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Commentary on Psalms 116 verses 10–19
The Septuagint and some other ancient versions make these verses a distinct psalm separate from the former; and some have called it the Martyr's psalm, I suppose for the sake of Psa 116:15. Three things David here makes confession of: -
I. His faith (Psa 116:10): I believed, therefore have I spoken. This is quoted by the apostle (Co2 4:13) with application to himself and his fellow-ministers, who, though they suffered for Christ, were not ashamed to own him. David believed the being, providence, and promise of God, particularly the assurance God had given him by Samuel that he should exchange his crook for a sceptre: a great deal of hardship he went through in the belief of this, and therefore he spoke, spoke to God by prayer (Psa 116:4), by praise, Psa 116:12. Those that believe in God will address themselves to him. He spoke to himself; because he believed, he said to his soul, Return to thy rest. He spoke to others, told his friends what his hope was, and what the ground of it, though it exasperated Saul against him and he was greatly afflicted for it. Note, Those that believe with the heart must confess with the mouth, for the glory of God, the encouragement of others, and to evidence their own sincerity, Rom 10:10; Act 9:19, Act 9:20. Those that live in hope of the kingdom of glory must neither be afraid nor ashamed to own their obligation to him that purchased it for them, Mat 10:22.
II. His fear (Psa 116:11): I was greatly afflicted, and then I said in my haste (somewhat rashly and inconsiderately - in my amazement (so some), when I was in a consternation - in my flight (so others), when Saul was in pursuit of me), All men are liars, all with whom he had to do, Saul and all his courtiers; his friends, who he thought would stand by him, deserted him and disowned him when he fell into disgrace at court. And some think it is especially a reflection on Samuel, who had promised him the kingdom, but deceived him; for, says he, I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul, Sa1 27:1. Observe, 1. The faith of the best of saints is not perfect, nor always alike strong and active. David believed and spoke well (Psa 116:10), but now, through unbelief, he spoke amiss. 2. When we are under great and sore afflictions, especially if they continue long, we are apt to grow weary, to despond, and almost to despair of a good issue. Let us not therefore be harsh in censuring others, but carefully watch over ourselves when we are in trouble, Psa 39:1-3. 3. If good men speak amiss, it is in their haste, through the surprise of a temptation, not deliberately and with premeditation, as the wicked man, who sits in the seat of the scornful (Psa 1:1), sits and speaks against his brother, Psa 50:19, Psa 50:20. 4. What we speak amiss, in haste, we must by repentance unsay again (as David, Psa 31:22), and then it shall not be laid to our charge. Some make this to be no rash word of David's. He was greatly afflicted and forced to fly, but he did not trust in man, nor make flesh his arm. No: he said, "All men are liars; as men of low degree are vanity, so men of high degree are a lie, and therefore my confidence was in God only, and in him I cannot be disappointed." In this sense the apostle seems to take it. Rom 3:4, Let God be true and every man a liar in comparison with God. All men are fickle and inconstant, and subject to change; and therefore let us cease from man and cleave to God.
III. His gratitude, Psa 116:12, etc. God had been better to him than his fears, and had graciously delivered him out of his distresses; and, in consideration hereof,
1.He enquires what returns he shall make (Psa 116:12): What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? Here he speaks, (1.) As one sensible of many mercies received from God - all his benefits. This psalm seems to have been penned upon occasion of some one particular benefit (Psa 116:6, Psa 116:7), but in that one he saw many and that one brought many to mind, and therefore now he thinks of all God's benefits towards him. Note, When we speak of God's mercies we should magnify them and speak highly of them. (2.) As one solicitous and studious how to express his gratitude: What shall I render unto the Lord? Not as if he thought he could render any thing proportionable, or as a valuable consideration for what he had received; we can no more pretend to give a recompense to God than we can to merit any favour from him; but he desired to render something acceptable, something that God would be pleased with as the acknowledgment of a grateful mind. He asks God, What shall I render? Asks the priest, asks his friends, or rather asks himself, and communes with his own heart about it. Note, Having received many benefits from God, we are concerned to enquire, What shall we render?
2.He resolves what returns he will make.
(1.)He will in the most devout and solemn manner offer up his praises and prayers to God, Psa 116:13, Psa 116:17. [1.] "I will take the cup of salvation, that is, I will offer the drink-offerings appointed by the law, in token of my thankfulness to God, and rejoice with my friends in God's goodness to me;" this is called the cup of deliverance because drunk in memory of his deliverance. The pious Jews had sometimes a cup of blessing, at their private meals, which the master of the family drank first of, with thanksgiving to God, and all at his table drank with him. But some understand it not of the cup that he would present to God, but of the cup that God would put into his hand. I will receive, First, The cup of affliction. Many good interpreters understand it of that cup, that bitter cup, which is yet sanctified to the saints, so that to them it is a cup of salvation. Phi 1:19, This shall turn to my salvation; it is a means of spiritual health. David's sufferings were typical of Christ's, and we, in ours, have communion with his, and his cup was indeed a cup of salvation. "God, having bestowed so many benefits upon me, whatever cup he shall put into my hands I will readily take it, and not dispute it; welcome his holy will." Herein David spoke the language of the Son of David. Joh 18:11, The cup that my Father has given me, shall I not take it and drink it? Secondly, The cup of consolation: "I will receive the benefits God bestows upon me as from his hand, and taste his love in them, as that which is the portion not only of my inheritance in the other world, but of my cup in this." [2.] I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, the thank-offerings which God required, Lev 7:11, Lev 7:12, etc. Note, Those whose hearts are truly thankful will express their gratitude in thank-offerings. We must first give our ownselves to God as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1, Co2 8:5), and then lay out of what we have for his honour in works of piety and charity. Doing good and communicating are sacrifices with which God is well pleased (Heb 13:15, Heb 13:16) and this must accompany our giving thanks to his name. If God has been bountiful to us, the least we can do in return is to be bountiful to the poor, Psa 16:2, Psa 16:3. Why should we offer that to God which costs us nothing? [3.] I will call upon the name of the Lord. This he had promised (Psa 116:2) and here he repeats it, Psa 116:13 and again Psa 116:17. If we have received kindness from a man like ourselves, we tell him that we hope we shall never trouble him again; but God is pleased to reckon the prayers of his people an honour to him, and a delight, and no trouble; and therefore, in gratitude for former mercies, we must seek to him for further mercies, and continue to call upon him.
(2.)He will always entertain good thoughts of God, as very tender of the lives and comforts of his people (Psa 116:15): Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints, so precious that he will not gratify Saul, nor Absalom, nor any of David's enemies, with his death, how earnestly soever they desire it. This truth David had comforted himself with in the depth of his distress and danger; and, the event having confirmed it, he comforts others with it who might be in like manner exposed. God has a people, even in this world, that are his saints, his merciful ones, or men of mercy, that have received mercy from him and show mercy for his sake. The saints of God are mortal and dying; nay, there are those that desire their death, and labour all they can to hasten it, and sometimes prevail to be the death of them; but it is precious in the sight of the Lord; their life is so (Kg2 1:13); their blood is so, Psa 72:14. God often wonderfully prevents the death of his saints when there is but a step between them and it; he takes special care about their death, to order it for the best in all the circumstances of it; and whoever kills them, how light soever they may make of it, they shall be made to pay dearly for it when inquisition is made for the blood of the saints, Mat 23:35. Though no man lays it to heart when the righteous perish, God will make it to appear that he lays it to heart. This should make us willing to die, to die for Christ, if we are called to it, that our death shall be registered in heaven; and let that be precious to us which is so to God.
(3.)He will oblige himself to be God's servant all his days. Having asked, What shall I render? here he surrenders himself, which was more than all burnt-offerings and sacrifice (Psa 116:16): O Lord! truly I am thy servant. Here is, [1.] The relation in which David professes to stand to God: "I am thy servant; I choose to be so; I resolve to be so; I will live and die in thy service." He had called God's people, who are dear to him, his saints; but, when he comes to apply it to himself, he does not say, Truly I am thy saint (that looked too high a title for himself), but, I am thy servant. David was a king, and yet he glories in this, that he was God's servant. It is no disparagement, but an honour, to the greatest kings on earth, to be the servants of the God of heaven. David does not here compliment God, as it is common among men to say, I am your servant, Sir. No; "Lord, I am truly thy servant; thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I am so." And he repeats it, as that which he took pleasure in the thoughts of and which he was resolved to abide by: "I am thy servant, I am thy servant. Let others serve what master they will, truly I am they servant." [2.] The ground of that relation. Two ways men came to be servants: - First, by birth. "Lord, I was born in thy house; I am the son of thy handmaid, and therefore thins." It, is a great mercy to be the children of godly parents, as it obliges us to duty and is pleadable with God for mercy. Secondly, By redemption. He that procured the release of a captive took him for his servant. "Lord, thou hast loosed my bonds; those sorrows of death that compassed me, thou hast discharged me from them, and therefore I am thy servant, and entitled to thy protection as well as obliged to thy work." The very bonds which thou hast loosed shall tie me faster unto thee. Patrick.
(4.)He will make conscience of paying his vows and making good what he had promised, not only that he would offer the sacrifices of praise, which he had vowed to bring, but perform all his other engagements to God, which he had laid himself under in the day of his affliction (Psa 116:14): I will pay my vows; and again, (Psa 116:18), now in the presence of all his people. Note, Vows are debts that must be paid, for it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay. He will pay his vows, [1.] Presently; he will not, like sorry debtors, delay the payment of them, or beg a day; but, "I will pay them now," Ecc 5:4. [2.] Publicly; he will not huddle up his praises in a corner, but what service he has to do for God he will do it in the presence of all his people; nor for ostentation, but to show that he was not ashamed of the service of God, and that others might be invited to join with him. He will pay his vows in the courts of the tabernacle, where there was a crowd of Israelites attending, in the midst of Jerusalem, that he might bring devotion into more reputation.
“For the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those who hope in his mercy, to deliver their souls from death,” even eternal death, “and to nourish them in their hunger,” that is, after eternal life. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.” “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” “The Lord keeps all their bones; not one of them shall be broken.” The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants. We have adduced these few quotations from a mass of the Creator’s Scriptures; and no more, I suppose, are needed to prove him to be a most good God, for they sufficiently indicate both the precepts of his goodness and the firstfruits of it.
There they stood, victims of torture yet stronger than their tormentors. Their battered and lacerated limbs overcome the “claws” that tore and ripped at them. The savage, oft-repeated lashes could not defeat the martyrs’ inextinguishable faith, though once their entrails were prized apart it was not the limbs of God’s servants but their open wounds that were racked. It was as though their blood flowed to extinguish the fires of the persecution, to damp down the flames and burning coals of hell with its glorious streams. O what a marvelous sight it was before the Lord, how sublime, how precious! How welcome a sight to God’s eyes is the allegiance and self-offering of his legionaries! So it is written in the Psalms, when the Holy Spirit speaks likewise reminding us, “How precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his just.”
Oh, what a spectacle was that to the Lord,-how sublime, how great, how acceptable to the eyes of God in the allegiance and devotion of His soldiers! As it is written in the Psalms, when the Holy Spirit at once speaks to us and warns us: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Precious is the death which has bought immortality at the cost of its blood, which has received the crown from the consummation of its virtues.
By the death of the martyrs, religion has been defended, the faith spread and the church strengthened. The dead have been victorious, and the persecutors have been vanquished. Accordingly, we celebrate the deaths of those of whose lives we know nothing. So, too, David in prophecy rejoiced at the departure of his own soul, saying, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the saints.” He held death in more esteem than life. The death itself of the martyrs is the prize of life. Furthermore, even the hatreds of enemies are dissolved by death.
So Vincent vanquished Dacian while he lived; he vanquished him also when he was dead. Living he trampled on the torments, dead he swam across the sea. But the one who guided and steered the lifeless corpse through the waves was the same one who had granted him an invincible spirit among the torturer’s iron claws. The torturer’s flames did not intimidate his heart, the waters of the sea did not sink his body. But all these things occurred just to show that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” To this glory may the Lord bring us too under his protection, whose is the honor and the empire for ever and ever.
Yet he himself also made precious the blood of his people for whom he gave the price of his blood; for if he did not make precious the blood of his people, it would not be said, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” And so also in regard to what Jesus says, “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” He is not the only one who did this; and yet, if those who did [so] are Christ’s members, he himself alone likewise did this. For he could do [something] without them, but how could they do [anything] without him since he himself said, “Without me you can do nothing”? From this we show, however, what the others also did: because John the apostle himself, who preached this Gospel that you have heard, said in his epistle, “As Christ laid down his life for us, so we, too, ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” “We ought to,” he said; he who first showed the way made us debtors. Therefore in a certain place it has been written, “If you sit to dine at the table of the ruler, wisely understand what is set before you. And put forth your hand, knowing that you ought to prepare such things.” You know what the table of the ruler is; thereupon is the body and blood of Christ. He who approaches such a table, let him prepare such things. What is, let him prepare such things? “As he laid down his life for us, so we, too, ought,” for edifying the people and defending the faith, “to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
But this man seeks what he may return unto the Lord, and finds not, save out of those things which the Lord Himself returns. "I will receive," he says, "the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord" [Psalm 116:13]. "My vows will I render to the Lord, before all His people" [Psalm 116:14]. Who has given you the cup of salvation, which when you take, and callest upon the Name of the Lord, you shall return unto Him a reward for all that He has returned unto you? Who, save He who says, "Are ye able to drink the cup that I shall drink of?" Who has given unto you to imitate His sufferings, save He who has suffered before for you? And therefore, "Right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints" [Psalm 116:15]. He purchased it by His Blood, which He first shed for the salvation of slaves, that they might not hesitate to shed their blood for the Lord's Name; which, nevertheless, would be profitable for their own interests, not for those of the Lord.
Through such glorious deeds of the holy martyrs, with which the church blossoms everywhere, we prove with our own eyes how true what we have just been singing is, that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”; seeing that it is precious both in our sight and in the sight of him for the sake of whose name it was undertaken. But the price of these deaths is the death of one man. How many deaths were bought by one dying man, who was the grain of wheat that would not have been multiplied if he had not died! You heard his words when he was drawing near to his passion, that is, when he was drawing near to our redemption: “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”On the cross, you see, he transacted a grand exchange; it was there that the purse containing our price was untied; when his side was laid open by the lance of the executioner, there poured out from it the price of the whole wide world. The faithful were bought and the martyrs; but the faith of the martyrs has been proved; blood is the witness to it. They have paid back what was spent for them, and they have fulfilled what John says: “Just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too should lay down our lives for the brothers.” And in another place it says, “You have sat down at a great table; consider carefully what is set before you, since it behooves you to prepare the same kind of things yourself.” It is certainly a great table, where the lord of the table is himself the banquet. Nobody feeds his guests on himself; that is what the Lord Christ did, being himself the host, himself the food and drink. So the martyrs recognized what they ate and drank, so that they could give back the same kind of thing.
The Lord, though, bears striking witness to his witnesses [martyrs], when after stiffening their hearts for the struggle, he does not abandon their bodies once they are dead, like the outstanding miracle he performed over the body of blessed Vincent. The enemy desired and took all necessary steps to ensure that the body should completely disappear; but a divine sign gave its whereabouts away and revealed it for religious burial and veneration so promptly that it would continue as a lasting memorial to the victory of piety and impiety’s defeat. Indeed, “how precious in the sight of the Lord must be the death of his saints,” when not even the earth of the flesh is ignored after the life has gone out of it; and when, as the invisible soul withdraws from its visible home, this dwelling of his servant is preserved by the Lord’s care and honored for the Lord’s glory by his faithful fellow servants.
But the truth was revealed to the man who pointed out the things that were discovered. The place, you see, was indicated by preceding signs; and it was discovered to be just as it had been revealed in them. Many people received relics from there, because that was God’s will, and they came as far as here. So both this place and this day is being commended to your graces’91 devotion; each is to be celebrated to the honor of God, whom Stephen confessed. After all, we have not built an altar in this place to Stephen, but an altar to God from Stephen’s relics. Altars of this kind are pleasing to God. You ask why? Because “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Those who shed their blood for their Redeemer were redeemed by his blood. He shed his as the redemptive price of their salvation; the martyrs shed theirs as a means of spreading his gospel. They gave him something in exchange, but not from their own resources; their ability to do so, after all, was his gift; and for that to be done that could be done by them was his gift. As a mark of his favor, he proved them with the occasion of their martyrdom. It happened, they suffered, they trampled on the world.
The earth has been filled with the blood of the martyrs as with seed, and from that seed have sprung the crops of the church. They have asserted Christ’s cause more effectively when dead than when they were alive. They assert it today, they preach him today; their tongues are silent, their deeds echo round the world. They were arrested, bound, imprisoned, brought to trial, tortured, burned at the stake, stoned to death, run through, fed to wild beasts. In all their kinds of death they were jeered at as worthless, but “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
Renounce pleasure, turn away from uncleanness, dispel luxury, flee unrighteousness, resist falsehood. When you see that you are waging a battle on many fronts, then you must also, in imitation of the martyrs, pursue a many-sided victory. Every time we die to sins, the sins die in us, and this “death of his holy ones is precious in the sight of the Lord,” because a “human being” dies “to the world” not by the destruction of senses but by the death of vices.
Your blessed co-apostle, Paul, “vessel of election” and special teacher of the nations, coming to this city, was your associate at that time when all innocence, all honor, all liberty was suffering under the will of Nero. Nero’s rage, inflamed by an excess of all vices, in this time drove him up to such a flood of insanity that he was the first to bring on the honor of a general persecution for the name of Christian. He seemed to think that the grace of God might be cut off through the slaughter of God’s holy ones. Nero did not know that the religion founded on the mystery of the cross cannot be extinguished by any kind of cruelty, since “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” This does not diminish, but it increases, the church. As if the grace of God could be blotted out by the slaughter of his holy ones, for whom it was the greatest profit that the contempt of this failing life brought the knowledge of eternal happiness. Therefore this failing life brought the knowledge of eternal happiness. Therefore “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
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SUMMARY
Psalms 116:15 conveys a profound and comforting theological truth: the passing of God's devoted followers is not viewed by the Almighty as a trivial event or a mere cessation of existence, but as something immensely valuable and significant in His divine perspective. This declaration underscores the deep, abiding esteem God holds for His covenant people, assuring believers that their lives, and indeed their deaths, are cherished and held in high regard by their Creator.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices. Anthropomorphism is evident in the phrase "in the sight of the LORD," attributing human-like perception and valuing to God, making His care more relatable and immediate. This device allows the psalmist to convey God's personal attention to the individual. There is also a subtle Paradox or Irony at play: death, typically the ultimate enemy and source of sorrow, is here declared "precious." This unexpected juxtaposition elevates the spiritual reality above the physical one, transforming a perceived tragedy into an event of divine significance. Furthermore, the verse functions as a profound Theological Proclamation, a declarative statement that asserts a foundational truth about God's character and His relationship with His faithful people. The concise and direct nature of the statement lends it an aphoristic quality, making it memorable and impactful.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 116:15 stands as a profound theological statement, asserting God's deep and abiding care for His people, even in their final moments. It redefines death for the believer, transforming it from a dreaded end into an event of divine significance and value. This verse underscores the truth that a life lived in devotion to God is never in vain, and its culmination is not overlooked but cherished by the Creator. It speaks to God's sovereignty over all life and death, assuring believers that their ultimate destiny is secure in His hands. The "preciousness" implies not only value but also protection and a sense of completion in God's eternal plan, offering immense comfort to those who grieve and profound hope to those who face their own mortality.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 116:15 offers immense comfort and encouragement for believers today, profoundly shaping our perspective on life, death, and God's unwavering love. It reminds us that our lives, and indeed our deaths, are not random or meaningless in God's grand design; rather, we are deeply cherished by Him from the moment of our creation until our last breath and beyond. For those who mourn the loss of a loved one who was a "saint," this verse transforms grief into hope, assuring them that the departed is not merely gone but is "precious in the sight of the LORD," now in His eternal presence. This truth can alleviate the sting of death, knowing that God's care extends even beyond physical life. Furthermore, it reinforces the call to live a life of faith and devotion, knowing that our ultimate destination is with the One who values us so highly. The death of a believer is thus portrayed not as a defeat, but as a solemn yet triumphant transition into the eternal presence of God, where all sorrow and suffering cease.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse mean God rejoices in the death of His saints?
Answer: No, the verse does not imply that God rejoices in the act of death itself, which is a consequence of sin and an enemy, as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:26. Rather, "precious" (H3368, yâqâr) signifies that the event of a saint's death holds profound value and significance in God's eyes. It means God deeply cares about His faithful ones even in their passing, that their lives were valuable to Him, and their transition is not unnoticed or unvalued. It speaks to the culmination of a life lived in covenant with Him, and their entry into His eternal presence, which is a blessed state, as affirmed in Revelation 14:13.
What is the significance of the term "saints" in this context?
Answer: The Hebrew word for "saints" is châçîyd (H2623), derived from hesed, meaning steadfast love, covenant loyalty, or kindness. It refers to those who are godly, pious, and devoted to God, living in faithful obedience to His covenant. These are individuals who have cultivated a deep, personal relationship with the LORD (H3068, Yᵉhôvâh). Therefore, their death is "precious" because their lives were dedicated to Him, reflecting His own character of hesed. It is the passing of those who belong to Him intimately, whose lives have fulfilled His purposes, and who are now coming home to Him.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 116:15 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. While the psalm speaks of the preciousness of the death of God's faithful ones, it is the death of Christ that transforms death itself for all who believe. Jesus, the ultimate "Saint" and the perfectly devoted Son, willingly laid down His life, and His death was supremely precious in the sight of the Father, not because it was an end, but because it was the means by which salvation was accomplished, as Jesus Himself stated in John 10:17-18. His resurrection conquered death, stripping it of its power and sting for all who are "in Christ," as triumphantly declared in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57. Thus, for the Christian, death is no longer a feared adversary but a "sleep" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)—a transition into the immediate presence of the Lord, where to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The "preciousness" of the saint's death is now rooted in the finished work of Christ, who assures us, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). Through Him, the death of His saints is not merely valued but is a blessed passage into eternal glory, secured by His own precious sacrifice.