What theological significance does the phrase "The LORD is God" hold in Psalm 118:27? Canonical Text and Immediate Setting Psalm 118:27 : “The LORD is God; He has made His light shine upon us. Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.” Psalm 118 forms the climax of the Egyptian Hallel (Psalm 113-118), sung at Passover. The psalmist, likely a Davidic king returning from victory (cf. vv. 10-18), leads Israel in corporate thanks for covenant faithfulness. Verse 27 is the liturgical apex, uniting confession (“The LORD is God”) with worshipful response (“Bind the festival sacrifice”). Hebrew/Linguistic Insights “Yahweh ʾēl” places the proper name Yahweh (יְהוָה) before ʾēl (אֵל, “God”), emphatically equating Israel’s covenant LORD with absolute deity. The finite verbal form וַיָּאֶר (wayyaʾer, “He has made … shine”) recalls priestly benediction imagery (Numbers 6:24-26). The verse is chiastic: A (Yahweh) – B (God) – Bʹ (light) – Aʹ (altar), moving from confession to cultic act. Covenant and Name Theology Declaring “The LORD is God” re-asserts the Sinai pledge, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Like the Shema (“The LORD our God, the LORD is one,” Deuteronomy 6:4) and Elijah’s contest (“The LORD, He is God,” 1 Kings 18:39), Psalm 118:27 confronts idolatry. The phrase signals exclusive loyalty: the covenant name (Yahweh) embodies the Creator’s unique being (Exodus 3:14). Light Motif: Revelation and Salvation “His light” evokes creation (“Let there be light,” Genesis 1:3) and redemptive epiphany (Isaiah 60:1-3). In Psalm 27:1 Yahweh is called “my light and my salvation.” Here, light = divine favor shining upon the worshippers as they approach the altar, anticipating the Messianic “great light” (Isaiah 9:2) fulfilled in Christ (John 1:4-9; 8:12). Sacrifice and Atonement Foreshadowed “Bind the festival sacrifice … to the horns of the altar” combines Passover and Tabernacles language, situating the confession within substitutionary atonement. The horns symbolize mercy (Exodus 27:2; 30:10). Ultimately, the verse prophetically gestures to the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus, who entered Jerusalem while the Hallel was sung (Matthew 21:9, 42 quoting Psalm 118). Good Friday literally fulfilled “the stone the builders rejected” (v. 22) and the binding of the Lamb (John 19:17-18). Canonical Echoes and Progressive Revelation 1 Kings 18:39 – national repentance after fire-from-heaven parallels the light motif. Ezra 3:10-11 – post-exilic temple worship employs Psalm 118 to authenticate restored covenant life. Revelation 21:23 – the eschatological temple needs no sun, “for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp,” consummating the verse’s light-altar trajectory. Historical-Liturgical Usage Second-Temple Jews sang Psalm 118 at Passover; Mishnah Pesachim 10.5 records its recitation over the fourth cup—precisely when Jesus instituted the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). Early church fathers (e.g., Justin, Dial. 40) cited v. 27 as prophecy of the cross’s “binding.” Summary “The LORD is God” in Psalm 118:27 is a covenantal, exclusive confession that Yahweh alone is deity, validated by His revelatory light and culminating in sacrificial atonement. It anchors Israel’s worship, foreshadows Christ’s redemptive work, and summons every generation to acknowledge, celebrate, and proclaim the sole sovereignty of the resurrected Lord. |
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