One suggestion for the structure of this psalm is given in Psalm 118:19 where the psalmist enters into the temple court. Thus, verses 1-19 are outside the temple and approaching it while verses 20-29 are inside the temple. The pronouns change as well; the third person being used in the approach while the second person is used once inside the temple. See Ewald’s proposal (p178) for the structure.
Psalm 118:1
הֹודוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טֹוב כִּי לְעֹולָם חַסְדֹּֽו׃
Paraphrase:
Comments:
The first word ידה is in v1, v19, here, v28, and 29. Don’t confuse it with ידע.
Psalm 118:2
יֹֽאמַר־נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי לְעֹולָם חַסְדֹּֽו׃
Psalm 118:3
יֹֽאמְרוּ־נָא בֵֽית־אַהֲרֹן כִּי לְעֹולָם חַסְדֹּֽו׃
Psalm 118:4
יֹֽאמְרוּ־נָא יִרְאֵי יְהוָה כִּי לְעֹולָם חַסְדֹּֽו׃
Psalm 118:5
מִֽן־הַמֵּצַר קָרָאתִי יָּהּ עָנָנִי בַמֶּרְחָב יָֽהּ׃
Psalm 118:6
יְהוָה לִי לֹא אִירָא מַה־יַּעֲשֶׂה לִי אָדָֽם׃
Psalm 118:7
יְהוָה לִי בְּעֹזְרָי וַאֲנִי אֶרְאֶה בְשֹׂנְאָֽי׃
Psalm 118:8
טֹוב לַחֲסֹות בַּיהוָה מִבְּטֹחַ בָּאָדָֽם׃
Psalm 118:9
טֹוב לַחֲסֹות בַּיהוָה מִבְּטֹחַ בִּנְדִיבִֽים׃
Psalm 118:10
כָּל־גֹּויִם סְבָבוּנִי בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה כִּי אֲמִילַֽם׃
Psalm 118:11
סַבּוּנִי גַם־סְבָבוּנִי בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה כִּי אֲמִילַֽם׃
Psalm 118:12
סַבּוּנִי כִדְבֹורִים דֹּעֲכוּ כְּאֵשׁ קֹוצִים בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה כִּי אֲמִילַֽם׃
Psalm 118:13
דַּחֹה דְחִיתַנִי לִנְפֹּל וַיהוָה עֲזָרָֽנִי׃
Psalm 118:14
עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַֽיְהִי־לִי לִֽישׁוּעָֽה׃
Psalm 118:15
קֹול ׀ רִנָּה וִֽישׁוּעָה בְּאָהֳלֵי צַדִּיקִים יְמִין יְהוָה עֹשָׂה חָֽיִל׃
Psalm 118:16
יְמִין יְהוָה רֹומֵמָה יְמִין יְהוָה עֹשָׂה חָֽיִל׃
Psalm 118:17
לֹֽא אָמוּת כִּי־אֶֽחְיֶה וַאֲסַפֵּר מַֽעֲשֵׂי יָֽהּ׃
Psalm 118:18
יַסֹּר יִסְּרַנִּי יָּהּ וְלַמָּוֶת לֹא נְתָנָֽנִי׃
Psalm 118:19
פִּתְחוּ־לִי שַׁעֲרֵי־צֶדֶק אָֽבֹא־בָם אֹודֶה יָֽהּ׃
Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter through them, praising YHWH.
Paraphrase: “We have arrived! Open! Open the gates to the temple courtyard! We are ready to enter into the house of YHWH and to give Him the praise which is His due.”
Comments:
Here is the climax of the Psalm.
Psalm 118:20
זֶֽה־הַשַּׁעַר לַיהוָה צַדִּיקִים יָבֹאוּ בֹֽו׃
This is the gate for YHWH; the righteous ones will enter through it.
Paraphrase: “Welcome to the temple! We are glad you have arrived, and we welcome you to the temple of YHWH. This is the place where God welcomes those who fear Him and who hope in His mercy. (Psalm 147:11) To such ones, YHWH throws open the doors and leads them in.”
Comments:
Is this the joyful response from those inside the temple to the request in v19?
Psalm 118:21
אֹודְךָ כִּי עֲנִיתָנִי וַתְּהִי־לִי לִֽישׁוּעָֽה׃
I will thank You because you answered me and were for me for a rescuer.
Paraphrase: Let’s sing altogether now, “I thank You, Oh YHWH! because You heard my cry for help and came to my rescue. You are my Savior. Truly, there is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to our help and through the skies in His majesty.” (Deuteronomy 33:26)
Comments:
Study suffixes on verbs.
Psalm 118:22
אֶבֶן מָאֲסוּ הַבֹּונִים הָיְתָה לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָּֽה׃
The rock rejected of the ones building, she has become for the head of the corner.
Paraphrase: We are Your people, Oh God. We were rejected by all the nations and driven into the wilderness to be wanderers, but this rock, which was rejected by the great nation builders of that time, was chosen by You to be the foundation stone of Your whole building. On this stone, you have built your people and made good on all your promises. (Matthew 16:18)
Comments:
This text is quoted by Jesus in His conclusion to The Parable of the Wicked Tenants. (Matthew 21:42) The stone in Psalm 118 is the nation of Israel but Jesus applies this to Himself. The same thing is seen in the servant songs of Isaiah where the servant begins as the nation of Israel but, in the later chapters, becomes an individual; cf Servant Songs.
Psalm 118:23
מֵאֵת יְהוָה הָיְתָה זֹּאת הִיא נִפְלָאת בְּעֵינֵֽינוּ׃
From YHWH, this was; it was extraordinary in our eyes.
Paraphrase: This extraordinary deliverance was entirely YHWH’s doing. We had nothing to do with it. It was entirely beyond our ability to save ourselves.
Comments:
BDB says (right column p86) that מֵאֵת is almost always used with something coming from persons in contrast to מֵעִם.
Psalm 118:24
זֶה־הַיֹּום עָשָׂה יְהוָה נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בֹֽו׃
This is the day YHWH made; let us rejoice and be glad on it.
Paraphrase: Now for that reason, we set this day aside as a day of celebration and joy. Come on everyone, let’s gather here in the temple and sing praises to our God!
Comments:
Note the cohortatives.
Psalm 118:25
אָנָּא יְהוָה הֹושִׁיעָה נָּא אָֽנָּא יְהוָה הַצְלִיחָה נָּֽא׃
Oh YHWH, save [us] please; Oh YHWH, prosper [us] please.
Paraphrase: Let’s begin with this song, “Oh YHWH save us, we pray. Yes, YHWH make all our ways successful. We do not want to take a single step unless You are with us. (Exodus 33:15) Let Your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish for us the work of our hands; Yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:16-17)
Comments:
Psalm 118:26
בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה בֵּרַֽכְנוּכֶם מִבֵּית יְהוָֽה׃
Blessed be the One coming in the Name of YHWH; we bless you from the house of YHWH.
Paraphrase: When this song is complete, the priests step forward and announce, “Blessed are all those who come to worship YHWH. They are the ones who desire to have God’s Name called over them. They rejoice because they belong to Him and have come under His protection. (Deuteronomy 28:9–10; Isaiah 43:7; Jeremiah 14:9; )
Comments:
Psalm 118:27
אֵל ׀ יְהוָה וַיָּאֶר לָנוּ אִסְרוּ־חַג בַּעֲבֹתִים עַד־קַרְנֹות הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃
Psalm 118:28
אֵלִי אַתָּה וְאֹודֶךָּ אֱלֹהַי אֲרֹומְמֶֽךָּ׃
Psalm 118:29
הֹודוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טֹוב כִּי לְעֹולָם חַסְדֹּֽו׃