Psalm 118:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.

NIV: I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.

NASB: You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the Lord helped me.

CSB: They pushed me hard to make me fall, but the Lord helped me.

NLT: My enemies did their best to kill me, but the Lord rescued me.

KJV: Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the Lord helped me.

NKJV: You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the Lord helped me.

This verse speaks about an enemy of Israel. The original Hebrew is phrased as if speaking to this opponent, most literally saying, "you pushed." This also involves a poetic turn. The words translated "pushed hard" or "pushed violently" are both from the same Hebrew verb, using different cases. This is something like saying, "you forcefully forced me" in English.

The attack was effective and would have succeeded if not for the Lord's intervention. This part of the psalm may look back to Israel's struggles against Canaanite nations after the exodus (Judges 3:30; 4:24; 8:28) or in the days of Israel's kings (1 Samuel 17:51; 23:5; 30:18; 2 Samuel 5:25). The expression of this verse seems appropriate when considering how hostile groups opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the exile (Nehemiah 4:14; 6:16).

Other scholars think this passage looks ahead, not back, and that it anticipates victories of Messiah.

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.

Accessed 11/21/2024 7:55:21 AM