Give ye thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.
Psalm 118 opens with a line Israel had sung for centuries, and it ends with the same words. The psalm names the ground of all praise first: what God is, and how long His mercy lasts. (Where older translations read "mercy" and "Jehovah," the ESV reads "steadfast love" and "the LORD.")
The line was already old. One writer traces where Israel had sung it, and where they will sing it again:
David in his day, along with the whole congregation, proclaimed it (1 Chron. 16:34). Solomon, with the people in unison, echoed it years later (2 Chron. 5:13; 7:3). The returned remnant, in all their weakness, gave voice to it when they laid the Temple foundations again (Ezra 3:11). By and by, in full chorus, the returned and finally delivered people of Israel will confirm it. Language that suited them nearly three thousand years ago will suit Israel for ever.
Verses 2 to 4 name three groups, the same three named in Psalm 115:
"Israel" means the whole nation — the born-again nation that will enter into millennial blessedness. "The house of Aaron" is the priestly family, brought into special nearness to God. "Those who fear the LORD" is a description that would include the godly from among the Gentiles. In Psalm 115 they were all told to trust in the Lord, who proves Himself to be a help and a shield. Here, in the light of what He has accomplished, they are to praise Him and say that His mercy endures forever.
Why is the priestly family named on its own? One writer sees a reminder of what everything rests on:
The house of Aaron is kept separate from the rest of the nation. That still seems to show the sacrificial basis on which everything for them always depends.
The theme has already filled psalm after psalm. One writer says why it keeps coming back:
We have already seen the emphasis on the lovingkindness of the Lord throughout all the previous psalms. Yet it is a subject that never grows old. It needs repeating over and over, because our minds and hearts are so dull. God is good and "His lovingkindness endures forever": it knows no change for eternity. Why do we need to be told this? Because we have a natural tendency to complain, whatever our circumstances may be.
Why can they say "for ever"? Not because their own record was clean:
This Psalm takes up mercy as enduring for ever. It is not merely the sense of how great that mercy is right now. When they saw how God's truth had held firm despite their sin, they see the incomparable patience of God — His own character celebrated in them, as "mercy for ever." Israel, Aaron, and all may now say, "Indeed, His mercy endures for ever."
Everything the psalm goes on to describe sits between this line and its return at the end:
The psalm closes with the well-known verse of Israel's thankful praise that it had begun with: "Give thanks to Jehovah, for He is good, for His mercy endures for ever." So three things are unfolded together: the spiritual grasp of God's dealings, the coming to worship Jehovah in righteousness, and the owning of the despised and rejected Messiah. All of it is tied to the deliverance and blessing of Israel, and to the full display of Jehovah's nature and character. Various verses of this psalm are quoted at the close of the Saviour's trials; no psalm indeed so often.
This psalm had a fixed place in Jewish worship, and that place puts it on the Lord's own lips:
Here this Hallel (meaning praise), the name the Jews give to Psalms 113 to 118, comes to an end. These are sung in the family celebration of Passover night.
One writer traces the same mercy across a Christian's whole story, and says we may sing Israel's song too:
So from first to last, and through the whole stretch between, it is and will be nothing but mercy. Mercy in creation — and we can go further back still, even to God's purposes of grace in Christ before the foundation of the world. Mercy in our redemption, our guidance through the wilderness, our deliverance from our enemies. Mercy in our being put in possession of all that God has secured for us in Christ, whether now or when we are for ever with the Lord. So we may take up Israel's song and cry without ceasing, "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"
- Cause. The call rests on one ground: He is good. We need to hear that again and again, because our instinct is to complain.
- Gift. What proves the "for ever" is not a clean record. It is God's truth holding firm despite their sin.
- Reach. The call reaches three groups: the nation, the priestly family, and Gentiles who fear God. The priests mark the sacrifice it all rests on.
- Result. The psalm ends where it began. Deliverance, worship and the owning of the rejected Messiah all sit inside one sentence of praise.
- Echo. David sang this line, then Solomon, then the returning remnant. Israel will sing it again in full chorus, and Jewish families sing it at Passover. The same words fit for ever.
Oh let Israel say, that his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.
The psalm opens with a call to give thanks. This verse is the first of three calls that follow. Israel speaks first, then the priestly family, then all who fear the Lord — each taking up the same refrain. So who is being called here, and what has happened that lets a whole nation say it? (Older translations read "mercy" where the ESV reads "steadfast love.")
Verses 2 to 4 name three different groups.
In verses 2-4 the same three groups appear that we had in Psalm 115. "Israel" is of course the whole nation — the born-again nation that will enter the blessing of the coming kingdom. "The house of Aaron" is the family of priests, brought into special nearness to God. "Those who fear the Lord" is a description that would include the godly among the Gentiles. In Psalm 115 they were all told to trust in the Lord, who proves Himself to be a help and a shield. Here they see what He has done, as the rest of the Psalm tells it. So they are to praise Him and say that His mercy endures forever.
Once the psalm told these three to trust. Now it tells them to speak.
Israel does not say this because life is going well. They say it after seeing what their own sin could not undo.
This Psalm takes up mercy as something that lasts for ever. It is not just a sense of how great that mercy is right now. When they saw that God's truth had held firm despite their sin, they see the matchless patience of God. They see His own character celebrated in them, as "mercy for ever." Israel, Aaron, and all may now say, "Indeed, His mercy endures forever."
The refrain is not a report on their feelings. It is a verdict on God's character.
Writers tie this refrain to one moment: the day Israel turns back to the One it once rejected.
When God brings Israel to repentance, then "the stone that the builders rejected" will become the cornerstone, and they will acknowledge Him. They will say, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures for ever."
Hamilton Smith reads the whole psalm the same way. Israel's troubles and its recovery both turn on Christ.
The restored nation of Israel is called to praise the Lord for His enduring mercy. Their trials are traced back to their rejection of Christ. Their restoration is traced back to their confession of Christ.
This is not a new line. Israel has said it before, at every fresh mercy, and will say it again.
We have already met this refrain in Psalm 106:1 and Psalm 107:1, and we shall meet it again in Psalm 136. David in his day, and the whole congregation with him, proclaimed it (1 Chronicles 16:34). Years later Solomon and the people echoed it together (2 Chronicles 5:13; 7:3). The returned remnant, in all their weakness, said it when the foundations of the Temple were laid again (Ezra 3:11). One day the returned and fully delivered people of Israel will confirm it in full chorus. Words that fitted nearly three thousand years ago will fit Israel for ever.
The refrain runs through psalm after psalm. That repetition is deliberate, and it says something about us.
We have already seen the Lord's lovingkindness stressed all through the earlier psalms. Yet it is a subject that never grows old. It has to be said over and over again, because our minds and hearts are so dull. God is good and "His lovingkindness endures forever": it knows no change for eternity. Why do we need to be told this? Because we have a natural tendency to complain, whatever our circumstances may be.
Israel is the one addressed here. Yet one writer traces the same mercy across a believer's whole story, from creation to glory.
So from first to last, and all the way in between, it is and will be nothing but mercy. Mercy in creation — and we can go further back still, even to God's purposes of grace in Christ before the foundation of the world. Mercy in our redemption, in our guidance through the wilderness, in our deliverance from our enemies. Mercy in giving us all that God has secured for us in Christ, whether now or when we are for ever with the Lord. So we may take up Israel's song and never stop crying, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures for ever."
- Called. The psalm names three: the nation, the priestly family, and Gentiles who fear God. Once told to trust, now told to speak.
- Convinced. God's truth held firm despite their sin. Seeing that patience, Israel calls His character "mercy for ever."
- Confessing. The saying belongs to the day the nation repents and acknowledges the stone the builders rejected.
- Continuing. David, Solomon and the returned remnant all sang this line. Words that fitted three thousand years ago still fit.
- Contagious. Everything from creation to glory is mercy. So others may take up Israel's song too — and repeat it, because dull and complaining hearts forget.
Oh let the house of Aaron say, that his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.
Psalm 118 opens with a call to give thanks from three named voices: the nation, the priests, and all who fear the Lord. Verse 3 calls on the house of Aaron — Israel's priestly family — to say the line themselves.
Verses 2–4 name three groups, and each name carries weight. One writer identifies all three, and shows what has changed since Psalm 115.
In verses 2-4 the same three groups appear that we had in Psalm 115. "Israel" is of course the whole nation — the born-again nation that will enter into the blessing of the coming thousand-year reign. "The house of Aaron" is the priestly family, brought into special nearness to God. "Those who fear the LORD" is a description that would include the godly among the Gentiles. In Psalm 115 they were all told to trust in the Lord, who proves Himself to be a help and a shield. Here, in the light of what He has done — as the rest of the Psalm tells it — they are to praise Him and say that His mercy endures forever.
Verse 2 already calls the whole nation, and that takes in the priests. So why name them again? One writer finds the answer in what their work stands for.
All are urged to give Him thanks for this. They are divided, as elsewhere, into Israel, the national witness for Him; the house of Aaron, the priestly family; and those who fear the LORD, which would include, at least, those turned to Him from the Gentiles. Setting the house of Aaron apart from the rest of the nation still seems to show the basis of sacrifice, on which everything for them always depends.
The verse calls it steadfast love; the writers quoted here call it mercy or loving-kindness. It is not a general statement that God is kind, but a verdict from a people looking back at their own record.
This Psalm takes up mercy as mercy that lasts for ever. It is not just a sense of how great that mercy is right now. When they saw how God's truth had stood firm despite their sin, they see the matchless patience of God. His own character is celebrated in them, as "mercy for ever." Israel, Aaron, and all may now say, "Indeed, His mercy endures for ever."
Verse 3 asks the priests to say something out loud. One writer sums up the whole psalm, and there too everything turns on what Israel says:
The restored nation of Israel is called to praise the Lord for His enduring mercy. The nation's trials are traced to its rejection of Christ; its restoration to its confession of Christ.
This line did not begin with Psalm 118, and it does not end there. One writer follows it across centuries of Israel's worship.
We have already met this refrain in Ps. 106:1 and 107:1, and we shall meet it again in Ps. 136. David in his day, and the whole congregation with him, proclaimed it (1 Chron. 16:34). Years later Solomon and the people echoed it together (2 Chron. 5:13; 7:3). The remnant who came back from exile, weak as they were, said it when they laid the foundations of the Temple again (Ezra 3:11). In time the people of Israel, brought back and rescued at last, will confirm it in full chorus. Language that fitted them nearly three thousand years ago will fit Israel for ever.
In Psalm 115 these same groups get a call to trust. One writer carries that call over to Christians now.
The psalm speaks to the nation as a whole first, then singles out the priestly family, the house of Aaron (v. 10). If they needed this urgent call, so do believers today, who are all priests. Because our faith grows too weak, our souls need stirring up, so that we trust the Lord at every step of the way.
The same writer asks why one line needs saying so often. The fault lies in us, not in the subject.
It is a subject that never grows old. It needs repeating over and over, because our minds and hearts are dull. God is good, and "His steadfast love endures forever": it will never change, for eternity. Why do we need to be told this? Because complaining comes naturally to us, whatever our circumstances.
- Called — The psalm calls three groups in turn: the nation, Aaron's family, and all who fear the Lord. The circle widens and leaves nobody out.
- Grounded — The psalm gives the priests a line of their own. Their work speaks of sacrifice, and everything else rests on that.
- Proved — The refrain is a conclusion, not a slogan. God's people say it after seeing His faithfulness hold firm despite their sin.
- Repeated — David, Solomon, the exiles who came home, and a rescued Israel still to come all sing the same line. Words fitted for three thousand years ago still fit.
- Yours — Believers now hold the priestly place, and need the same stirring up. We repeat the line because our hearts are dull and quick to complain.
Oh let them that fear Jehovah say, that his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.
Verse 4 gives the third and widest call in the psalm's opening chorus. Israel and the house of Aaron have already had their turn, and now everyone who fears the Lord must say the same short sentence — but who are they? (The commentators use an older translation, "His mercy endures forever." The ESV reads "His steadfast love endures forever.")
The opening verses name three circles of people. One writer identifies each one, and points to an earlier psalm where the same three appear together:
In verses 2-4, the same three classes appear that we had in Psalm 115. "Israel" is of course the whole nation — the born-again nation that will enter into the blessing of the coming thousand-year kingdom. "The house of Aaron" is the priestly family, brought into special nearness to God. "Those who fear the Lord" is a description that would include the godly from among the Gentiles. In Psalm 115 they were all told to trust in the Lord, who proves Himself a help and a shield. Here they are to praise Him for what He has done, as the rest of the Psalm tells it, and say that His mercy endures forever.
The third group is the widest, yet the priestly family is still kept distinct from the rest of the nation — and that distinction carries meaning:
All are urged to give Him thanks for this. The division is the one we have had elsewhere: Israel, the national witness for Him; the house of Aaron, the priestly family; and those who fear the Lord, which would include, at least, those turned to Him from the Gentiles. Keeping the house of Aaron separate from the rest of the nation still seems to show the sacrificial basis on which everything always depends for them.
The refrain is not about how good the moment feels. It says something about God that His people see only when they look back at their own sin:
This Psalm takes up mercy as enduring for ever, not merely a sense of how great that mercy is now. When they saw how God's truth had stood firm despite their sin, they see the incomparable patience of God — His own character celebrated in them, as "mercy for ever." Israel, Aaron, and all may now say, "Indeed, His mercy endures for ever."
These words were not new when this psalm was written. They had already been sung at the high points and the low points of the nation's story, and they are not finished yet:
This refrain appears already in Psalm 106:1 and Psalm 107:1, and we shall meet it again in Psalm 136. David in his day, and the whole congregation with him, proclaimed it (1 Chron. 16:34). Solomon, with the people in unison, years later re-echoed it (2 Chron. 5:13; 7:3). The returned remnant in all their weakness, when the foundations of the Temple were again laid, gave expression to it (Ezra 3:11). In time, in full chorus, the returned people of Israel, delivered at last, will confirm it. Language that fitted nearly three thousand years ago will fit Israel for ever.
Verse 4 closes the summons. The next verse gives the reason for it:
The first four verses take up the well-known chorus of Israel's praise. The fifth gives the occasion for going over the lasting character of the Lord's mercy: the psalmist called on the Lord in distress, and the Lord answered him and set him in a large place. Taken in its prophetic form, that distress came, and will come, from the nations who will gather against Jerusalem in the last days, as we read in Zechariah.
This psalm belonged to the Passover meal, which means the Lord Himself sang these words hours before the cross:
The Saviour and His disciples sang a hymn before leaving the supper table — so Matthew and Mark inform us. This was probably the great Hallel, consisting of Psalms 115-118. Wonderful words to come from His lips at such a moment! "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (Ps. 118:22) — Himself the rejected of earth about to be glorified on high.
- Three voices. The psalm names three circles — Israel the nation, Aaron's family of priests, and all who fear the Lord — and gives each the same sentence to say.
- One basis. The psalm keeps Aaron's house distinct to mark the sacrificial ground on which all the blessing rests.
- Widest reach. "Those who fear the Lord" opens the chorus beyond Israel to the godly from among the nations.
- Tested mercy. The refrain celebrates not a good mood but God's patience proved against His people's sin.
- Unbroken song. David sang it, Solomon's congregation sang it, the returning exiles sang it, the Lord sang it at the Passover table — and a delivered Israel will sing it yet.