Psalms 118:28 Meaning: Two Names, One Claim

The verse uses two different Hebrew words for God. The first is El (אֵל), a name that means strength or power. When the psalmist says “You are my God,” he is saying “You are my Might. My Source. The One who holds me up.” The second is Elohim (אֱלֹהִים), the covenant name of the God of Israel, the God who made promises to Abraham and kept them. Using both names is like holding a diamond and turning it to catch the light from every side. The same God is both the universe’s power and the person who knows your name.

The verb for “give thanks” is yadah (יָדָה), which originally meant to throw or shoot. Imagine casting your gratitude toward God like an arrow, aiming straight at Him. Thanksgiving is an active, deliberate act. And “I will exalt you” comes from a word that means to lift up high. Not because God needs us to raise Him, but because we need to see Him as He truly is, above every trouble and every fear.

Christians across traditions find different layers in this verse. Matthew Henry reads it as part of a prophecy about the Messiah, connecting the rejected stone of verse 22 to Jesus. Calvin believed David wrote the psalm, but he also saw David as a type of Christ, so the confession belongs first to the King, then to the Church. The Jewish tradition includes this psalm in the Hallel, sung at Passover and other feasts; verse 28 is a personal echo of the community’s praise. Barnes notes that the psalmist is responding to the priests’ declaration in verse 27, “Yahweh is God”, with a personal “You are my God.” The repetition is not redundancy but response. Whether read as David’s vow or the Church’s song, the verse calls every reader to make the same claim.

Some readers see the repetition of “You are my God” as mere poetic filler, a way to stretch the song. In fact, the repetition is intentional and theological. The first line uses the name El (strength), and the second uses Elohim (covenant God). The psalmist is not just saying the same thing twice. He is declaring that the all-powerful God is also his personal, promise-keeping God. The repetition drives the truth deeper: this God is both able and faithful.

This week, you might find yourself in a crowd, at church, at the dinner table, or in a meeting, where God’s goodness is being praised. It can feel easier to stay quiet, to let others do the talking. The psalmist’s example invites you to step forward and make it personal. Try saying aloud (even if only to yourself): “You are my God.” Not just the God of your parents, or your pastor, or your tradition. Yours. Later, when you face a hard moment, remember you have already claimed Him. The strength that holds the universe is the strength that holds you.