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Holy Week · Maundy Thursday · Year C

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

The Cup of Salvation

April 13, 2028

Old Woman Saying Grace ("The Prayer without End"), Nicolaes Maes
Old Woman Saying Grace ("The Prayer without End"), Nicolaes Maes, c. 1656Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
A Dutch interior by a pupil of Rembrandt: an old woman saying grace over a plain meal, while a cat pulls at the tablecloth behind her and she does not notice.What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.Nicolaes MaesA pupil of Rembrandt who turned from biblical subjects to Dutch interiors, and painted old women at prayer better than anyone.Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamThe Netherlands' national museum, built around the Dutch Golden Age and reopened in 2013 after a ten-year rebuilding.Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelJohn 13:1-17, 31b-35Jn 13:1-17, 31b-35
Epistle1 Cor. 11:23-261 Cor 11:23-26
Old TestamentExod. 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14Ex 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14
PsalterPs. 116:1-2, 12-19Ps 116:1-2, 12-19

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, 12-19Commentary on Ps 116:1-2, 12-19 Working Preacher

A commentary on this psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance.

Psalm 116, Love for the Lord Who SavesPs 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 116Classic commentaries on Ps 116 BibleHub

Classic commentators on the cup of salvation and the vows of thanksgiving.

Background & Word Study

Psalm 116 in Hebrew, with Jewish commentaryPs 116 in Hebrew, with Jewish commentary Sefaria

The Hebrew text and Jewish commentary; this psalm belongs to the Passover Hallel.

The Church Fathers

Psalm 116, patristic commentaryPs 116, patristic commentary Catena

Early church reading of the cup of salvation as fulfilled in Christ.

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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