King James Version
Psalms 116
19 verses with commentary
I Love the Lord
I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.</strong> This psalm opens with extraordinary declaration: personal love for God based on experienced grace. While many psalms command loving God (Deuteronomy 6:5), this psalm testifies to love arising from answered prayer and divine deliverance.<br><br>"I love" (אָהַבְתִּי/<em>ahavti</em>) uses Hebrew verb <em>ahav</em>,...
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(1) **I love the Lord.**—Besides this rendering, where *Jehovah *is supplied as an object, this poet being given to use verbs without an object (see Psalm 116:2; Psalm 116:10), there are two other possible translations.
1*. I have longed that Jehovah should hear, *&c—For this meaning of the verb *to love *see Jeremiah 5:31, Amos 4:5; and for the construction see Psalm 27:4-6. So the Syriac and Ara...
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7. The figure of the pilgrim is carried out. As such daily refit their bodily strength till they reach Jerusalem, so the spiritual worshipper is daily supplied with spiritual strength by God's grace till he appears before God in heaven.
**appeareth ... God--**the terms of the requisition for the attendance on the feasts (compare De 16:16),
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. as long: Heb. in my days
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.</strong> This verse establishes the psalmist's permanent commitment to prayer based on experienced divine attentiveness. The phrase <strong>inclined his ear</strong> (<em>hittah ozno</em>, הִטָּה אָזְנוֹ) uses physical imagery—God bending down to hear—suggesting both divine condescension and careful...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) If we take translation (1) of Psalm 116:1 this verse will state the ground of the longing to pray. “I have longed for Jehovah to hear me now, for He, as in past times, inclines His ear to me.” The latter clause of the verse offers some difficulty. The literal rendering of the text, given by the LXX. and Vulg., is, “and in my days I will call (for help). But there is none.” 2Kings 20:19 does no...
Read full commentary →The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. gat: Heb. found me
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<strong>The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.</strong> This verse describes the crisis that prompted the psalmist's cry. <strong>The sorrows of death</strong> (<em>chebley-mavet</em>, חֶבְלֵי־מָוֶת) literally means 'cords of death'—the ropes that bind and drag toward death. The imagery is of being trapped, captured, pulled inexorably...
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(3) **The pains of hell.**—Or, *oppressions of Sheôl, *if we retain the text. But a very slight change in a single letter brings the clause into closer correspondence with Psalm 18:5-6, whence it is plainly borrowed, *the nets of Sheôl. *We may reproduce the original more exactly by using, as it does, the same verb in the last two clauses of the verse:
Nets of Sheôl caught me,
Trouble and sorrow I...
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9. God is addressed as a shield (compare Psa 84:11).
**thine anointed--**David (1Sa 16:12).
Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.</strong> In extremity, the psalmist prays. <strong>Then called I</strong> (<em>uvshem-Yahweh ekra</em>, וּבְשֵׁם־יְהוָה אֶקְרָא) uses the covenant name Yahweh (יְהוָה), appealing to Israel's covenant-keeping God who reveals Himself personally. Calling on God's 'name' invokes His character, promises, and revea...
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**10. I had ... doorkeeper--**literally, "I choose to sit on the threshold," the meanest place.
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.</strong> After describing deliverance from death (v.3-4) and God's hearing his cry (v.1-2), the psalmist declares three attributes of God that together explain divine deliverance: grace, righteousness, and mercy.<br><br>"Gracious is the LORD" (חַנּוּן יְהוָה/<em>channun Yahweh</em>) begins with <em>channun</em>, meaning graciou...
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11-12. As a sun God enlightens (Psa 27:1); as a shield He protects.
**grace--**God's favor, its fruit--
**glory--**the honor He bestows.
**uprightly--**(Psa 15:2; 18:23).
The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.</strong> After crying out (v. 4), the psalmist testifies to deliverance. <strong>The LORD preserveth the simple</strong> (<em>shomer petaim Yahweh</em>, שֹׁמֵר פְּתָאיִים יְהוָה). <em>Shomer</em> (שֹׁמֵר) means to guard, keep, preserve. <em>Petaim</em> (פְּתָאיִים) means simple ones, open, naïve—those lacking sophisticati...
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(6) **The simple.**—Inexperienced, in a good sense, as often in Proverbs. LXX. and Vulg., “babes.”
**Brought low.**—See Note, Psalm 30:2.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11-12. As a sun God enlightens (Psa 27:1); as a shield He protects.
**grace--**God's favor, its fruit--
**glory--**the honor He bestows.
**uprightly--**(Psa 15:2; 18:23).
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
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<strong>Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.</strong> The psalmist addresses his own soul, commanding return to peace. <strong>Return unto thy rest</strong> (<em>shuvi nafshi limnuchayikhi</em>, שׁוּבִי נַפְשִׁי לִמְנוּחָיְכִי) uses <em>shuv</em> (שׁוּב, return), the great Hebrew word for repentance and restoration. <em>Menuchah</em> (מְנוּחָה) means rest...
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(7) **Return . . .**—In a very different spirit from the fool’s address to his soul in the parable. The psalmist’s repose is not the worldling’s serenity nor the sensualist’s security, but the repose of the quiet conscience and the trusting heart.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.</strong> This verse specifies God's bountiful dealings (v. 7) through threefold deliverance. <strong>Delivered my soul from death</strong> (<em>challatzta nafshi mimavet</em>, חִלַּצְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִמָּוֶת) uses <em>chalats</em> (חָלַץ), meaning to pull out, rescue, equip—like removing someone from q...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Falling.**—Or, *stumbling. *(See Psalm 56:13, the original of this passage.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 85 Psa 85:1-13. On the ground of former mercies, the Psalmist prays for renewed blessings, and, confidently expecting them, rejoices.
**1. captivity--**not necessarily the Babylonian, but any great evil (Psa 14:7).
I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.</strong> Deliverance from death (v. 8) produces commitment to godly living. <strong>I will walk before the LORD</strong> (<em>ethalekh lifnei-Yahweh</em>, אֶתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי־יְהוָה) indicates conscious, covenant conduct. 'Walking before' God means living with continual awareness of His presence, under His watchful eye, in accountable ...
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2-3. (Compare Psa 32:1-5).
I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
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<strong>I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted.</strong> This verse establishes the connection between faith and testimony. <strong>I believed, therefore have I spoken</strong> (<em>he'emanti ki adaber</em>, הֶאֱמַנְתִי כִּי אֲדַבֵּר) uses <em>aman</em> (אָמַן), the root of 'amen,' meaning to confirm, support, be faithful. Belief isn't merely internal assent but produces exte...
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(10, 11) **I believed, therefore have I spoken.**—This is the rendering of LXX. and Vulg., and it has become almost proverbial from St. Paul’s adaptation of it (2Corinthians 4:13; see *New Testament Commentary*)*. *And no doubt this is the sense of the words, though the particle *khî *has been taken in a wrong connection. Mr. Burgess has certainly given the true explanation of the use of this part...
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2-3. (Compare Psa 32:1-5).
I said in my haste, All men are liars.
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<strong>I said in my haste, All men are liars.</strong> This verse admits a faith crisis—despairing words spoken in panic. <strong>I said in my haste</strong> (<em>ani amarti vechofzi</em>, אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי בְחָפְזִי) uses <em>chafaz</em> (חָפַז), meaning haste, alarm, panic. In terrified extremity, the psalmist spoke rashly, declaring <strong>all men are liars</strong> (<em>kol-haadam kozev</em>,...
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4-7. having still occasion for the anger which is deprecated.
What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?</strong> After recounting deliverance from death and declaring divine attributes, the psalmist asks how to respond appropriately to overwhelming grace. This rhetorical question acknowledges both indebtedness to God and inadequacy of any human response.<br><br>"What shall I render" (מָה־אָשִׁיב/<em>mah-ashiv</em>) uses <em>sh...
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4-7. having still occasion for the anger which is deprecated.
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.</strong> This verse provides the psalm's first answer to the previous question: "What shall I render unto the LORD?" Paradoxically, the response to grace received is receiving more grace—taking the cup of salvation and calling on God's name.<br><br>"I will take" (אֶשָּׂא/<em>essa</em>) uses <em>nasa</em>, meaning lift up...
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(13) **I will take.**—Or, *lift up.*
**Cup of salvation.**—The *drink offering *or *oblation *which accompanied festival celebrations (Numbers 29:19, &c). Others think of the Passover cup mentioned Matthew 26:27, when this psalm as part of the Hallel was sung. Others, again, take the figurative sense of cup—*i.e., *portion, lot, as in Psalm 16:5.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-7. having still occasion for the anger which is deprecated.
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.</strong> Having been delivered, the psalmist fulfills commitments made during crisis. <strong>I will pay my vows</strong> (<em>nedarai ashalem</em>, נְדָרַי אֲשַׁלֵּם) refers to promises made to God, likely during the death-threat described in verses 3-4. Ancient worshipers often vowed offerings if God delivered them (...
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4-7. having still occasion for the anger which is deprecated.
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
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<strong>Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.</strong> This remarkable verse interrupts thanksgiving testimony with profound theological statement about how God views His people's death. What humans often perceive as tragedy, defeat, or end, God sees as precious—valuable, costly, treasured.<br><br>"Precious" (יָקָר/<em>yakar</em>) means costly, valuable, highly prized, rare...
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(15) **Precious . . .**—This is only another form of the statement in Psalm 72:14. But again we have to ask why the thought of death should intrude upon the psalmist at this moment. (See Note, Psalm 115:17.) The answer is that, as in Psalm 116:8, a recent deliverance from death is spoken of. It is natural to take this psalm as a thanksgiving song for the safety, perhaps victory, of the survivors i...
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8. He is confident God will favor His penitent people (Psa 51:17; 80:18).
**saints--**as in Psa 4:3, the "godly."
O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.</strong> This confession of servanthood acknowledges covenant relationship and divine deliverance. The double declaration <strong>truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant</strong> (<em>ani avdekha ani avdekha</em>, אֲנִי־עַבְדֶּךָ אֲנִי־עַבְדְּךָ) emphasizes wholehearted commitment t...
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(16) **Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid.**—Comp. Psalm 86:16. Not only himself but his family were in the covenant, and, as very commonly in the East, the mother is selected for mention instead of the father.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9. They are here termed "them that fear him"; and grace produces glory (Psa 84:11).
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving</strong> (זֶבַח תּוֹדָה, <em>zevach todah</em>)—The psalmist responds to God's deliverance with a <em>todah</em> offering, one of the five Levitical sacrifices (Lev 7:12-15). Unlike sin offerings, this was a voluntary sacrifice of gratitude, often accompanied by public testimony of God's faithfulness. The verb אָשִׁיב (<em>ashiv</em>, "I w...
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10. God's promises of "mercy" will be verified by His "truth" (compare Psa 25:10; 40:10); and the "work of righteousness" in His holy government shall be "peace" (Is 32:17). There is an implied contrast with a dispensation under which God's truth sustains His threatened wrath, and His righteousness inflicts misery on the wicked.
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will pay my vows unto the LORD</strong> (נְדָרַי לַיהוָה אֲשַׁלֵּם, <em>nedarai la-YHWH ashallem</em>)—<em>Neder</em> means vow, promise; <em>shalam</em> means pay, fulfill, complete. <strong>Now in the presence of all his people</strong> (נֶגְדָה־נָּא לְכָל־עַמּוֹ, <em>negdah-na le-khol-ammo</em>)—<em>Neged</em> means before, in front of, in the presence of.<br><br>Psalm 116 is a thanks...
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11. Earth and heaven shall abound with the blessings of this government;
In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
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<strong>In the courts of the LORD's house</strong> (בְּחַצְרוֹת בֵּית יְהוָה, <em>be-chatzrot beit YHWH</em>)—<em>Chatzer</em> means court, courtyard; <em>bayit</em> means house. <strong>In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem</strong> (בְּתוֹכֵכִי יְרוּשָׁלִָם, <em>be-tokeki Yerushalayim</em>)—<em>Tokh</em> means midst, middle, center. <strong>Praise ye the LORD</strong> (הַלְלוּ־יָהּ, <em>halelu-Yah</...
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12-13. and, under this, the deserted land shall be productive, and men be "set," or guided in God's holy ways. Doubtless, in this description of God's returning favor, the writer had in view that more glorious period, when Christ shall establish His government on God's reconciled justice and abounding mercy.