Psalms 118:10 (WEB)

Passage

All the nations surrounded me, but in Yahweh’s name, I cut them off.

Nearby Context

Psalms 118:8 It is better to take refuge in Yahweh, than to put confidence in man.

Psalms 118:9 It is better to take refuge in Yahweh, than to put confidence in princes.

Psalms 118:10 All the nations surrounded me, but in Yahweh’s name, I cut them off.

Psalms 118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me. In Yahweh’s name I indeed cut them off.

Psalms 118:12 They surrounded me like bees. They are quenched like the burning thorns. In Yahweh’s name I cut them off.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nations", "surrounded", "yahweh", and "name". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nations" and "surrounded", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "It is better to take refuge in..." into verse 11's "They surrounded me yes they surrounded me...", so "nations" and "surrounded" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "nations" and "surrounded" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.