Holy Week · Maundy Thursday · Year B
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
The Cup of Salvation
March 25, 2027
Overview & Insights
“I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 116:13)
Psalm 116 is a thanksgiving psalm that celebrates deliverance from near-death distress (cf. esp. Ps. 30). It consists of a proclamation of praise and an introductory summary (vv. 1–2), as well as recollections of the distress (v. 3), of the cry to God (v. 4), and of Yahweh’s deliverance (vv. 8–11). Contained in this report is hymnic praise (vv. 5–6; so cf. 30:4–5, which also “interrupts” a report of deliverance) that confesses a general principle of praise exemplified in this testimony. The closing section narrates the thanksgiving rituals and ceremony that accompany the singing of this thanksgiving psalm (vv. 12–14, 17–19), along with more embedded hymnic praise and personal testimony (vv. 15–16).
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Commentary
Commentary on Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 Working Preacher
A commentary on this psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance.
Psalm 116, Love for the Lord Who Saves Enduring Word · David Guzik
A verse-by-verse evangelical study of this thanksgiving psalm.
Classic commentaries on Psalm 116 BibleHub
Classic commentators on the cup of salvation and the vows of thanksgiving.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
Why is Psalm 116 sung in Holy Week?
Delivered from the snares of death, the psalmist vows to lift the cup of salvation and pay his vows, words fitting for the night of the Last Supper.
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