This Psalm is the one most frequently quoted in the New Testament
1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth forever.
2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth forever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth forever.
4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth forever.
5 I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
7 The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12 They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:
20 This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.
27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.
Of the excellence of virtue consisting in the love and observance of the commandments of God. Thanking the Lord for His mercy in bringing us through so many trials and chastisements.
The Horned Altar
The two most important ritual altars of Israel’s religious life were the bronze altar of sacrifice and the golden altar of incense.
A conspicuous feature of their design was four “horns” rising from each of the four corners, which were to be of one piece with the altar itself rather than attached separately (Ex 27:2; 30:2).
Archeological excavations have provided examples of this construction in an incense altar – discovered at Megiddo and a sacrificial altar from an Israelite sanctuary of Beersheba. The precise function of the horns remains uncertain.
Since the Hebrew term for altar, mizbeah, literally means “place of ritual slaughter,” it has been suggested that the horns functioned as pegs to secure the animal about to be offered (Ps 118:27).
This seems unlikely, however, since the animal was ritually slaughtered before being placed on the altar and would require no restraint (Lev 1:5-9).
Perhaps the horns on the altar, and especially those of the altar of incense, which was not used for sacrifice, may be explained by the broader role of the altar within temple liturgy. Priests were commanded to daub these horns with sacrificial blood to symbolically effect purification from sin and thus to remove ritual impurity from the entire altar and sanctuary (Lev 4:7; 16:18).
In addition to their role in sacrificial offerings, altars served to memorialize a theophany or physical appearance of the Lord (Gen 12:7; 35:1-7) and were intimately associated with the divine presence (Ex 20:24).
It is possible that altars were constructed so as to imitate mountains upon which sacrifices were offered and with which God’s presence was associated. This would explain the law prescribing that free-standing altars in Israel be constructed of packed earth or a mound of unhewn stones (Ex 20:24-26).
The horns on the elaborate altars of the temple could suggest a more “stylized” mountain. Whatever the case, the special sanctity of the altar, and of the horns in particular, is evidenced by the asylum granted to anyone who seized them (1 Kgs 1:50-51; 2:28-34).
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