<div class="version vid107 iso6393eng" data-vid="107" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch116" data-usfm="PSA.116">
 <div class="label">116</div><div class="s1">Psalm 116#sn Psalm 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.</div><div class="p">1 I love the Lord</div><div class="p">because he heard my plea for mercy,#tn Heb &#8220;I love because the Lord heard my voice, my pleas.&#8221; It is possible that &#8220;the Lord&#8221; originally appeared directly after &#8220;I love&#8221; and was later accidentally misplaced. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls that God heard his cry for help (note the perfect in v. 2a and the narrative in vv. 3-4).</div><div class="p">2 and listened to me.#tn Heb &#8220;because he turned his ear to me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.#tn Heb &#8220;and in my days I will cry out.&#8221;</div><div class="p">3 The ropes of death tightened around me,#tn Heb &#8220;surrounded me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">the snares#tn The Hebrew noun &#1502;&#1510;&#1512; (&#8220;straits; distress&#8221;) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. &#1502;&#1461;&#1510;&#1463;&#1512;, &#8220;the straits of Sheol&#8221;; NIV &#8220;the anguish of the grave&#8221;; NRSV &#8220;the pangs of Sheol&#8221;). However, HALOT 624 s.v. &#1502;&#1461;&#1510;&#1463;&#1512; suggests an emendation to &#1502;&#1456;&#1510;&#1464;&#1491;&#1461;&#1497; (m&#255;tsadey, &#8220;snares of&#8221;), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with &#8220;ropes&#8221; in the preceding line. of Sheol confronted me.</div><div class="p">I was confronted#tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him. with trouble and sorrow.</div><div class="p">4 I called on the name of the Lord,</div><div class="p">&#8220;Please Lord, rescue my life!&#8221;</div><div class="p">5 The Lord is merciful and fair;</div><div class="p">our God is compassionate.</div><div class="p">6 The Lord protects#tn Heb &#8220;guards.&#8221; The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the Lord. the untrained;#tn Or &#8220;the [morally] naive,&#8221; that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Ps 19:7.</div><div class="p">I was in serious trouble#tn Heb &#8220;I was low.&#8221; and he delivered me.</div><div class="p">7 Rest once more, my soul,#tn Heb &#8220;return, my soul, to your place of rest.&#8221;</div><div class="p">for the Lord has vindicated you.#tn The Hebrew idiom &#1490;&#1468;&#1464;&#1502;&#1463;&#1500; &#1506;&#1463;&#1500; (gamal &#8217;al) means &#8220;to repay,&#8221; here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).</div><div class="p">8 Yes,#tn Or &#8220;for.&#8221; Lord,#tn &#8220;Lord&#8221; is supplied here in the translation for clarification. you rescued my life from death,</div><div class="p">and kept my feet from stumbling.</div><div class="p">9 I will serve#tn Heb &#8220;walk before&#8221; (see Ps 56:13). On the meaning of the Hebrew idiom, see the notes at 2 Kgs 20:3/Isa 38:3. the Lord</div><div class="p">in the land#tn Heb &#8220;lands, regions.&#8221; of the living.</div><div class="p">10 I had faith when I said,</div><div class="p">&#8220;I am severely oppressed.&#8221;</div><div class="p">11 I rashly declared,#tn Heb &#8220;I said in my haste.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;All men are liars.&#8221;</div><div class="p">12 How can I repay the Lord</div><div class="p">for all his acts of kindness to me?</div><div class="p">13 I will celebrate my deliverance,#tn Heb &#8220;a cup of deliverance I will lift up.&#8221; Perhaps this alludes to a drink offering the psalmist will present as he thanks the Lord for his deliverance. See v. 17.</div><div class="p">and call on the name of the Lord.</div><div class="p">14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord</div><div class="p">before all his people.</div><div class="p">15 The Lord values</div><div class="p">the lives of his faithful followers.#tn Heb &#8220;precious in the eyes of the Lord [is] the death of his godly ones.&#8221; The point is not that God delights in or finds satisfaction in the death of his followers! The psalmist, who has been delivered from death, affirms that the life-threatening experiences of God&#8217;s followers get God&#8217;s attention, just as a precious or rare object would attract someone&#8217;s eye. See Ps 72:14 for a similar expression of this belief.</div><div class="p">16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;</div><div class="p">I am your lowest slave.#tn Heb &#8220;I am your servant, the son of your female servant.&#8221; The phrase &#8220;son of a female servant&#8221; (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child&#8217;s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist&#8217;s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord&#8217;s servant.</div><div class="p">You saved me from death.#tn Heb &#8220;you have loosed my bonds.&#8221; In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).</div><div class="p">17 I will present a thank offering to you,</div><div class="p">and call on the name of the Lord.</div><div class="p">18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord</div><div class="p">before all his people,</div><div class="p">19 in the courts of the Lord&#8217;s temple,</div><div class="p">in your midst, O Jerusalem.</div><div class="p">Praise the Lord!</div>
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1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC

I love the LORD
because he heard my plea for mercy,
and listened to me.
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.
The ropes of death tightened around me,
the snares of Sheol confronted me.
I was confronted with trouble and sorrow.
I called on the name of the LORD,
“Please LORD, rescue my life!”
The LORD is merciful and fair;
our God is compassionate.
The LORD protects the untrained;
I was in serious trouble and he delivered me.
Rest once more, my soul,
for the LORD has vindicated you.
Yes, LORD, you rescued my life from death,
and kept my feet from stumbling.
I will serve the LORD
in the land of the living.
I had faith when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”
I rashly declared,
“All men are liars.”
How can I repay the LORD
for all his acts of kindness to me?
I will celebrate my deliverance,
and call on the name of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
before all his people.
The LORD values
the lives of his faithful followers.
Yes, LORD! I am indeed your servant;
I am your lowest slave.
You saved me from death.
I will present a thank offering to you,
and call on the name of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
before all his people,
in the courts of the LORD’s temple,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

සවන් දෙන්න Psalms 116