What is the meaning of Psalm 118:2?

Let Israel say

• The verse opens with a summons, calling the whole nation—every tribe, family, and individual Jew—to join the chorus of praise (Psalm 118:1,3-4).

• Israel is reminded of its covenant identity (Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6-8). Because God literally chose and redeemed this people, they are to respond aloud.

• The wording is communal—faith is never merely private. As in Psalm 107:2, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,” speaking out loud strengthens collective memory and testimony.

• Believers today, grafted into God’s promises (Romans 11:17; 1 Peter 2:9-10), echo this call, yet the verse still honors God’s unbroken commitment to the literal nation of Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37).

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His loving devotion

• The focus shifts from the people to the Person: the LORD’s covenant love—steady, self-giving, loyal (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 136:1).

• This love is not abstract; it is seen in concrete acts: the exodus (Deuteronomy 4:37), the giving of the land (Joshua 21:43-45), preservation through exile (Jeremiah 31:3), and supremely the cross (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).

• Because Scripture is accurate and literal, we can bank on this love being as real as the historical events that display it.

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endures forever

• The phrase anchors God’s love in eternity: it never runs out, never weakens (Psalm 52:8; Lamentations 3:22-23).

• God’s unchanging nature guarantees this permanence (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17).

• Forever means both now and the ages to come, reaching into the new creation where His servants will still sing the same refrain (Revelation 1:8; 21:3-4).

• The repeated line in Psalm 136—twenty-six times—underscores that “forever” is literal, not poetic exaggeration.

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summary

Psalm 118:2 is a three-part invitation: God’s chosen people are to declare, with one voice, that the LORD’s steadfast covenant love is endlessly reliable. It roots worship in history, centers it on God’s character, and stretches it into eternity, assuring every believer that the same faithful love encircling Israel still holds us fast today.