This psalm closes the Hallel, the very hymn Christ sang at the Last Supper, and it turns out to be one of the most directly messianic psalms in the entire book — quoted at the triumphal entry, quoted by Christ Himself against the chief priests, and quoted again in three different New Testament books about the cornerstone of the church.
A study in Psalm 118 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 14 min read
His Mercy Endureth For Ever
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.”
Psalm 118:1-4
The same refrain, “his mercy endureth for ever,” is repeated four times in as many verses, addressed successively to the whole nation, the priesthood, and anyone at all who fears God — a call-and-response structure clearly meant for public, corporate worship.
I Shall Not Die, But Live
“The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD.”
Psalm 118:18-19
“Chastened sore, but not given over unto death” is a careful distinction — real discipline acknowledged honestly, without any exaggeration into total abandonment.
“Some of the writers of that sheet even triumphed over the feebleness of my husband, saying that God would take care of him, and remove him out of the way. When he read this as he lay sick, faith revived, and he exclaimed: ‘I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord, and may yet preach at their funeral.’”
Ellen G. White · Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 96
This is Ellen White’s own account of her husband James, seriously ill and mocked by critics who assumed his death was coming — this exact verse from Psalm 118:17 reviving his faith at the lowest possible moment, read as a direct personal promise rather than only ancient poetry.
The Stone Which The Builders Refused
“The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”
Psalm 118:22-23
This verse originally described Israel itself, a nation the great empires around it dismissed, unexpectedly established by God as central to His purposes. But its deepest fulfillment would come centuries later, in a single rejected man.
“Looking with pity upon them, the Saviour continued, ‘Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’ Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 597
Jesus quoted this exact verse directly to the chief priests and elders, immediately after they had unknowingly pronounced judgment on themselves in the parable of the wicked husbandmen — naming Himself, to their faces, as the very stone their own Scriptures said the builders would refuse.
This Is The Day Which The LORD Hath Made
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24
Coming immediately after the rejected-stone verse, this familiar line takes on sharper meaning — not simply any ordinary day worth celebrating, but specifically the day this particular reversal, the rejected becoming the cornerstone, is set in motion.
Blessed Be He That Cometh
“Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.”
Psalm 118:25-26
“Save now” is the literal meaning of the Hebrew word “Hosanna” — the exact cry the crowds shouted at Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem came directly from this psalm, sung as part of Passover worship for centuries before anyone connected it to the man riding a donkey through the gate.
“The temple echoed and re-echoed with their acclamations, ‘Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation!’… ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 592
White describes the children of Jerusalem leading this exact chant, this same verse from Psalm 118 that had been sung at Passover for a thousand years, now ringing through the temple courts as its actual, literal fulfillment rode past them.
“Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Psalm 118:28-29
The psalm closes the way it opened, the exact same refrain framing everything in between — and this is where the whole Hallel itself ends, the last note of the very hymn Christ sang before walking out to Gethsemane.
