Psalms Chapter 116

“I love the Lord, etc.] As the Messiah, David’s antitype, did; of which he gave the fullest proof by his obedience to his will; and as David, the man after God’s own heart, did, and as every good man does; and the Lord is to be loved for the perfections of his nature, and especially as they are displayed in Christ, and salvation by him; and for his works of creation, providence, and grace, and particularly for his great love shown in redemption, regeneration, and other blessings of grace, as well as for what follows. Because he hath heard my voice and my supplication; in the original text the words lie thus, “I…”

“After invoking others to unite in praise, the writer celebrates God's protecting and delivering care towards him, and then represents himself and the people of God as entering the sanctuary and uniting in solemn praise, with prayer for a continued blessing. Whether composed by David on his accession to power, or by some later writer in memory of the restoration from Babylon, its tone is joyful and trusting, and, in describing the fortune and destiny of the Jewish Church and its visible head, it is typically prophetical of the Christian Church and her greater and invisible Head. (Psa. 118:1-29) The trine…”

“I love the Lord - The Hebrew rather means, “I love, because the Lord hath heard,” etc. That is, the psalmist was conscious of love; he felt it glowing in his soul; his heart was full of that special joy, tenderness, kindness, peace, which love produces; and the source or reason of this, he says, was that the Lord had heard him in his prayers. Because he hath heard ... - That is, This fact was a reason for loving him. The psalmist does not say that this was the only reason, or the main reason for loving him, but that it was the reason for that special joy of love which he then felt in his soul. The main reason for…”

“The sorrows - Dangerous and deadly calamities. Pains - Such agonies and horrors, as dying persons use to feel. Psalms 116:7”

“Ps 116 This hymn of thanksgiving rejoices in God’s character and in rescue from death (116:1-11). It gives an assurance of God’s protection in life and reminds the godly that the Lord watches over them even at death. The psalmist commits to living as God’s servant and resolves to honor him publicly (116:12-19). 116:1-4 The psalmist praises the Lord for answering his prayers and rescuing him from death. 116:1 I love the Lord: This unique opening expresses affection for and commitment to the Lord (see 18:1; Deut 6:5) on the basis of what the Lord has done.”

“am 3468, bc 536 (Title), From several instances of the Chaldee dialect being used in this Psalm, it appears to have been written after the Babylonian captivity. love: Psa 18:1-6, Psa 119:132; Mar 12:33; Joh 21:17; Jo1 4:19, Jo1 5:2, Jo1 5:3 because: Psa 18:6, Psa 31:22, Psa 31:23, Psa 34:3, Psa 34:4, Psa 40:1, Psa 66:19, Psa 66:20, Psa 69:33; Gen 35:2; Sa1 1:26; Joh 16:24 Psalms 116:2”

“Not only is כּי אהבתּי "I love (like, am well pleased) that," like ἀγαπῶ ὅτι, Thucydides vi. 36, contrary to the usage of the language, but the thought, "I love that Jahve answereth me," is also tame and flat, and inappropriate to the continuation in Psa 116:2. Since Psa 116:3-4 have come from Psa 18:5-17, אהבתּי is to be understood according to ארחמך in Psa 18:2, so that it has the following יהוה as its object, not it is true grammatically, but logically. The poet is fond of this pregnant use of the verb without an expressed object, cf. אקרא in Psa 116:2, and האמנתּי in Psa 116:10. The Pasek after ישׁמע is…”