplifying the theological concerns of Book 4. The psalmist employs vivid imagery and direct address to God, establishing the intimate dialogue between worshiper and the divine that characterizes the psalmic tradition. The theological assertions center on God's character as both judge and redeemer, creating a comprehensive vision of divine justice and mercy integrated with human experience. The psalm reflects on both personal circumstance and communal identity, suggesting that individual faith finds validation through shared experience with the covenant community. The liturgical context indicates this psalm's function in worship where personal piety integrates with communal celebration of God's acts and attributes. The concluding movement typically affirms confidence in God's faithfulness, exemplifying the psalmic pattern of transformation through prayer and remembrance of divine acts throughout history.

Psalms 116:1

I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. The opening declaration establishes love for God as the response to God's attentiveness ('heard my voice and supplications'). The causality suggests that divine listening evokes human love. This verse frames the psalm as the grateful response of the rescued.

Psalms 116:2

Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call upon him as long as I live. God's receptiveness ('inclined his ear') guarantees the speaker's continued prayer ('call upon him as long as I live'). The permanence ('as long as I live') establishes lifelong commitment. This verse indicates that divine listening creates perpetual openness to prayer.

Psalms 116:3

The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. The speaker recounts the near-fatal crisis: death's 'snares' and Sheol's 'pangs' created existential terror. The emotional toll ('distress and anguish') adds weight to the account. This verse establishes the severity of the threat from which the speaker was rescued.

Psalms 116:4

Then I called on the name of the LORD: 'O LORD, I pray, save my life!' The petition is direct and desperate ('save my life!'), invoked through God's name. The apostrophe suggests intimate address. This verse portrays the moment of crisis-prayer.

Psalms 116:5

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. The characterization of God as 'gracious,' 'righteous,' and 'merciful' explains why prayer to God is appropriate. The triple attribution suggests comprehensive virtue. This verse establishes God's character as worthy of petition.

Psalms 116:6

The LORD protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. God's protective care ('protects the simple') includes the speaker's particular deliverance from degradation ('when I was brought low, he saved me'). The simplicity-language suggests humility or vulnerability. This verse indicates that God especially cares for the unassuming.

Psalms 116:7

Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. The speaker addresses his own soul, calling for peace ('return to your rest') based on God's generosity ('dealt bountifully'). The self-address suggests integration of emotion after trauma. This verse portrays the internalization of deliverance.

Psalms 116:8

For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. The comprehensive deliverance encompasses body and spirit: soul from death, eyes from tears (emotional grief), feet from stumbling (physical instability). The holistic salvation affects all dimensions of personhood. This verse articulates total, integrative rescue.

Psalms 116:9

I walk before the LORD in the land of the living. The speaker asserts renewed life ('land of the living'), now lived in conscious relationship with God ('walk before the LORD'). The phrase suggests alignment with divine will. This verse indicates that rescue enables authentic living.

Psalms 116:10

I kept my faith, even when I said, 'I am greatly afflicted.' The speaker claims to have maintained trust despite suffering ('kept my faith'). The quotation ('I am greatly afflicted') acknowledges the reality of pain even within sustained faith. This verse portrays faith as compatible with honest acknowledgment of suffering.

Psalms 116:11

I said in my alarm, 'All men are liars.' The speaker's fear prompted a blanket condemnation of humanity ('All men are liars'), suggesting despair at human unreliability. This verse captures the psychological realism of crisis-depression.

Psalms 116:12

What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me? The speaker contemplates how to repay God's generosity, a rhetorical gesture acknowledging that reciprocation is impossible. This verse expresses the inadequacy of human response to divine grace.

Psalms 116:13

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.

Psalms 116:14

I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. The speaker commits to public fulfillment of vows made during crisis. The public dimension ('in the presence of all his people') transforms private gratitude into communal testimony. This verse establishes that salvation-testimony becomes liturgical practice.

Psalms 116:15

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. The verse reflects on the value God places on the faithful, even unto death. The phrase suggests that righteous death holds divine significance. This verse implies that loyalty to God transcends mortality.

Psalms 116:16

O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. The doubled 'I am your servant' emphasizes total submission to God. The reference to being 'child of your maidservant' suggests inherited covenant status. The freedom ('loosed my bonds') results from this servant-relationship. This verse articulates the theological framework: freedom through service.

Psalms 116:17

I will offer to you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.

Psalms 116:18

I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. The vow-payment occurs in the temple ('courts of the house of the LORD') in Jerusalem, establishing a pilgrimage-thanksgiving. This verse indicates that personal rescue becomes material for communal, liturgical expression.

Psalms 116:19

Praise the LORD!