Psalm 118:15-29 chanted in the Sarum Use by Sarah, Margaret, and Charlotte James.

Theme: A general exhortation to praise God for his mercy. The Psalmist, by his own experience, encourages the people to trust in God, and shows them the advantage of it; then describes his enemies, and shows how God enabled him to destroy them. The people rejoice on the account. He speaks again of the help he received from the Lord; and desires admission into the temple, that he may enter and praise the Lord. The gate is opened and he offers praise. The priests acknowledge the hand of the Lord in the deliverance wrought. The Psalmist prays for prosperity. The priest performs his office, blesses the people, and all join in praise. The Psalmist expresses his confidence. Most probably David was the author of this Psalm, though many think it was written after the captivity. It partakes of David's spirit, and everywhere shows the hand of a master. The style is grand and noble; the subject, majestic. (Adam Clarke’s commentary, public domain)

In Judaism: Psalm 118 is the last in the series of the Egyptian hallel. It is read in full on the days of recitation of the hallel. The last ten verses are even read twice. Verse 1 is recited by some following Psalm 126 preceding Birkat Hamazon (Blessing of the Food). Verse 5 is recited prior to the Shofar (Ram’s horn) blowing on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). Verses 5-9 are part of Tashlikh (atonement ritual). Verse 24 may be a source of the Israeli song Hava Nagila. Verse 25 is part of the long Tachanun (morning and afternoon supplications) recited on Mondays and Thursdays. (Wikipedia)

In Christianity: Parts of this psalm were quoted by Jesus and writers of the New Testament: verse 6 in Hebrews 13:6; verses 22-23 in Matthew 21:42. Jesus said to them (the chief priests and the elders of the people), "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" Opposition and difficulties are seen in this psalm but in the midst of it God will display His salvation. In Matthew 21:9, 23:39; Mark 11:9–10; Luke 13:35, 19:38; and John 12:13 Jesus is welcomed to Jerusalem by crowds quoting verse 26 of this psalm: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" In the Liturgy of the Hours, this psalm is read every Sunday of the first and third weeks, at the office of Sext, which is at noon. (Wikipedia)

Nine hundred years ago, the Cathedral of Salisbury, England developed a unique form of chant and liturgy known as the “Use of Salisbury,” or “Sarum Use.” Differences from the Roman rite are both melodic (more florid in the Sarum) and textual (Elizabethan English rather than Latin). The best repository of Sarum Use tones is the St. Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter, from which Sarah has sung this psalm. Additional resources on Sarum Use plainsong at https://canticasacra.org.

“Glacier Point, Yosemite Valley, United States,” an unchanged 2016 photo by Vashishtha Jogi, and Grégory Lejeune’s 2017 photo of “The Last Sigh of Christ,” an 1840 oil on canvas by Julien Michel Gué, are made available at Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication at: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en. “The Elevation of the Host,” an 1890 painting by Jean Béraud, is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. “Yosemite Valley Chapel as seen during a starry night on a cool October night,” an unchanged 2020 photo by MichaelDPhotos, is made available at Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en.