Psalms 118

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.

Let Israel now say that his loving kindness endures forever.

Let the house of Aaron now say that his loving kindness endures forever.

Now let those who fear the LORD say that his loving kindness endures forever.

Out of my distress, I called on the LORD. The LORD answered me with freedom.

The LORD is on my side. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

The LORD is on my side among those who help me. Therefore I will look in triumph at those who hate me.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to put confidence in man.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to put confidence in princes.

All the nations surrounded me, but in the LORD’s name I cut them off.

They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me. In the LORD’s name I indeed cut them off.

They surrounded me like bees. They are quenched like the burning thorns. In the LORD’s name I cut them off.

You pushed me back hard, to make me fall, but the LORD helped me.

The LORD is my strength and song. He has become my salvation.

The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. “The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

The right hand of the LORD is exalted! The right hand of the LORD does valiantly!”

I will not die, but live, and declare the LORD’s works.

The LORD has punished me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will enter into them. I will give thanks to the LORD.

This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous will enter into it.

I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me, and have become my salvation.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

This is the LORD’s doing. It is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!

Save us now, we beg you, LORD! LORD, we beg you, send prosperity now.

Blessed is he who comes in the LORD’s name! We have blessed you out of the LORD’s house.

The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will exalt you.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This psalm is a hymn of thanksgiving exalting the steadfast love and deliverance of the LORD, moving from personal testimony to communal praise. It celebrates God’s faithfulness in distress, His power over enemies, and the triumph of salvation, culminating in a declaration of His sovereign work in exalting the rejected stone. The psalm occupies a pivotal place in the final Hallel (Psalms 113–118), often sung at Passover, and points forward to the messianic king and the joy of God’s redeeming acts.

Flow.

Begins with a universal call to thanksgiving, repeated in threefold form (vv. 1–4), affirming the enduring covenant love of the LORD.
Shifts to individual testimony (vv. 5–18), where the psalmist recounts crying out from distress and being delivered by the LORD’s sustaining power.
Moves to a communal festival tone (vv. 19–27), with processional imagery, messianic anticipation in the cornerstone imagery, and a climactic call for salvation.
Ends where it began—returning to the refrain of thanksgiving (v. 29)—completing the liturgical frame.

Connections. Following chapter 117, the shortest psalm that calls all nations to praise, chapter 118 expands into a full hymn of praise rooted in redemption history and personal experience, showing why God is to be praised. It prepares the way for chapter 119, the lengthy meditation on God’s law, by grounding obedience in a response to His proven faithfulness. The exaltation of the righteous sufferer in 118 sets the tone for the torah-centered devotion that follows.

What it teaches. The LORD’s hesed—His covenant love and mercy—endures forever (WCF 7.2), forming the foundation of praise and trust (v. 1, 29). In affliction, He hears and delivers (v. 5; WLC 76), making Him the true refuge over man or prince (vv. 8–9; HC LD 12). The righteous triumph not by their own might but by the LORD’s right hand working salvation (v. 15–16; WCF 10.1). The rejected one raised to dominion (v. 22) prefigures Christ’s resurrection and exaltation (WCF 8.6; LC 45), a work divine and wondrous (v. 23), to be celebrated with joy (v. 24). The plea “Hosanna” (v. 25) and welcome of the one coming in the LORD’s name are fulfilled in Christ’s entry (WCF 8.7; LC 33).

Apply. We enter God’s presence not by our own righteousness, but through the gate He has opened—the Messiah who was rejected and lifted up.

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