The Meaning of Psalms 118:13 Explained

Psalms 118:13

KJV: Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.

YLT: Thou hast sorely thrust me to fall, And Jehovah hath helped me.

Darby: Thou hast thrust hard at me that I might fall; but Jehovah helped me.

ASV: Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall; But Jehovah helped me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou hast thrust  sore  at me that I might fall:  but the LORD  helped  me. 

What does Psalms 118:13 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 118:13 mean?

Violently You pushed me that I might fall but Yahweh helped me
דַּחֹ֣ה דְחִיתַ֣נִי לִנְפֹּ֑ל וַ֖יהוָ֣ה עֲזָרָֽנִי

דַּחֹ֣ה  Violently 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: דָּחָה 
Sense: to push, thrust, chase, overflow, totter, sore, drive away or out, be outcast, be cast down.
דְחִיתַ֣נִי  You  pushed  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: דָּחָה 
Sense: to push, thrust, chase, overflow, totter, sore, drive away or out, be outcast, be cast down.
לִנְפֹּ֑ל  that  I  might  fall 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
וַ֖יהוָ֣ה  but  Yahweh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עֲזָרָֽנִי  helped  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: עָזַר  
Sense: to help, succour, support.