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Psalm 116

Psalm 116 moves from the threat of death to public thanksgiving, grounding lifelong prayer in YHWH’s mercy.

A worshiper recalls being caught in the threat of death and crying to YHWH for rescue. The psalm names neither its author nor the danger behind that cry. The speaker addresses God, speaks to his own soul, and declares his thanks before others. Having been delivered, he asks what he can give YHWH in response. The closing verses place his promised thanksgiving among God’s people, in the courts of YHWH’s house in Jerusalem.

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1I love the LORD, because he listens to my voice, and my cries for mercy.
2Because he has turned his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow.
4Then I called on the LORD’s name: “LORD, I beg you, deliver my soul.”
5The LORD is gracious and righteous. Yes, our God is merciful.
6The LORD preserves the simple. I was brought low, and he saved me.
7Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10I believed, therefore I said, “I was greatly afflicted.”
11I said in my haste, “All people are liars.”
12What will I give to the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
13I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the LORD’s name.
14I will pay my vows to the LORD, yes, in the presence of all his people.
15Precious in the LORD’s sight is the death of his saints.
16LORD, truly I am your servant. I am your servant, the son of your servant girl. You have freed me from my chains.
17I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call on the LORD’s name.
18I will pay my vows to the LORD, yes, in the presence of all his people,
19in the courts of the LORD’s house, in the middle of you, Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
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Key verses
Psalm 116:1The opening ties the speaker’s love for YHWH to being heard when he cried for mercy.
Psalm 116:3The cords of death establish the stakes of the prayer and the depth of the rescue being celebrated.
Psalm 116:12This question turns the psalm from recounting rescue toward a response of thanksgiving and vows before God’s people.
Where this chapter reaches

2 Corinthians quotes Psalm 116’s link between believing and speaking, placing that confession within its account of faith amid suffering and the hope of resurrection. Romans takes up the psalm’s statement about human falsehood when affirming God’s truthfulness despite human unfaithfulness.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about the way distress and belief appear together in verses 10–11?

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How might the psalm’s public thanksgiving shape the way you respond to an answered prayer?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 116

Who wrote Psalm 116?

Psalm 116 does not name its author or identify the event behind it. The speaker describes rescue from death and promises thanksgiving in Jerusalem’s temple courts. Illness, persecution, or another danger could fit the language, but the text does not settle which occurred.

What does Psalm 116:15 mean by precious?

The verse says that the death of God’s saints is precious in his sight. Here, precious conveys weight and value: their deaths matter to him. Within a psalm celebrating rescue from death, the statement shows God’s regard for his faithful people. It does not describe death itself as pleasant.

What is the cup of salvation in Psalm 116?

The cup appears alongside calling on YHWH, paying vows, and offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving. It likely refers to a cup used in worship to celebrate God’s rescue. The psalm does not explain the precise ritual, so identifying it with a particular offering requires some caution.

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What the Bible says about gratitude →What the Bible says about death →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).