Psalms 118:21

KJV

I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

KJV (with Strong's)

I will praise {H3034} thee: for thou hast heard {H6030} me, and art become my salvation {H3444}.

Complete Jewish Bible

I am thanking you because you answered me; you became my salvation.

Berean Standard Bible

I will give You thanks, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation.

American Standard Version

I will give thanks unto thee; for thou hast answered me, And art become my salvation.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Psalms 118:21 is a profound declaration of personal praise and thanksgiving, born from a deeply experienced divine intervention. The psalmist articulates immense gratitude for God's attentive ear to his cries and His transformative presence as the very embodiment of his deliverance and well-being. This verse encapsulates the joyful culmination of a journey from distress to triumphant adoration, highlighting God's unwavering faithfulness and responsive nature towards His people.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Psalm 118 stands as a vibrant psalm of thanksgiving, serving as the concluding psalm of the "Egyptian Hallel" (Psalms 113-118), a revered collection traditionally recited during Passover and other significant Jewish festivals. The entire psalm is framed by the enduring refrain, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" found in [Psalms 118:1](/psalms/118-1 "Psalm 118:1 - God's Enduring Mercy") and [Psalms 118:29](/psalms/118-29 "Psalm 118:29 - God's Enduring Mercy"). The verse follows a dramatic narrative of intense distress and miraculous deliverance, where the psalmist recounts being surrounded by enemies, crying out to the Lord, and experiencing His saving power, as vividly described in passages like [Psalms 118:5-7](/psalms/118-5-7 "Psalm 118:5-7 - The Lord is with Me"). The immediate preceding verses, particularly [Psalms 118:14](/psalms/118-14 "Psalm 118:14 - The Lord is My Strength and Song"), declare the Lord as the psalmist's strength and song, who has become his salvation, thereby setting the stage for this personal vow of praise.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The "Egyptian Hallel" was central to the Passover celebration, commemorating Israel's miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt. This profound historical backdrop imbues Psalm 118 with overarching themes of national liberation and divine intervention in the face of insurmountable odds. The psalmist's personal experience, whether individual or representative of the nation, powerfully mirrors the Exodus narrative, where God heard the cries of His people and acted as their mighty deliverer. The psalm's communal nature is further underscored by its liturgical use, suggesting a context of public worship where the individual's testimony of deliverance becomes a corporate declaration of God's enduring faithfulness. Imagery such as being "pushed hard to make me fall" ([Psalms 118:13](/psalms/118-13 "Psalm 118:13 - The Lord Helped Me")) and the "stone that the builders rejected" ([Psalms 118:22](/psalms/118-22 "Psalm 118:22 - The Rejected Stone")) also points to a context of societal opposition and ultimate vindication by God.

* **Key Themes:** Psalms 118:21 contributes significantly to several major themes within Psalm 118 and the broader Psalter. Foremost is the theme of **Thanksgiving and Praise** as the appropriate and volitional response to God's goodness and intervention. It underscores **Divine Responsiveness**, emphasizing that God is not a distant or indifferent deity but one who actively listens and responds to the prayers of His people, a truth echoed throughout [the Psalms](/psalms "The Book of Psalms - Songs of Worship and Prayer"). The profound declaration "art become my salvation" highlights God's active role as **Deliverer and Rescuer**, not merely the source of salvation but its very embodiment. This theme is foundational to the Old Testament understanding of Yahweh as the Great Deliverer, who consistently acts on behalf of His covenant people. Finally, the psalm's repeated emphasis on God's "steadfast love" (Hebrew: _hesed_) reinforces the theme of **God's Enduring Mercy and Faithfulness**, which undergirds all His saving acts and ensures His unfailing commitment to His people.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Praise (Hebrew, _yâdâh'_):** From H3034, a primitive root meaning literally "to use (i.e. hold out) the hand." It signifies an outward expression of gratitude, adoration, or confession, often accompanied by extended hands. In this context, it denotes a deliberate, heartfelt, and public acknowledgment of God's character and deeds, a personal commitment to worship Him for His tangible intervention.
* **Heard (Hebrew, _ʻânâh'_):** From H6030, a primitive root meaning "to eye or (generally) to heed, i.e. pay attention; by implication, to respond." When applied to God, it conveys His attentive listening to the cries of His people, not merely hearing physically but actively heeding and responding to their prayers. It implies a divine engagement that leads to action and deliverance.
* **Salvation (Hebrew, _yᵉshûwʻâh'_):** From H3444, a feminine passive participle meaning "something saved, i.e. (abstractly) deliverance." This rich and comprehensive term encompasses rescue, victory, help, welfare, and prosperity. The psalmist's declaration that God "art become my salvation" is profound; it means God Himself, in His very being and actions, has manifested as the complete and multifaceted deliverance experienced by the psalmist, providing comprehensive well-being and rescue from distress.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"I will praise thee":** This opening clause is a personal, volitional declaration of intent. It signifies a deliberate and heartfelt commitment by the psalmist to offer worship and thanksgiving to God. It is a promise of future praise, rooted in a present, transformative experience of God's goodness.
* **"for thou hast heard me":** This clause provides the explicit and immediate reason for the psalmist's praise. It highlights God's attentiveness and responsiveness to the psalmist's cry for help. The past tense ("hast heard") indicates a completed action, a specific and undeniable instance where God listened and intervened in a tangible way.
* **"and art become my salvation":** This is the climactic declaration, revealing the profound outcome of God's hearing and intervention. God has not merely *provided* salvation; He *is* the salvation itself. This signifies a deeply personal, transformative experience where God's saving power has been fully realized and embodied in the psalmist's life, resulting in complete deliverance, victory, and comprehensive well-being.

#### Literary Devices
Psalms 118:21 employs several effective literary devices to convey its powerful message of gratitude and divine intervention. The most prominent is **Cause and Effect**, clearly established by the conjunction "for" ("I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me..."). The psalmist's commitment to praise is presented as a direct and inevitable consequence of God's responsive action. There is also a strong sense of **First-Person Declaration**, which lends authenticity, immediacy, and profound personal conviction to the psalmist's experience, making the gratitude deeply personal and universally relatable. While not strict parallelism, the two reasons for praise – God hearing and God becoming salvation – function as a form of **Complementary Progression**, where God's attentiveness leads directly to His active and complete deliverance. The climactic phrase "art become my salvation" can be seen as a powerful form of **Metonymy** or even **Personification**, where an abstract concept (salvation) is attributed to or embodied by God Himself, emphasizing His active role and identity as the ultimate Deliverer.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 118:21 profoundly articulates the biblical truth that God is both intimately attentive to the cries of His people and actively involved in their deliverance. It underscores the reciprocal relationship between divine action and human response: God's faithfulness in hearing and saving elicits a heartfelt outpouring of praise and thanksgiving. This verse testifies to God's character as the ultimate source of help and rescue, affirming that true salvation, in its broadest sense, originates solely from Him. It teaches that our praise is not merely an obligation but a natural, joyful overflow of a heart that has experienced God's tangible goodness and transforming power, recognizing His sovereign hand in every rescue.

* [Psalms 4:3](/psalms/4-3 "Psalm 4:3 - The Lord hears when I call")
* [Isaiah 12:2](/isaiah/12-2 "Isaiah 12:2 - God is my salvation")
* [Jonah 2:9](/jonah/2-9 "Jonah 2:9 - Salvation belongs to the Lord")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 118:21 serves as a timeless encouragement for believers to cultivate a spirit of profound gratitude and unwavering trust in God's active presence. In a world often marked by anxiety, uncertainty, and overwhelming challenges, this verse reminds us that our prayers are not unheard whispers into the void, but are received by a God who listens intently and acts decisively. It challenges us to reflect deeply on the specific instances in our own lives where God has "heard" our cries, whether for physical healing, emotional comfort, financial provision, spiritual breakthrough, or deliverance from danger, and has "become our salvation" in tangible, undeniable ways. This recognition should propel us into a lifestyle of intentional, consistent praise, not just for what God *does*, but for who He *is* – our ever-present, faithful Deliverer. By regularly recounting His faithfulness and celebrating His interventions, we bolster our faith for future challenges, knowing with certainty that the God who has saved us before will continue to be our salvation.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How has God recently "heard" your prayers and "become your salvation" in a tangible way in your life?**
* **What specific acts of God's deliverance in your past can you recall and praise Him for today, even if they seem small?**
* **How does the psalmist's personal commitment to praise inspire your own worship, especially when facing current difficulties or waiting for God's intervention?**
* **In what areas of your life do you need to trust God to "become your salvation" right now, surrendering your anxieties to His care?**

### FAQ
**What is the significance of Psalm 118 being part of the "Egyptian Hallel"?**

Answer: Psalm 118 is the final psalm in the "Egyptian Hallel" (Psalms 113-118), a collection of psalms traditionally sung by Jewish people during the Passover celebration. This context is highly significant because Passover commemorates the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. By including Psalm 118, the Hallel connects the psalmist's personal experience of being heard and saved to the grand, foundational narrative of Israel's national salvation. It reinforces the profound theological theme that the God who delivered Israel from Pharaoh's oppressive hand is the same God who hears and delivers individuals from their personal afflictions, making the psalm a powerful, enduring declaration of God's consistent faithfulness across history and in every life.

**Does "salvation" in this context only refer to spiritual salvation?**

Answer: While the term "salvation" (Hebrew: _yᵉshûwʻâh_) certainly carries profound spiritual implications and foreshadows ultimate spiritual deliverance, in the immediate context of the Old Testament and Psalm 118, it primarily refers to a broader, more comprehensive deliverance. This encompasses physical rescue from enemies or danger, victory in battle, restoration to health, and overall well-being and prosperity. The psalmist's experience of being "heard" implies a concrete threat or distress from which God delivered him, whether personal illness, enemy attack, or a national crisis. Therefore, while it lays crucial groundwork for later theological developments regarding spiritual salvation, its primary meaning here encompasses God's active intervention in all aspects of life to bring about safety, rescue, and flourishing.

**How does this verse relate to the idea of God's steadfast love?**

Answer: Psalms 118:21 is deeply intertwined with the theme of God's steadfast love (Hebrew: _hesed_), which is the overarching motif of [Psalm 118](/psalms/118 "Psalm 118 - God's Enduring Mercy"), repeated in its opening and closing verses as a foundational truth. The psalmist's experience of being "heard" and God becoming his "salvation" is a direct and tangible manifestation of this steadfast love. God's _hesed_ is His loyal, enduring, covenantal love and mercy that never fails. It is because of this unwavering character that He listens to His people's cries and acts decisively to deliver them. The psalmist's fervent praise in verse 21 is thus a grateful, heartfelt response to the tangible demonstration of God's faithful and unfailing love in his life, proving that His _hesed_ truly "endures forever."

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 118:21 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The psalmist's declaration that God "art become my salvation" resonates deeply with the New Testament revelation of Jesus, whose very name, Yeshua (from the Hebrew _yᵉshûwʻâh_), inherently means "Yahweh is salvation." He is not merely a messenger of salvation, but the living embodiment of God's saving power. Just as the psalmist cried out and was heard, Jesus, in His earthly ministry, heard the cries of the sick, the demon-possessed, and the lost, bringing them deliverance, healing, and restoration. More profoundly, Jesus is the ultimate "salvation" because through His sacrificial death on the cross and His glorious resurrection, He delivered humanity from the power of sin and death, becoming the [Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"). The "stone that the builders rejected" in [Psalms 118:22](/psalms/118-22 "Psalm 118:22 - The Rejected Stone") is explicitly identified by Jesus Himself and the apostles as referring to Him, the cornerstone of God's new temple ([Matthew 21:42](/matthew/21-42 "Matthew 21:42 - The Cornerstone"); [Acts 4:11](/acts/4-11 "Acts 4:11 - Jesus, the Rejected Stone")). Therefore, our praise, like the psalmist's, is directed to the God who has heard us through Christ, and who, in Christ, has truly become our eternal strength, our song, and our complete salvation ([Isaiah 12:2](/isaiah/12-2 "Isaiah 12:2 - God is my salvation")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Psalms 116:1

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

Exodus 15:2

The LORD [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he [is] my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Isaiah 12:2

Behold, God [is] my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH [is] my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation.

Psalms 118:14

The LORD [is] my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

Isaiah 49:8

Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

Psalms 22:23

Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

Psalms 22:24

For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.