Psalm 118:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!

NIV: The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.

NASB: The Lord is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice to the horns of the altar with cords.

CSB: The Lord is God and has given us light. Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

NLT: The Lord is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.

KJV: God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

NKJV: God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

The beginning of this verse uses two important Hebrew words. The first is Yahweh, the name God used to identify Himself (Exodus 3:15). The second term is ēl', a generic term for power often implying a deity. The psalmist feels joy knowing that God has provided. What's given is described as "light." In the Old Testament, light symbolized truth and goodness (Psalm 27:1). Just as Jesus accepted public praise connecting Him to prophecy (Psalm 118:25–26; Matthew 21:9), He also referred to Himself as "the light of the world" (John 8:12). This strongly identified Him with the Lord God (Psalm 119:105; Isaiah 60:1).

The second half of this verse begins with a notoriously obscure Hebrew phrase. Some translations take this as a reference to strapping a feast-day sacrifice to the altar, which had "horns" on the four corners (Exodus 27:2). But this does not seem to have been part of the typical sacrificial process. Others suggest that sacrifices should be brought in large numbers, such that the awaiting animals were being held—tied—in every available space, including right up to the altar. Still others think this is simply a reference to binding an animal, then bringing it to the place of sacrifice. A few interpreters detect a reference to holding boughs; this may have been why those who applied this psalm to Jesus' triumphal entry (Psalm 118:25–26; Matthew 21:8–9) waved palm branches.

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.