Psalm 118:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

NIV: They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down.

NASB: They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished like a fire of thorn bushes; In the name of the Lord I will certainly fend them off.

CSB: They surrounded me like bees; they were extinguished like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.

NLT: They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.

KJV: They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.

NKJV: They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.

Most likely, this segment is a call and response song, where the people repeat a phrase after prompts from a leader. This passage speaks of Israel's victory over enemy nations. It's possible this is a prophetic look ahead to Israel's success under the Messiah. It may also refer to early conflicts in Canaan (Judges 3:30; 4:24; 8:28) or during the era of kings (1 Samuel 17:51; 23:5; 30:18; 2 Samuel 5:25). It may also suggest the hostile forces that opposed the project to rebuild Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:14; 6:16).

Symbolism here implies an enemy moving quickly and in more than one location. Bees and wasps attack by swarming (Deuteronomy 1:44). Dry thorn bushes are natural tinder: easy to ignite and burn quickly (Isaiah 33:12). An alternative view is that the enemy swarmed in like bees, but Israel defeated them as completely as fire consuming thorns. The enemy is "cut off:" entirely defeated and their attack foiled.

A famous moment involving the prophet Elisha illustrates how the Lord provides power in hopeless situations. The king of Syria sent chariots and horses to surround and capture Elisha, because he told Israel where Syrian troops were amassing. Elisha reassured his worried servant that God was on their side, and the servant was suddenly able to see a vast number of flaming horses and chariots (2 Kings 6:8–17). Elisha used God's supernatural help to capture the entire Syrian company (2 Kings 6:18–23).

Psalm 118:10–18 speaks for the nation of Israel and gives reasons for trusting in the Lord. One possible inspiration for these words was Israel's freedom from seventy years of exile (Ezra 2:1) and the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls and temple. The repeated phrases were probably meant to be expressed by the entire congregation, in response to the cue lines which come before. The use of past tense here may also be poetic, implying that the psalmist is looking ahead to something God will certainly do, as if it had already happened.

Psalm 118 appears to be a "call and response." The repeated phrases may have been spoken by a congregation after the prompts, read by a song leader. The psalmist begins with a declaration of God's loyal love and its expression by all of Israel. Next is a celebration of the Lord's rescue and the value of honoring Him. Despite Israel's many powerful neighbors, God preserved them through discipline and exile, not allowing the nation to die. What the world rejects has now become the key piece of God's plan for mankind.

This is the last of a block of songs used during Israel's festivals (Psalm 113—118). Because of a mention of rescue from Egypt (Psalm 114:1), this block is sometimes called the "Egyptian Hallel." The Hebrew expression halelu-yāh is a call to "praise the Lord!" The New Testament quotes from this song often (Hebrews 13:6), especially Psalm 118:22 (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10, 11; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:7) and Psalm 118:26 (Matthew 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13;). Some scholars suggest this was written after the exile as the temple was being restored (Ezra 2:1; 3:1–2, 8).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.