Psalm 118:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

NIV: Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.

NASB: Open the gates of righteousness to me; I will enter through them, I will give thanks to the Lord.

CSB: Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

NLT: Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the Lord.

KJV: Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:

NKJV: Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord.

This begins a short segment of the psalm with strong echoes of the New Testament gospel. Jesus described salvation as entry through a narrow gate (Matthew 7:13–14). He also indicated that He was the "door" of salvation (John 10:9). Later verses will mention salvation (Psalm 118:21) and the idea of a rejected stone becoming the most important one (Psalm 118:22).

The psalmist may have intended symbolic meaning, implying that the people were committed to entering a godly way of life and worship. Yet the temple also had a gate which allowed entry; a very literal meaning is possible. Entering the temple complex meant coming to the place where Israel praised their Lord and thanked Him for all His help.

First Thessalonians 5:18 teaches God's people to give thanks in all circumstances. Paul instructed the Philippian believers to not be anxious, "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God" (Philippians 4:6). Thanking the Lord for His many blessings blocks out worry. It is hard to be anxious and fearful at the same time that one engages in praise and celebration. Colossians 2:6–7 associates thanksgiving with a Christlike life. The same letter (Colossians 4:2) also teaches us to watch for opportunities to offer thanks when we pray. Paul often thanked God for his fellow believers (Ephesians 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:2), for victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:57), for all things (Ephesians 5:20), but most of all for the gift of salvation (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Psalm 118:19–29 includes phrases used during Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:8–9). References to gates, cornerstones, and salvation are themes repeated frequently in the Bible (John 10:9; Matthew 7:13–14; Titus 2:11; 1 Peter 2:6). Similar ideas about entering through gates to praise God are found in Psalm 24:7–10 and Psalm 26:6–8.

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.