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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 118

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and his loyal love endures. 2 Let Israel say, “Yes, his loyal love endures.” 3 Let the family of Aaron say, “Yes, his loyal love endures.” 4 Let the loyal followers of the Lord say, “Yes, his loyal love endures.” 5 In my distress I cried out to the Lord. The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I am not afraid. What can people do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side as my helper. I look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take shelter in the Lord than to trust in people. 9 It is better to take shelter in the Lord than to trust in princes. 10 All the nations surrounded me. Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away. 11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me. Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away. 12 They surrounded me like bees. But they disappeared as quickly as a fire among thorns. Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away. 13 “You aggressively attacked me and tried to knock me down, but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.” 15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. The Lord’s right hand conquers. 16 The Lord’s right hand gives victory; the Lord’s right hand conquers. 17 I will not die, but live, and I will proclaim what the Lord has done. 18 The Lord severely punished me, but he did not hand me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple. I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the Lord’s gate—the godly enter through it. 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me, and have become my deliverer. 22 The stone that the builders discarded has become the cornerstone.⁠ 23 This is the Lord’s work. We consider it amazing! 24 This is the day the Lord has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it. 25 Please, Lord, deliver! Please, Lord, grant us success! 26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord be blessed.⁠ We will pronounce blessings on you in the Lord’s temple.⁠ 27 The Lord is God, and he has delivered us. Tie the offering with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks. You are my God and I will praise you. 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his loyal love endures.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 118:26 and Matthew 23:38

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

In Matthew, Jesus reinterprets language from Psalm 118, changing it from a temple blessing into language used to describe an eschatological moment connected with himself and Jerusalem.

Passages

Psalm 118:26

Hebrew Bible
24 This is the day the Lord has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it. 25 Please, Lord, deliver! Please, Lord, grant us success! 26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord be blessed. We will pronounce blessings on you in the Lord’s temple. 27 The Lord is God, and he has delivered us. Tie the offering with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks. You are my God and I will praise you.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Matthew 23:38

New Testament
36 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! 37 Look, your house is left to you desolate! 38 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... the tradition in Syriac Baruch emphasizes that the voice emanated from the inner part of the sanctuary - i.e., the Holy of Holies in which the veil is found - and that it was heard only after the wall had fallen down, that is, after Jesus had breathed out his soul on the cross. This idea already appears in the Gospels: in his prophecy of the destruction of the temple, Jesus states, “Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’ ” (Matthew 23:38–39 and Luke 13:35, based on Psalm 118:26) ..."
Rivḳah Nir, The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Idea of Redemption in the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002), 81–82.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 118:26 and Matthew 23:38

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