Psalms — Chapter 116

Loading ESV text...

1I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy.

2Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

3The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.

4Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, deliver my soul!”

5The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

6The LORD preserves the simplehearted; I was helpless, and He saved me.

7Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.

8For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

9I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

10I believed, therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”

11In my alarm I said, “All men are liars!”

12How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness to me?

13I will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.

14I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.

15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.

16Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.

17I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.

18I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,

19in the courts of the LORD’s house, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

1I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

2Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

3The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

4Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

5Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

6The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

7Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

8For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

9I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

10I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

11I said in my haste, All men are liars.

12What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

13I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

14I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

16O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

17I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

18I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,

19In the courts of the LORD’S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

1I love Jehovah, because he heareth My voice and my supplications.

2Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, Therefore will I call [upon him] as long as I live.

3The cords of death compassed me, And the pains of Sheol gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

4Then called I upon the name of Jehovah: O Jehovah, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

5Gracious is Jehovah, and righteous; Yea, our God is merciful.

6Jehovah preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he saved me.

7Return unto thy rest, O my soul; For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee.

8For thou hast delivered my soul from death, Mine eyes from tears, [And] my feet from falling.

9I will walk before Jehovah In the land of the living.

10I believe, for I will speak: I was greatly afflicted:

11I said in my haste, All men are liars.

12What shall I render unto Jehovah For all his benefits toward me?

13I will take the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of Jehovah.

14I will pay my vows unto Jehovah, Yea, in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in the sight of Jehovah Is the death of his saints.

16O Jehovah, truly I am thy servant: I am thy servant, the son of thy handmaid; Thou hast loosed my bonds.

17I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of Jehovah.

18I will pay my vows unto Jehovah, Yea, in the presence of all his people,

19In the courts of Jehovah`s house, In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye Jehovah. Psalm 117

1I love the Lord because he heard my plea for mercy

2and listened to me. As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.

3The ropes of death tightened around me, the snares of Sheol confronted me. I was confronted with trouble and sorrow.

4I called on the name of the Lord, “Please, Lord, rescue my life!”

5The Lord is merciful and fair; our God is compassionate.

6The Lord protects the untrained; I was in serious trouble and he delivered me.

7Rest once more, my soul, for the Lord has vindicated you.

8Yes, Lord, you rescued my life from death, kept my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling.

9I will serve the Lord in the land of the living.

10I had faith when I said, “I am severely oppressed.”

11I rashly declared, “All men are liars.”

12How can I repay the Lord for all his acts of kindness to me?

13I will celebrate my deliverance and call on the name of the Lord.

14I will fulfill my vows to the Lord before all his people.

15The Lord values the lives of his faithful followers.

16Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant; I am your servant, the son of your female servant. You saved me from death.

17I will present a thank offering to you, and call on the name of the Lord.

18I will fulfill my vows to the Lord before all his people,

19in the courts of the Lord’s temple, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

1I love Yahweh, because he listens to my voice, and my cries for mercy.

2Because he has turned his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

3The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow.

4Then I called on Yahweh’s name: “Yahweh, I beg you, deliver my soul.”

5Yahweh is Gracious and righteous. Yes, our God is merciful.

6Yahweh preserves the simple. I was brought low, and he saved me.

7Return to your rest, my soul, for Yahweh has dealt bountifully with you.

8For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

9I will walk before Yahweh in the land of the living.

10I believed, therefore I said, “I was greatly afflicted.”

11I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”

12What will I give to Yahweh for all his benefits toward me?

13I will take the cup of salvation, and call on Yahweh’s name.

14I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in Yahweh’s sight is the death of his saints.

16Yahweh, truly I am your servant. I am your servant, the son of your servant. You have freed me from my chains.

17I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call on Yahweh’s name.

18I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people,

19in the courts of Yahweh’s house, in the middle of you, Jerusalem. Praise Yah!

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

This Hallel thanksgiving psalm opens with love and devotion to God for hearing the psalmist's cry (vv. 1-2). He recalls being surrounded by the anguish of death until he called on the LORD for rescue (vv. 3-4), praising God's graciousness, righteousness, and mercy toward the helpless (vv. 5-6). Having been delivered from death, tears, and stumbling, he can now rest and walk confidently before the LORD in the land of the living (vv. 7-9), his faith holding even through affliction (vv. 10-11). Unable to repay God's kindness, he resolves to publicly offer thanksgiving and fulfill his vows before God's people (vv. 12-14, 17-18), noting that the death of God's faithful ones is precious to him (v. 15) and closing with a declaration of devoted service and praise in Jerusalem (vv. 16, 19).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Individual Thanksgiving / Hallel Psalm
Attributed Author: Anonymous (part of the Egyptian Hallel)
Key Themes: Love for God because He heard prayer, deliverance from death, rest for the soul, paying vows publicly, the preciousness of saints' deaths to God, gratitude in worship
Historical Context: Psalm 116 is part of the Egyptian Hallel (113-118) sung at Passover. It is deeply personal — the psalmist nearly died and was rescued by God. The psalm's language of deliverance from death, taking the "cup of salvation" (v.13), and paying vows in the presence of God's people makes it especially meaningful in the context of Jesus' last Passover. When Jesus took the cup at the Last Supper, this psalm would have been fresh on His lips — yet for Him, the "sorrows of death" would not be averted but embraced. Paul quotes v.10 in 2 Corinthians 4:13: "I believed, therefore have I spoken."
I Love the LORD, Because He Hath Heard (vv.1-2): I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. The psalm gives a reason for love, which is unusual, and the reason is a specific answered prayer rather than God's character in general. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. One hearing produces a lifetime policy.
The Sorrows of Death Compassed Me (vv.3-4): The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Hell here renders Sheol, the place of the dead rather than a place of punishment, so what is described is coming close to dying and not to damnation. The prayer that follows is four words long in effect, O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul, which is what a man in that condition has breath for.
The LORD Preserveth the Simple (vv.5-6): Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The psalm generalises from its own case, and the group it names as protected is not the wise or the strong, the LORD preserveth the simple. Simple means open and untrained rather than foolish. I was brought low, and he helped me.
Return unto Thy Rest, O My Soul (vv.7-9): Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. The singer instructs himself, as Psalm 103 does, and what he orders is a return to a settled state he had left. Three deliverances are then counted off in one verse, my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. And the conclusion is about where he will live rather than how he will feel, I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
I Said in My Haste, All Men Are Liars (vv.10-11): I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted. Paul quotes the first clause in 2 Corinthians 4:13 as the pattern of his own preaching under pressure, taking it from the Greek, which reads it more smoothly than the Hebrew does. Then a confession that the psalm makes no attempt to justify, I said in my haste, All men are liars. It is recorded as a thing said while panicking, which is why the clause about haste is there, and the psalm neither endorses it nor deletes it.
What Shall I Render unto the LORD (vv.12-19): What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? The last eight verses answer that question, and every item in the answer is a public act in the temple rather than a private feeling. I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD, and I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people, which is said twice. Between them stands the verse most often read at funerals, precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints, and in context it is a statement that God does not spend their lives cheaply, which is why this man is alive to sing. The self-description is a servant's, I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds. And the place is named at the end, in the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.19): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 116 - Paying the Vow of Gratitude
David Guzik

Psalm 116 | Rescued to Serve | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Returning to Rest (v.7) — After the LORD's deliverance, the psalmist commands his soul to return to rest. Once a crisis has passed, do you actually let your soul rest, or do you stay braced for the next one?
  • What Shall I Render? (v.12) — Facing all that God has done, the psalmist asks what he can possibly give back. When you consider God's goodness to you, what is your honest answer to that question?
  • Receiving the Cup of Salvation (v.13) — The psalmist responds to God's deliverance by taking the cup of salvation and calling on His name. Are you trying to earn what God is simply offering you to receive?
  • Precious in His Sight (v.15) — The death of the LORD's saints is called precious to Him — not something He treats lightly. Does it change how you view your own life to know God considers it costly and valuable?
  • Paying Vows in Public (v.18) — The psalmist commits to fulfilling his vows to the LORD in front of all His people, not just privately. Is your gratitude to God something others can see, or does it stay hidden?