Passage

Psalms 118.11

Book: Psalms · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"9. It is better to take refuge in Jehovah Than to put confidence in princes. 10. All nations compassed me about: In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off."

"11. They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off."

"12. They compassed me about like bees; They are quenched as the fire of thorns: In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off. 13. Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall; But Jehovah helped me." (Psalms 118:9-13, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"9. It is better to take refuge in Yahweh, than to put confidence in princes. 10. All the nations surrounded me, but in Yahweh’s name, I cut them off."

"11. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me. In Yahweh’s name I indeed cut them off."

"12. They surrounded me like bees. They are quenched like the burning thorns. In Yahweh’s name I cut them off. 13. You pushed me back hard, to make me fall, but Yahweh helped me." (Psalms 118:9-13, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"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. ^{destroy: Heb. cut them off}"

"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. ^{destroy: Heb. cut down} 13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me." (Psalms 118:9-13, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"9. Better to take refuge in Jehovah, Than to trust in princes. 10. All nations have compassed me about, In the name of Jehovah I surely cut them off."

"11. They have compassed me about, Yea, they have compassed me about, In the name of Jehovah I surely cut them off."

"12. They compassed me about as bees, They have been extinguished as a fire of thorns, In the name of Jehovah I surely cut them off. 13. Thou hast sorely thrust me to fall, And Jehovah hath helped me." (Psalms 118:9-13, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: various (David majority; Asaph, Korah, Moses, Solomon, anonymous)
Audience: worshipping Israel (corporate + individual devotion)
Location: Israel, various periods
Time period: composition spans c. 1400 BC (Moses, Ps 90), c. 400 BC; principal Davidic composition c. 1000 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H3068 - YHWH, YHWH (Strong's H3068). Also appears in: Genesis 2.4, Genesis 2.7, Genesis 2.16-17.
H8034 - shem, shem (Strong's H8034). Also appears in: Genesis 3, Genesis 4.26, Genesis 6.4.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.