Psalm 118 is another pilgrimage psalm, where the people of Israel goes to the temple of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. In this psalm, there is one person who had victory over his enemies. It could be David. However, the supposed king had problems:
13 They pushed hard to make me fall,
but Yahweh helped me.
14 Yah is my strength and my song.
He is my savior.
17 I will not die,
but I will live and tell what Yah has done.
18 Yah disciplined me severely,
but he did not allow me to be killed.
The victorious king is righteous:
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me.
I will go through them and give thanks to Yah.
20 This is the gate of Yahweh
through which righteous people will enter.
It is very problematic to read the following verses without Jesus:
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 Yahweh is responsible for this,
and it is amazing for us to see.
These verses seems very disconnected of the rest. In a commentary (Derek), "builders" points to the leaders of Israel, but it is very unlikely that it was thought in a pilgrimage. This king is to be honored:
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Yahweh.
We bless you from Yahweh’s house.
27 Yahweh is El, and he has given us light.
March in a festival procession
with branches to the horns of the altar.
We know that verse 26 refers to the multitude honoring Jesus approaching Jerusalem.
So, how to read this pilgrimage song without knowing the New Testament?
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