Christianity

Psalms 116The Cup of Salvation

Summary

Psalm 116, part of the Hallel, is a personal thanksgiving from someone rescued from death. The sorrows of death surrounded him and the pains of hell took hold of him, but he called on the name of the LORD and was delivered, so he loves God and will call on him as long as he lives. Asking what he can render for all God's benefits, he vows to take the cup of salvation and pay his vows in the presence of all the people in Jerusalem.

Key verse

“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.”

Psalms 116:1

Themes

Love for God
Deliverance from Death
Gratitude
Fulfilling Vows

I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

I said in my haste, All men are liars.

What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,

In the courts of the LORD’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Christianity
2 Corinthians 4: I Believed, Therefore Have I Spoken
Paul cites Psalm 116:10 in 2 Corinthians 4:13 to describe the faith that keeps him speaking and preaching despite affliction.
Christianity
Matthew 26: A Hymn After the Supper
Matthew 26:30 says Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn before going out to the Mount of Olives. Many scholars think this was the second part of Hallel, which includes Psalm 116 and its cup of salvation.

Questions about Psalms 116

What does 'precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints' mean?

Psalm 116:15 says the death of God's faithful ones is costly and weighty in his sight, so he does not allow it lightly. In context the psalmist has just been spared from death, though the verse is often read at Christian funerals as comfort.

What is the cup of salvation in Psalm 116?

In 116:13 the psalmist lifts the cup of salvation, probably a drink offering or a cup raised at a thanksgiving sacrifice. Jewish and Christian readers have linked it with the cups of the Passover meal and the cup of the Lord's Supper.