Psalm 118 is one of the most important psalms for our understanding of the messiah, and it is one of the most cited Old Testament passages in the New Testament. Yet few people, I would imagine, know what Psalm 118 says or understand what it communicates about the messiah. It is a forgotten yet integral passage for Christian theology. Everyone knows the song: “Hosanna, Hosanna on the highest” or knows of Jesus as the cornerstone. But few know the source of these words or the theology behind these phrases, sourced in Psalm 118. As a small step to Psalm 118’s rehabilitation, I offer an overview of Psalm 118’s use in Mark’s Gospel.
Hyukjung Kwon identifies four instances where Mark references Psalm 118: Mark 8:31-33, Mark 11:1-11, Mark 12:1-12, and Mark 14:26 (2007: 119). When Mark quotes Psalm 118, he cites one of the many Greek translations that were available to him. I use the term LXX to refer to these old Greek translations of the Bible.* [Read more…] about Psalm 118 in Mark