The Meaning of Psalms 116:17 Explained

Psalms 116:17

KJV: I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

YLT: To Thee I sacrifice a sacrifice of thanks, And in the name of Jehovah I call.

Darby: I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of Jehovah.

ASV: I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I will offer  to thee the sacrifice  of thanksgiving,  and will call  upon the name  of the LORD. 

What does Psalms 116:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 116:12-19 - Praise Him For All His Benefits
The psalmist dwells joyfully on his enslavement to God, because in and through it he had found perfect liberty. Thou hast loosed my bonds. They who become enslaved to Christ are set free from all other restraints. See John 8:31-36. Do not forget to pay your vows! In trouble we make promises, which, when the trouble has passed, we find it convenient to forget. See Genesis 40:23.
Psalms 117:1-2 is the shortest chapter in the Bible and its center; but, small as it is, it breathes a world-wide spirit and reaches out to all nations. "It is a dewdrop reflecting the universe." The Apostle quotes it in Romans 15:11, as foretelling the call of the Gentiles. Here, as in Isaiah 11:10 and elsewhere, the spirit of the singer overleaps all national exclusiveness and comprehends all people and all time.
Let us learn to exercise the spirit of praise in our daily sphere. Surely we also can say that God's loving-kindness has been, and is, mighty over us. "Where sin abounded grace did much more abound." The permanence of this love is guaranteed by God's faithfulness; for his truth is his troth. The shortest prayer of praise should find room for Hallelujah! See Revelation 19:4. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 116

1  The psalmist professes his love and duty to God for his deliverance
12  He studies to be thankful

What do the individual words in Psalms 116:17 mean?

To You I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and upon the name of Yahweh will call
לְֽךָ־ אֶ֭זְבַּח זֶ֣בַח תּוֹדָ֑ה וּבְשֵׁ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה אֶקְרָֽא

לְֽךָ־  To  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֲבֹוי  
Sense: Oh!, Woe!, (exclamation of pain—indicates desire or uneasiness).
אֶ֭זְבַּח  I  will  offer 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: זָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, kill, sacrifice, slaughter for sacrifice.
זֶ֣בַח  the  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: sacrifice.
תּוֹדָ֑ה  of  thanksgiving 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֹּודָה  
Sense: confession, praise, thanksgiving.
וּבְשֵׁ֖ם  and  upon  the  name 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
יְהוָ֣ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֶקְרָֽא  will  call 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.