What does Psalm 118:5 mean?

Some scholars think this psalm was written to celebrate Israel's return from exile (Ezra 2:1). If so, the psalmist is using a single-person voice to symbolize the entire nation. The Hebrew term for "distress" is mē'sar', which refers to anguish and hardship. This word derives from the same root as one used by the prophet Jonah while inside a sea creature (Jonah 1:17; 2:1). From this, the people were rescued when God brought them back from captivity by a foreign nation.

Even after being released, the people were under various forms of distress. The worst of these were hostile neighboring nations (Nehemiah 4:7–9). This psalm not only celebrates what God has done in the past, but it also claims assurance about the future (Psalm 118:6–7).