Psalm 116:19 kjv
In the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 116:19 nkjv
In the courts of the LORD's house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 116:19 niv
in the courts of the house of the LORD? in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.
Psalm 116:19 esv
in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 116:19 nlt
in the house of the LORD
in the heart of Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 116 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 116:14 | "I will offer my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people..." | Fulfilling vows publicly |
| Ps 116:18 | "I will offer my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people..." | Repetition of vow fulfillment |
| Ps 22:25 | "From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him." | Public performance of vows/praise |
| Ps 107:32 | "Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders." | Praise in the great assembly |
| Ps 111:1 | "Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation." | Heartfelt praise in community |
| Ps 122:1 | "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD!'" | Joy of going to God's house |
| Ps 122:3-4 | "Jerusalem...where the tribes go up..." | Jerusalem as the gathering place for worship |
| Ps 48:1-2 | "Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain." | Praise for God's presence in Jerusalem |
| Dt 16:16 | "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place that he will choose..." | Mandate for pilgrimage to chosen place |
| 1 Ki 8:6-11 | Account of the dedication of Solomon's Temple. | The Lord's house established in Jerusalem |
| Is 2:2-3 | "it shall come to pass...the mountain of the house of the LORD...peoples shall stream to it." | Future gathering of nations to God's house |
| Zeph 3:14-15 | "Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion...the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst." | Joyous praise in the restored Jerusalem |
| Hag 2:7 | "And I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts." | The Temple's future glory |
| Zec 8:3 | "Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem." | God's presence restored to Jerusalem |
| Ps 95:6 | "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!" | Call to corporate worship |
| Ps 100:4 | "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!" | Entering courts with thanksgiving |
| Neh 12:43 | "And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy..." | Corporate joy and offerings |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | "You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house..." | New Testament "spiritual house" (believers) |
| Eph 2:19-22 | "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets...in whom the whole structure...grows into a holy temple..." | Church as God's spiritual dwelling place |
| Heb 12:22 | "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem..." | Believers come to heavenly Jerusalem |
| Rev 21:2-3 | "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem...And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man...'" | New Jerusalem as God's eternal dwelling |
| Rev 22:3-5 | "The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him." | Eternal worship in God's presence |
Psalm 116 verses
Psalm 116 19 Meaning
Psalm 116:19 expresses the psalmist's resolute commitment to offer public praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. It specifies the location of this act: "in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem." This verse marks the fulfillment of vows made in a time of distress, transformed into an open declaration of God's saving power within the corporate assembly of His people in the holy city, culminating in the joyous acclamation, "Praise the Lord!" It signifies personal gratitude made visible and vocal in communal worship.
Psalm 116 19 Context
Psalm 116 is a psalm of personal thanksgiving for deliverance from the grip of death. The psalmist recounts his distress, crying out to the Lord (vv. 3-4), God's merciful answer (vv. 5-8), and his renewed commitment to walk before God in the land of the living (vv. 9-11). Having been spared, he questions how to repay the Lord for His goodness, resolving to take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord (vv. 12-13). This sets the stage for the specific public actions promised in verses 14 and 18, culminating in verse 19, where he publicly fulfills these vows "in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem." This location is crucial, as Jerusalem and the Temple were the focal points of Israelite worship, signifying the corporate acknowledgement and praise of God's redemptive acts.
Psalm 116 19 Word analysis
- In the courts (בַּחֲצְרוֹת – bachats'rot):
- Meaning: Literally "in the courtyards" or "precincts." The word chatzer (חָצֵר) often refers to an enclosed or open space, frequently a courtyard or a court, sometimes also indicating a village (unwalled settlement). Here, the plural form indicates the multiple open areas around the Temple proper.
- Significance: These courts were accessible to the general worshipping public, in contrast to the inner sanctuaries reserved for priests. This highlights the public and communal nature of the psalmist's thanksgiving. It emphasizes visibility and participation. It signifies that the offering of thanks is not a private, secret affair but a public testimony before God's assembled people.
- of the Lord's house (בֵּית־יְהוָה – beit Yahweh):
- Meaning: "House of Yahweh," referring to the Temple in Jerusalem.
- Significance: This was the central sanctuary for Israel, the place where God had chosen to make His name dwell, where sacrifices were offered, and where the people came to meet with God. It represents God's dwelling among His people and the designated place for national worship, pilgrimage, and covenant renewal.
- in the midst of you (בְּתוֹכֵכִי – b'tokhekhi):
- Meaning: "in her midst" or "within you," with a feminine singular suffix referring back to Jerusalem. It emphasizes immanence and proximity.
- Significance: It underscores that the worship and fulfillment of vows are not just at the Temple, but deeply within the assembled community that constitutes Jerusalem, encompassing both its physical space and its inhabitants. It implies a sense of intimate communal sharing in the act of praise.
- O Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלִָם – Yerushalayim):
- Meaning: The holy city, the capital of Judah, the chosen place for God's dwelling and the center of Israelite worship.
- Significance: Addressing Jerusalem directly personifies the city as the spiritual gathering point for God's people. It underlines the importance of place in ancient Israelite faith. Jerusalem serves as the concrete realization of God's presence with His people, and the praise offered there has a profound corporate resonance for the whole nation.
- Praise the Lord! (הַלְלוּ־יָהּ – Hallelu-Yah):
- Meaning: "Praise Yah!" or "You all, praise Yah!" An imperative command, inviting communal worship. Halal (הָלַל) means to praise, laud, boast, rave about; Yah (יָהּ) is a shortened, poetic form of Yahweh, the covenant name of God.
- Significance: This exultant acclamation acts as a universal call to worship. It encapsulates the essence of the entire psalm and, indeed, much of the Psalter. It signifies that the individual's deliverance leads to corporate praise, inviting all within earshot—the community gathered in Jerusalem—to join in celebrating God's goodness and power. It's the highest form of acknowledgment for God's intervention.
Psalm 116 19 Bonus section
The fulfillment of vows was a serious spiritual matter in ancient Israel (e.g., Num 30:2, Dt 23:21). The psalmist's public declaration here serves not only as personal gratitude but also as a testimony to God's character and faithfulness, thereby encouraging others in their trust in the Lord. This verse provides an insight into the integral link between individual piety and communal worship in the biblical tradition; personal salvation is often meant to be shared and to draw others into praising God. While physically referencing the Temple in Jerusalem, this verse foreshadows the New Testament concept of the church as God's spiritual temple (1 Pet 2:5; Eph 2:19-22), where believers collectively offer "spiritual sacrifices" of praise and thanksgiving, regardless of a single geographical location. The "Hallelujah" at the end of the psalm links this verse to many other psalms (e.g., Ps 113, 115, 117, 146-150) that open or close with this exhortation, making it a distinct feature of praise.
Psalm 116 19 Commentary
Psalm 116:19 is the culminating declaration of a psalm of profound personal thanksgiving. Having experienced miraculous deliverance from the clutches of death, the psalmist is moved not merely to private gratitude, but to public proclamation and fulfillment of his vows. The specified setting – "the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem" – is critical. It shifts the psalm's focus from a singular experience to a corporate celebration. The Temple courts were where ordinary Israelites gathered, making the psalmist's praise visible and audible to the entire worshipping community. This public act affirms the faithfulness of God before all who are gathered, demonstrating that His redemption is not only personal but also manifest within the sacred space of the covenant people. The closing exclamation, "Praise the Lord!" (Hallelujah), is an emphatic, communal invitation. It invites the reader and the ancient worshipper alike to join in acknowledging God's mighty acts. The verse encapsulates the understanding that individual salvation finds its fullest expression and purpose within the community of faith, affirming God's honor in His designated dwelling place. Practically, it teaches believers the importance of public testimony and thanksgiving, fulfilling promises to God, and participating actively in communal worship where God's deeds are openly celebrated.