Psalm 116:10-19
New Catholic Bible
10 I believed; therefore, I said,[a]
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 In my dismay I cried out,
“All men are liars.”[b]
12 How can I repay the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation[c]
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows[d] to the Lord
in the presence of his people.
15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death[e] of his faithful ones.
16 O Lord, I am your servant.
I am your servant, the child of your handmaid;[f]
you have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Alleluia.[g]
Footnotes
- Psalm 116:10 I believed; therefore, I said: the psalmist kept faith even in the darkest times (see 2 Cor 4:13 where this text is cited).
- Psalm 116:11 All men are liars: the psalmist avers that his enemies are telling falsehoods about him (see Pss 5:10f; 35:11, 15; 109:2-4), because all people are liars. He could also be alluding to the fact that all people offer only a false hope of deliverance. These words are cited in Rom 3:4.
- Psalm 116:13 The cup of salvation: probably the libation of wine poured out in gratitude for one’s deliverance (see Ex 25:29; Num 15:1-10). These words are used at Mass in Eucharistic Prayer I and II, as indicated in the note on Ps 116. Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
- Psalm 116:14 Vows: see note on Ps 7:18.
- Psalm 116:15 Precious . . . is the death: the psalmist indicates that God consents to the death of his faithful only with difficulty (see Isa 43:4), for death was regarded as taking away their relationship with him (see Pss 6:6; 72:13; 115:17). Some versions interpret this passage according to the dogma of the resurrection: “the death of his faithful ones has worth in the eyes of God.” See the analogous expression, “Their blood is precious in his sight” (Ps 72:14).
- Psalm 116:16 Child of your handmaid: see note on Ps 86:16.
- Psalm 116:19 Alleluia: i.e., “Hallelujah” or “Bless [or praise] the Lord”; the Septuagint and Vulgate add this line as the opening of Ps 117.
