The Meaning of Psalms 118:12 Explained

Psalms 118:12

KJV: They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

YLT: They compassed me about as bees, They have been extinguished as a fire of thorns, In the name of Jehovah I surely cut them off.

Darby: They encompassed me like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of Jehovah have I destroyed them.

ASV: They compassed me about like bees; They are quenched as the fire of thorns: In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They compassed me about  like bees;  they are quenched  as the fire  of thorns:  for in the name  of the LORD  I will destroy  them. 

What does Psalms 118:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 118:1-14 - Trust In God Brings Strength
It is generally agreed that this psalm dates back to the restoration from Babylon. It was probably used as a processional hymn for the first time at the great Feast of Tabernacles mentioned in Nehemiah 8:13-18. The structure of the psalm is as follows: Psalms 118:1-4, the summons of the full choir to the constituent parts of the procession; Psalms 118:5-14, the song of the soloist; Psalms 118:15-16, the answer of the choir; Psalms 118:17-19, the soloist. At this point the procession reaches the Temple gates. Psalms 118:20 is the response of priests and Levites, the custodians of the sacred edifice, who lay stress on the character of those who tread its courts. Psalms 118:21, the soloist; Psalms 118:22-27, the full chorus; Psalms 118:28, the soloist; Psalms 118:29, the concluding doxology.
Luther says of this psalm: "This is mine, the one which I love." As it was included in the great Hallel we infer that our Lord sang it as He went forth to die, Matthew 26:30. It will be sung once more on that coming day for which we wait. See Isaiah 25:9; Matthew 23:39. When we identify ourselves with God's great cause, we may absolutely count on God as our strength in the conflict, and our song in assured victory. [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 118:12 mean?

They surrounded me like bees they were quenched like a fire of thorns for in the name of Yahweh surely I will destroy them
סַבּ֤וּנִי כִדְבוֹרִ֗ים דֹּ֭עֲכוּ כְּאֵ֣שׁ קוֹצִ֑ים בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְ֝הוָ֗ה כִּ֣י אֲמִילַֽם

סַבּ֤וּנִי  They  surrounded  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
כִדְבוֹרִ֗ים  like  bees 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine plural
Root: דְּבֹורָה  
Sense: bee.
דֹּ֭עֲכוּ  they  were  quenched 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: דָּעַךְ  
Sense: to go out, be extinguished, dry up.
כְּאֵ֣שׁ  like  a  fire 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, common singular construct
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
קוֹצִ֑ים  of  thorns 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: קֹוץ 
Sense: thorn, thornbush.
בְּשֵׁ֥ם  for  in  the  name 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
יְ֝הוָ֗ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
כִּ֣י  surely 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֲמִילַֽם  I  will  destroy  them 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: מוּל 
Sense: to circumcise, let oneself be circumcised, cut, be cut off.