The purpose of this paper is to, on the one hand, point out the importance of Psalm 118 in the setting of the Book of Psalms and its use in Judaism and to deal, on the other hand, with its usage in the Gospel of Mark in connection with the presentation of the person of Jesus and his significance. Psalm 118 (117 LXX), which is the magnificent closing Psalm of the group of Ps 113–118 entitled the Hallel, which praises God for various aspects of his saving power, is the most frequently referred to Psalm in the New Testament with 11 direct quotations and 9 allusions. The Gospel of Mark contains two explicit quotations from Psalm 118 (117 LXX). Both quotations appear in the textual unit concerning the activity of Jesus in Jerusalem and both quotations are understood as prophecies about Jesus. The acclamation of the crowd in Mark 11:9b–10, which includes the words of Psalm 118:25–26 (Mark 11:9b), discloses the identity of Jesus and his status as the Messiah. The second explicit quotation from Psalm 118 in the Gospel of Mark, the prophetic reading of Ps 118:22–23 in Mark 12:10–11, serves as Jesus’ announcement of his own death and resurrection found elsewhere in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 8:31; 9:30–31; 10:34). One could argue that the two explicit quotations from Psalm 118 (117) in the Gospel of Mark contribute to a better understanding of Jesus as the rejected and exalted Messiah.
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