Psalms 118:21
in Psalms 118I will give You thanks, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I will give thanks unto thee; for thou hast answered me, And art become my salvation.
KJV
I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
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This verse in Psalms 118
Commentary
12 notes on this verseI will praise thee, for thou hast heard me,.... Here the psalmist reassumes his part in this song, and determines to praise the Lord for hearing him when in distress, and when he was encompassed with his enemies, and for delivering him out of their hands; and art become my salvation; the author of it, and therefore deserving of praise; and who is no other than the Messiah Jesus, who is described in the next verse.
This site's exposition
Open to me the gates of righteousness
on Psalms 118:19-21
The psalm arrives at a gate and asks to be let in. Verse 20 gives the gate's own condition, that the righteous enter, and verse 21 gives the ground of the asking, that the LORD answered him. Verses 14 and 21 end on the same Hebrew word, salvation.
This site's exposition
I will give You thanks
Inside the gate, the psalmist turns from speaking about the LORD to give thanks to Him. Spurgeon read the shift to You as a man who now senses the presence of God and speaks to Him directly. The LORD who answered in verse 5 is thanked in person.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"I will confess unto You, O Lord, for You have heard me, and have become my salvation" [Psalm 118:21]. How often is that confession proved to be one of praise, that does not point out wounds to the physician, but gives thanks for the health it has received. But the Physician Himself is the Salvation.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The psalmist desires admission into the sanctuary of God, there to celebrate the glory of him that cometh in the name of the Lord: Open to me the gates of righteousness. So the temple-gates are called, because they were shut against the uncircumcised, and forbade the stranger to come nigh, as the sacrifices there offered are called sacrifices of righteousness.
Those that saw Christ's day at so great a distance saw cause to praise God for the prospect; for in him they saw that God had heard them, had heard the prayers of the Old-Testament saints for the coming of the Messiah, and would be their salvation.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Having entered, the champion exclaims, I will praise thee, not "I will praise the Lord, "for now he vividly realizes the divine presence, and addresses himself directly to Jehovah, whom his faith sensibly discerns. How well it is in all our songs of praise to let the heart have direct and distinct communion with God himself! The Psalmist's song was personal praise too:—" I will praise thee"; resolute praise, for he firmly resolved to offer it; spontaneous praise, for he voluntarily and cheerfully rendered it, and continuous praise, for he did not intend soon to have done with it.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Whether an actual or figurative entrance into God's house be meant, the purpose of solemn praise is intimated, in which only the righteous would or could engage. These words are applied by Christ (Mt 21:42) to Himself, as the foundation of the Church (compare Ac 4:11;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Having entered, the champion exclaims, I will praise thee, not "I will praise the Lord, "for now he vividly realizes the divine presence, and addresses himself directly to Jehovah, whom his faith sensibly discerns. How well it is in all our songs of praise to let the heart have direct and distinct communion with God himself! The Psalmist's song was personal praise too:—" I will praise thee"; resolute praise, for he firmly resolved to offer it; spontaneous praise, for he voluntarily and cheerfully rendered it, and continuous praise, for he did not intend soon to have done with it. It was a life long vow to which there would never come a close, "I will praise thee." For thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. He praises God by mentioning his favours, weaving his song out of the divine goodness which he had experienced. In these words he gives the reason for his praise, —his answered prayer, and the deliverance which he had received in consequence. How fondly he dwells upon the personal interposition of God! " Thou hast heard me." How heartily he ascribes the whole of his victory over his enemies to God; nay, he sees God himself to be the whole of it: " Thou art become my salvation." It is well to go directly to God himself, and not to stay even in his mercy, or in the acts of his grace. Answered prayers bring God very near to us; realised salvation enables us to realise the immediate presence of God. Considering the extreme distress through which the worshipper had passed, it is not at all wonderful that he should feel his heart full of gratitude at the great salvation which God had wrought for him, and should at his first entrance into the temple lift up his voice in thankful praise for personal favours so great, so needful, so perfect. This passage (Ps 118:22-27) will appear to be a mixture of the expressions of the people and of the hero himself.
I will praise thee - He is now got within the gates, and breaks out into thanksgivings for the mercies he had received. He is become my salvation - he himself hath saved me from all mine enemies.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
I will praise thee - Within thy courts. For thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation - See Psa 118:14.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
I will praise thee - Within thy courts. For thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation - See Psa 118:14.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| א֭וֹדְךָ | ʾodkha | I will give thanks to you | H3034 → | 114 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| עֲנִיתָ֑נִי | ʾanitani | you answered me | H6030 → | 331 times |
| וַתְּהִי־ | vatehi- | and you have become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לִ֝֗י | li | of me | ||
| לִֽישׁוּעָֽה׃ | lishuah | <into> salvation | H3444 → | 78 times |
א֭וֹדְךָI will give thanks to you
ʾodkhaH3034 →114 times
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
עֲנִיתָ֑נִיyou answered me
ʾanitaniH6030 →331 times
וַתְּהִי־and you have become
vatehi-H1961 →3559 times
לִ֝֗יof me
li
לִֽישׁוּעָֽה׃<into> salvation
lishuahH3444 →78 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 12:2Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.”
it leads to
- Psalms 118:14
The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— whom shall I dread?
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
- Revelation 7:10
And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
- Isaiah 26:3–4
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
- Psalms 118:14
Through
Exodus 15:2The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
it leads to
- Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 12:2
Through
Psalms 116:1I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice— my appeal for mercy.
it leads to
- 1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.
- 1 John 4:19
Through
Isaiah 49:8This is what the LORD says: “In the time of favor I will answer You, and in the day of salvation I will help You; I will keep You and appoint You to be…
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 6:2
For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
- 2 Corinthians 6:2
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 118; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.