Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Psalms 118:24 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 24. 24This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 118:24: Within “Thanksgiving procession and rejected stone: Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue,” the line “This is the day which the LORD hath made” supplies one distinct parallel claim, image, address, or response.
The gates of righteousness open onto a stone the builders refused
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 118:19–24. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 118:19–24
- Psalms 118:1–29
Read Psalms 118:24 with 118:19–24 and 118:1–29. Read alone, “This is the day which the LORD hath made” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 118:19–24, the communal voice carries the movement “Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue” as part of “Thanksgiving procession and rejected stone.” Its thanksgiving-liturgy form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 118:19–24 answers or redirects “Nations surround, yet the LORD preserves life” within Psalm 118 by carrying “Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue.” The turn from “The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death” to “Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD” explains why this movement occurs here. Within that relationship, Psalm 118:24 adds the distinct poetic line “This is the day which the LORD hath made” within “Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.
Follow the Context
- Identify the communal voice, address, and parallel lines in Psalms 118:19–24; do not make every “I”, “we,” king, enemy, or worshiper interchangeable.
- Within Psalms 118:19–24, the communal voice carries the movement “Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue” as part of “Thanksgiving procession and rejected stone.” Its thanksgiving-liturgy form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
- This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The psalm first serves Israelite communal worship; New Testament reuse of stone and procession language is Christian reception, not cancellation of Jewish meaning.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“day which the LORD hath made”
In plain language: The line celebrates the day of the LORD's saving reversal within the psalm, not an abstract guarantee that every circumstance feels happy or prosperous.
In Psalms 118:24, “day which the LORD hath made” belongs to the complete movement Psalms 118:19–24 and the whole of Psalm 118.
Why it matters: This wording materially affects the verse's meaning, translation, later reception, or responsible application.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Psalms 118:24 does not allow “This is the day which the LORD hath made” to become an independent promise, command, accusation, doctrine, or authorization. This verse adds the distinct poetic line “This is the day which the LORD hath made” within “Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. The complete movement is “Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue.” This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The psalm first serves Israelite communal worship; New Testament reuse of stone and procession language is Christian reception, not cancellation of Jewish meaning.
What Remains True
The lasting force of “This is the day which the LORD hath made” comes through Psalms 118:19–24 and Book V, not isolation. Praise remembers concrete divine character and action, gathers many voices, and remains honest about grief rather than demanding one emotional performance. The local movement is “Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue.” The unit's reviewed limit is: The psalm first serves Israelite communal worship; New Testament reuse of stone and procession language is Christian reception, not cancellation of Jewish meaning.
Teach It Back
Explain why Psalm 118:24 cannot stand alone. Quote “This is the day which the LORD hath made,” use the full 118:19–24, describe the communal voice and “Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescue,” distinguish first horizon from later reception, and state why This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The psalm first serves Israelite communal worship; New Testament reuse of stone and procession language is Christian reception, not cancellation of Jewish meaning.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Psalms 118:19–24 — Thanksgiving procession and rejected stone: Gates, rejected stone, and the day of rescueSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
Where care is needed
The psalm first serves Israelite communal worship; New Testament reuse of stone and procession language is Christian reception, not cancellation of Jewish meaning.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 118:19–24, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 118:19–24
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 118:19–24.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 118 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 118:19–24
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗modern scholarly book course
Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Summary, Outline, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to Psalms 118:19–24
Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗ancient greek text translation and introduction
A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms
Albert Pietersma
International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 118 for Psalms 118:19–24
Open NETS Psalms ↗