The Meaning of Psalms 118:3 Explained

Psalms 118:3

KJV: Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

YLT: I pray you, let the house of Aaron say, That, to the age is His kindness.

Darby: Oh let the house of Aaron say, that his loving-kindness endureth for ever.

ASV: Let the house of Aaron now say, That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let the house  of Aaron  now say,  that his mercy  [endureth] for ever. 

What does Psalms 118:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 118:1-14 - Trust In God Brings Strength
It is generally agreed that this psalm dates back to the restoration from Babylon. It was probably used as a processional hymn for the first time at the great Feast of Tabernacles mentioned in Nehemiah 8:13-18. The structure of the psalm is as follows: Psalms 118:1-4, the summons of the full choir to the constituent parts of the procession; Psalms 118:5-14, the song of the soloist; Psalms 118:15-16, the answer of the choir; Psalms 118:17-19, the soloist. At this point the procession reaches the Temple gates. Psalms 118:20 is the response of priests and Levites, the custodians of the sacred edifice, who lay stress on the character of those who tread its courts. Psalms 118:21, the soloist; Psalms 118:22-27, the full chorus; Psalms 118:28, the soloist; Psalms 118:29, the concluding doxology.
Luther says of this psalm: "This is mine, the one which I love." As it was included in the great Hallel we infer that our Lord sang it as He went forth to die, Matthew 26:30. It will be sung once more on that coming day for which we wait. See Isaiah 25:9; Matthew 23:39. When we identify ourselves with God's great cause, we may absolutely count on God as our strength in the conflict, and our song in assured victory. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 118

1  An exhortation to praise God for his mercy
5  The psalmist by his experience shows how good it is to trust in God
19  Under the type of the psalmist the coming of Christ in his kingdom is expressed

What do the individual words in Psalms 118:3 mean?

Let say now the house of Aaron that forever His mercy [endures]
יֹֽאמְרוּ־ נָ֥א בֵֽית־ אַהֲרֹ֑ן כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ

יֹֽאמְרוּ־  Let  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נָ֥א  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
בֵֽית־  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אַהֲרֹ֑ן  of  Aaron 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַהֲרֹון  
Sense: brother of Moses, a Levite and the first high priest.
כִּ֖י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
לְעוֹלָ֣ם  forever 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
חַסְדּֽוֹ  His  mercy  [endures] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֶסֶד 
Sense: goodness, kindness, faithfulness.