Psalm 118:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

NIV: Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!

NASB: Please, O Lord, do save us; Please, O Lord, do send prosperity!

CSB: Lord, save us! Lord, please grant us success!

NLT: Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success.

KJV: Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

NKJV: Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.

The Hebrew words translated "save us, we pray" or "do save, we beseech You" are hosiāh' nā'. This is recorded in the New Testament Greek as hosanna. This song was used in connection with important feasts in Israel (Deuteronomy 16:16). Among those was Passover. When Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem days before His crucifixion, crowds shouted words from this psalm to celebrate Him (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9; John 12:13; Psalm 118:26). As part of that, the people waved palm branches, possibly inspired by an obscure Hebrew phrase later in this song (Psalm 118:26–27).

Those who honored Jesus' entry into Jerusalem understood Him to be the fulfillment of God's promises to send a Savior. The title of "messiah" is from a statement in Daniel referring to an "anointed one" (Daniel 9:25–26). In Greek, the term became Christos, which came into modern languages such as English as "Christ." At the moment Jesus received these praises, He was publicly proclaiming His fulfillment of these prophecies (Matthew 21:4–5; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 18:31). The cries of the crowd, and even of children (Matthew 21:16), were part of Old Testament predictions.

This song has called for praise (Psalm 118:1–4) and celebrated God's work in preserving Israel against enemy nations (Psalm 118:10–13). God's salvation has also been noted (Psalm 118:14–15). This general plea for God's salvation seems to be a request for God to continue to act as He has in the past.

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.