The Meaning of Psalms 118:27 Explained

Psalms 118:27

KJV: God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

YLT: God is Jehovah, and He giveth to us light, Direct ye the festal-sacrifice with cords, Unto the horns of the altar.

Darby: Jehovah is God, and he hath given us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar.

ASV: Jehovah is God, and he hath given us light: Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

God  [is] the LORD,  which hath shewed us light:  bind  the sacrifice  with cords,  [even] unto the horns  of the altar. 

What does Psalms 118:27 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 118:15-29 - A New Way In A New Day
As we draw near the mellowing light of the sanctuary we see more deeply into the divine meaning of our experiences. In Psalms 118:13, "Thou [1] didst thrust sore at me," but in Psalms 118:18, "The Lord hath chastened me sore." Our Lord and His Apostles made much use of Psalms 118:22. See Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:4-7. It probably refers to an incident in the building of the Temple, when a rejected stone was sought for to complete the structure. Its rejection and recovery were "the Lord's doing," as a parable of other and more momentous events.
Psalms 118:27 is peculiarly beautiful. As soon as God gives you light, make use of it for a fuller consecration and be renewal of sacrifice. New light means the discovery of fresh opportunities for divine service. Let light and life keep step! Pass from the altar to the Cross, at which Jesus stands to welcome and endorse your new act of surrender. Behold there the golden cord of love, the silver cord of hope, and the crimson cord of his redeeming sacrifice for you. The confession of such a life will be that God is good, that His service is bliss, and that His mercy never fails. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 118

1  An exhortation to praise God for his mercy
5  The psalmist by his experience shows how good it is to trust in God
19  Under the type of the psalmist the coming of Christ in his kingdom is expressed

What do the individual words in Psalms 118:27 mean?

God [is] Yahweh and He has given light us Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar
אֵ֤ל ׀ יְהוָה֮ וַיָּ֪אֶר לָ֥נוּ אִסְרוּ־ חַ֥ג בַּעֲבֹתִ֑ים עַד־ קַ֝רְנ֗וֹת הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ

אֵ֤ל ׀  God  [is] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
יְהוָה֮  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַיָּ֪אֶר  and  He  has  given  light 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
לָ֥נוּ  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
אִסְרוּ־  Bind 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: אָסַר  
Sense: to tie, bind, imprison.
חַ֥ג  the  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַג  
Sense: festival, feast, festival-gathering, pilgrim-feast.
בַּעֲבֹתִ֑ים  with  cords 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common plural
Root: עָבֹות 
Sense: cord, rope, cordage, foliage, interwoven foliage.
קַ֝רְנ֗וֹת  the  horns 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: קֶרֶן 
Sense: horn.
הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ  of  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.