“I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people” (v. 18). Let us all speak of God as we have found him; and have we ever found him otherwise than just and good? Psalm 116 Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary. The phrase, “the son of your handmaid,” emphasizes both the psalmist’s double and his perpetual servitude. The writer celebrates the deliverance from extreme perils by which he was favored, and pledges grateful and pious public acknowledgments. The psalmist’s question is rhetorical. (1-9) His desire to be thankful. The psalmist can’t repay Yahweh for saving his life, but he can give thanks––and praise Yahweh in a public setting. “Yes, our God is merciful”  (Hebrew: raham) (v. 5b). The Hebrew word yah is an abbreviated form of Yahweh (the name of God, often translated “the Lord.”)  It is found twice in Exodus (15:2; 17:16), once in Isaiah (38:11), and a number of times in the Psalms. 19 in the courts of Yahweh’s house, Is not the affliction amply repaid by the joy of returning strength and the sense of newness of life and power. ), Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2006), Renn, Stephen D., Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words: Word Studies for Key English Bible Words Based on the Hebrew and Greek Texts (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2005), Richards, Lawrence O., Encyclopedia of Bible Words (Zondervan, 1985, 1991), Sakenfeld, Katharine Doob (ed. A name expressed the person’s essential character––something of the person’s power or authority. “Yahweh is Gracious (Hebrew: hannun) and righteous” (Hebrew: saddiq) (v. 5a). “What will I give to Yahweh for all his benefits toward me?” (v. 12). Anderson, A.A., The New Century Bible Commentary: Psalms 73-150 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), Broyles, Craig C., New International Biblical Commentary: Psalms (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999, Brueggemann, Walter, The Message of the Psalms A Theological Commentary (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1984), Clifford, Richard J., Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms 73-150 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), DeClaisse-Walford, Nancy; Jacobson, Rolf A.; Tanner, Beth Laneel, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament:  The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids:  Wm. 15 Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of his saints. “Yahweh, I beg you, deliver (Hebrew: malat) my soul” (Hebrew: nepes) (v. 4b). The psalmist says, “I was brought low, and (Yahweh) saved me.”. Yahweh has heard him and has saved his life. But the context of this verse suggests something else––something less self-serving. For the most part, the Old Testament holds out no promise of an afterlife or resurrection. "It seems fitting that a service in which Psalm 116 is the sermon text would create the time and space for worshipers to offer testimony to answered prayer and to intercede for those who are still waiting for … All Rights Reserved. Our best is unworthy of his acceptance; yet we ought to devote ourselves and all we have to his service. John Calvin comments on today’s passage that the distress of the psalmist “was removed from him, because he felt that God was indeed propitious towards him.” Knowing that the Lord has good things for His people and is eager to hear us is an encouragement for us to call out to Him, and His deliverance gives us further reason to love and worship Him. We have many reasons for loving the Lord, but are most affected by his loving-kindness when relieved out of deep distress. This verse stands in dramatic contrast to verse 10. Psalm 116 . 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, The psalmist cannot repay Yahweh for this salvation act, but he can give thanks. Psalm 116:8 Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament With "gracious" and "compassionate" is here associated, as in Psalm 112:4 , the term "righteous," which comprehends within itself everything that Jahve asserts concerning Himself in Exodus 34:6 . A cup is a vessel from which one drinks. 6. 116:11b). CONTENT DISCLAIMER: The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. 16 Yahweh, truly I am your servant. Presumably the psalmist made such a vow when his life was threatened. My primary regret was the thought of my mother receiving the news of my death. 2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. “He hath inclined his ear.” A just person wants adherence to high standards. But oddly enough, after acknowledging his servitude, the psalmist also acknowledges his God-given freedom. Then I called on the name of Yahweh: “Yahweh, I beg you, deliver my soul.” “I love Yahweh, because … 2 Because he a inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death surrounded me, You have freed me from my chains. Psalm 116:12(HCSB) Verse Thoughts. "Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon [him] as long as I live." The Praise of Israel for Deliverance from Death. The Court of Priests (restricted to priests). Then the psalm describes the distressing circumstance now past (verse 3), recalls a prayer for help (verse 4) along with the Lord’s … Continue reading "Commentary on Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19" “Yahweh, truly I am your servant. Assuming that האמנתּי and אמרתּי in Psalm 116:11 stand on the same line in point of time, it seems that it must be interpreted I had faith, for I spake (was obliged to speak); but אדבר, separated from האמנתי by כי, is opposed to the colouring relating to the contemporaneous past. To call on Yahweh’s name can mean seeking Yahweh’s help. But let all such call upon the Lord to deliver their souls, and they will find him gracious and true to his promise. Psalm 116:1–9. Psalms 116:1 I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Not only will he pay his vows to Yahweh, but he will do so “in the presence of all his people”––bearing witness to the faithfulness that Yahweh has shown him. Once a person is dead, he/she feels no more pain. 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