Psalm 116:15
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.
Precious
The word "precious" in this context is derived from the Hebrew word "yāqār," which conveys the idea of something being valuable, rare, or of great worth. In the biblical context, this term often refers to things that are esteemed highly by God. The use of "precious" here underscores the immense value God places on the lives of His faithful servants. It is a reminder that in God's eyes, the life and death of His saints are not trivial or insignificant but are held in the highest regard. This perspective encourages believers to view their lives as meaningful and significant in the divine plan.

in the sight of the LORD
The phrase "in the sight of the LORD" emphasizes the omnipresence and omniscience of God. It suggests that God is always watching over His people, aware of their struggles, triumphs, and even their deaths. This phrase reassures believers that nothing escapes God's notice, and everything is within His divine purview. Historically, this understanding of God's watchful presence has provided comfort to believers, knowing that their lives are under the constant care and attention of a loving and sovereign God.

is the death
The word "death" here is not merely the cessation of life but is seen in the context of a transition to eternal life with God. In the Hebrew tradition, death was often viewed with a sense of fear and uncertainty. However, for the faithful, death is transformed into a moment of divine significance. It is not an end but a passage to a closer communion with God. This understanding is rooted in the hope of resurrection and eternal life, which is a central tenet of Christian faith.

of His saints
The term "saints" refers to those who are set apart for God, His holy ones. In the Hebrew, the word is "ḥāsîd," which can also mean "faithful" or "godly." This designation is not limited to a select few but is extended to all who live in covenant relationship with God, striving to live according to His will. The use of "saints" highlights the special relationship between God and His people, emphasizing that their lives and deaths are of particular concern to Him. This relationship is characterized by love, faithfulness, and a promise of eternal fellowship with God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, emphasizing His eternal presence and faithfulness to His people.

2. The Psalmist
Traditionally attributed to David, though the specific author of Psalm 116 is not definitively known. The psalmist expresses gratitude for deliverance from death.

3. Saints
Refers to the faithful followers of God, those set apart for His purposes. In Hebrew, the word is (chasidav), meaning His faithful or godly ones.
Teaching Points
The Value of Life and Death
God values both the lives and deaths of His saints. Our lives are precious to Him, and our deaths are not seen as a loss but as a transition to eternal life with Him.

God's Sovereignty and Care
The verse highlights God's sovereignty and intimate care for His people. He is deeply involved in the lives of His saints, and their passing is significant to Him.

Hope Beyond Death
For believers, death is not the end but a doorway to eternal life. This perspective should bring comfort and hope, especially in times of mourning.

Living as Saints
As God's saints, we are called to live lives that reflect His holiness and love. Our daily walk should be a testament to our faith and dedication to Him.

Encouragement in Grief
This verse can be a source of comfort for those grieving the loss of a loved one who was a believer, reminding them of the preciousness of their loved one's life and death in God's eyes.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the preciousness of the death of God's saints change your perspective on life and death?

2. In what ways can you live a life that reflects the holiness and dedication expected of God's saints?

3. How can this verse provide comfort to someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one?

4. What other scriptures can you find that speak to the value God places on His people, both in life and in death?

5. How does the concept of God's sovereignty and care influence your daily walk with Him?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 72:14
This verse speaks of God valuing the lives of the needy and redeeming them from oppression and violence, similar to how He values the death of His saints.

Revelation 14:13
This passage echoes the blessedness of those who die in the Lord, affirming the preciousness of their death in God's sight.

Philippians 1:21
Paul speaks of the gain in death for believers, aligning with the idea that the death of the saints is precious to God.
Consolations for the BereavedR. Tuck Psalm 116:15
Death Culminates God's Designs for SaintsT. Spurgeon.Psalm 116:15
Death of SaintsN. Emmons, D.D.Psalm 116:15
Precious DeathA. C. Dixon, D.D.Psalm 116:15
Precious DeathsPsalm 116:15
Precious DeathsCharles Haddon Spurgeon Psalm 116:15
The Death of God's SaintsD. Fraser, D.D.Psalm 116:15
The Death of Good Men Dear to GodD. Johnston, D.D.Psalm 116:15
The Death of His Saints Precious to GodJ. S. Maver, M. A.Psalm 116:15
The Death of the Righteous Precious in the Sight of GodH. Melvill, B.D.Psalm 116:15
The Divine Estimate of the Saint's DeathS. Conway Psalm 116:15
The Importance Which God Attaches to the Death of His SaintsJ. Henderson, D.D.Psalm 116:15
The Preciousness in God's Sight of the Death of SaintsT. F. Lockyer, B.A.Psalm 116:15
The Preciousness of the Death of BelieversJ. Walken, D. D.Psalm 116:15
The Preciousness of the Saints in Life and in DeathW. M. Bunting.Psalm 116:15
Christian Experience and its ResultsW. Hancock, B. D.Psalm 116:1-19
Love of God in the HeartJ. Robertson.Psalm 116:1-19
Prayer Answered, Love NourishedPsalm 116:1-19
Reality of Answer to PrayerJ. Robertson.Psalm 116:1-19
The Religion of GratitudeHomilistPsalm 116:1-19
People
Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Dear, Death, Godly, Ones, Precious, Saints, Sight
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 116:15

     5974   value
     7150   righteous, the
     7155   saints
     9022   death, believers
     9105   last things

Psalm 116:1-19

     8609   prayer, as praise and thanksgiving

Library
Requiting God
'What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me? 13. I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.'--PSALM cxvi. 12, 13. There may possibly be a reference here to a part of the Passover ritual. It seems to have become the custom in later times to lift high the wine cup at that feast and drink it with solemn invocation and glad thanksgiving. So we find our Lord taking the cup--the 'cup of blessing' as Paul calls it--and giving thanks. But as there is no record
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Experience, Resolve, and Hope
'Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.'--PSALM cxvi. 8, 9. This is a quotation from an earlier psalm, with variations which are interesting, whether we suppose that the Psalmist was quoting from memory and made them unconsciously, or whether, as is more probable, he did so, deliberately and for a purpose. The variations are these. The words in the original psalm (lvi.) according to the Revised
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Precious Deaths
The text informs us that the deaths of God's saints are precious to him. How different, then, is the estimate of human life which God forms from that which has ruled the minds of great warriors and mighty conquerors. Had Napoleon spoken forth his mind about the lives of men in the day of battle, he would have likened them to so much water spilt upon the ground. To win a victory, or subdue a province, it mattered not though he strewed the ground with corpses thick as autumn leaves, nor did it signify
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 18: 1872

Prayer Answered, Love Nourished
"Oh the transporting, rapturous scene That rises to my sight! Sweet fields arrayed in living green, And rivers of delight. Filled with delight my raptured soul Would here no longer stay, Though Jordan's waves around me roll, Fearless I'd launch away." Yet nevertheless the Christian may do well sometimes to look backward; he may look back to the hole of the pit and the miry clay whence he was digged--the retrospect will help him to be humble, it will urge him to be faithful. He may look back with
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Personal Service
THESE SENTENCES SUGGEST a contrast. David's religion was one of perfect liberty;--"Thou hast loosed my bonds." It was one of complete service;--"Truly l am thy servant. I am thy servant and the son of thine handmaid." Did I say the text suggested a contrast? Indeed the two things need never be contrasted, for they are found to be but part of one divine experience in the Jives of all God's people. The religion of Jesus is the religion of liberty. The true believer can say, when his soul is in a healthy
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860

Called Up
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."--Ps. cxvi. 15. Mechthild of Hellfde, 1277. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 He laid him down upon the breast of God In measureless delight-- Enfolded in the tenderness untold, The sweetness infinite.
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

What Shall I Render Ps 116:12,13
What shall I render Ps 116:12,13 [5] For mercies, countless as the sands, Which daily I receive From Jesus, my Redeemer's hands, My soul what canst thou give? Alas! from such a heart as mine, What can I bring him forth? My best is stained and dyed with sin, My all is nothing worth. Yet this acknowledgment I'll make For all he has bestowed; Salvation's sacred cup I'll take And call upon my God. The best returns for one like me, So wretched and so poor; Is from his gifts to draw a plea, And ask
John Newton—Olney Hymns

But this Only Son of God, the Father Almighty...
6. But this Only Son of God, the Father Almighty, let us see what He did for us, what He suffered for us. "Born of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary." He, so great God, equal with the Father, born of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, born lowly, that thereby He might heal the proud. Man exalted himself and fell; God humbled Himself and raised him up. Christ's lowliness, what is it? God hath stretched out an hand to man laid low. We fell, He descended: we lay low, He stooped. Let us lay hold
St. Augustine—On the Creeds

"O Lord! I Beseech Thee, Deliver My Soul. " --Ps. cxvi. 4
"O Lord! I beseech Thee, deliver my Soul."--Ps. cxvi. 4. O take away this evil heart; This heart of unbelief renew; So prone, so eager to depart From Thee, the living God and true. O crucify this carnal mind, 'Tis enmity, my God, to Thee; I cannot love Thee, till I find The mind that was in Christ in me. O sanctify this sinful soul; Health to the dying leper give; Thou, if Thou wilt, canst make me whole; Speak but the word, and I shall live. O disenthrall this captive will, (Free only when Thou
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Rest for the Soul --Psalm cxvi. 7
Rest for the Soul--Psalm cxvi. 7. Return, my soul, unto thy rest, From vain pursuits and madd'ning cares, From lonely woes that wring thy breast, The world's allurements,--Satan's snares. Return unto thy rest, my soul, From all the wanderings of thy thought, From sickness unto death made whole, Safe through a thousand perils brought. Then to thy rest, my soul, return From passions every hour at strife; Sin's works, and ways, and wages spurn, Lay hold upon eternal life. God is thy Rest,--with
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Gratitude for Redemption. --Ps. cxvi.
Gratitude for Redemption.--Ps. cxvi. I love the Lord;--He lent an ear, When I for help implored; He rescued me from all my fear, Therefore I love the Lord. Bound hand and foot with chains of sin, Death dragg'd me for his prey; The pit was moved to take me in, All hope was far away. I cried in agony of mind, "Lord, I beseech Thee, save:" He held me;--Death his prey resign'd, And Mercy shut the grave. Return, my soul, unto thy rest, From God no longer roam: His hand hath bountifally blest, His
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

That we must not Believe Everyone, and that we are Prone to Fall in Our Words
Lord, be thou my help in trouble, for vain is the help of man.(1) How often have I failed to find faithfulness, where I thought I possessed it. How many times I have found it where I least expected. Vain therefore is hope in men, but the salvation of the just, O God, is in Thee. Blessed be thou, O Lord my God, in all things which happen unto us. We are weak and unstable, we are quickly deceived and quite changed. 2. Who is the man who is able to keep himself so warily and circumspectly as not
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

But Some Man Will Say, Would Then those Midwives and Rahab have done Better...
34. But some man will say, Would then those midwives and Rahab have done better if they had shown no mercy, by refusing to lie? Nay verily, those Hebrew women, if they were such as that sort of persons of whom we ask whether they ought ever to tell a lie, would both eschew to say aught false, and would most frankly refuse that foul service of killing the babes. But, thou wilt say, themselves would die. Yea, but see what follows. They would die with an heavenly habitation for their incomparably more
St. Augustine—Against Lying

But Sometimes a Peril to Eternal Salvation Itself is Put Forth against Us...
40. But sometimes a peril to eternal salvation itself is put forth against us; [2466] which peril, they cry out, we by telling a lie, if otherwise it cannot be, must ward off. As, for instance, if a person who is to be baptized be in the power of impious and infidel men, and cannot be got at that he may be washed with the laver of regeneration, but by deceiving his keepers with a lie. From this most invidious cry, by which we are compelled, not for a man's wealth or honors in this world which are
St. Augustine—Against Lying

Palestine Eighteen Centuries Ago
Eighteen and a half centuries ago, and the land which now lies desolate--its bare, grey hills looking into ill-tilled or neglected valleys, its timber cut down, its olive- and vine-clad terraces crumbled into dust, its villages stricken with poverty and squalor, its thoroughfares insecure and deserted, its native population well-nigh gone, and with them its industry, wealth, and strength--presented a scene of beauty, richness, and busy life almost unsurpassed in the then known world. The Rabbis never
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Puritan Innovations
The causes which led to the further change. The Revised Prayer-book, after the opposition in Devonshire and Norfolk had subsided, received very general recognition. Of course there were some who, while grateful for the reforms which had been effected, could ill suppress their conviction that the hands of the Reformers had been stayed too soon. These, however, in England at least, were not a numerous body; and if no influence from without had been brought to bear upon them, they would probably have
Herbert Mortimer Luckock—Studies in the Book of Common Prayer

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Dryness of Preachers, and the Various Evils which Arise from their Failing to Teach Heart-Prayer --Exhortation to Pastors to Lead People Towards this Form Of
If all those who are working for the conquest of souls sought to win them by the heart, leading them first of all to prayer and to the inner life, they would see many and lasting conversions. But so long as they only address themselves to the outside, and instead of drawing people to Christ by occupying their hearts with Him, they only give them a thousand precepts for outward observances, they will see but little fruit, and that will not be lasting. When once the heart is won, other defects are
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

Letter Xlix to Romanus, Sub-Deacon of the Roman Curia.
To Romanus, Sub-Deacon of the Roman Curia. He urges upon him the proposal of the religious life, recalling the thought of death. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, to his dear Romanus, as to his friend. MY DEAREST FRIEND, How good you are to me in renewing by a letter the sweet recollection of yourself and in excusing my tiresome delay. It is not possible that any forgetfulness of your affection could ever invade the hearts of those who love you; but, I confess, I thought you had almost forgotten yourself
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Out of the Deep of Death.
My heart is disquieted within me, and the fear of death has fallen upon me.--Ps. iv. 4. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart.--Ps. lxiii. 25. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.--Ps. xxiii. 4. Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.--Ps. cxvi. 8. What will become of us after we die? What will the next world be like? What is heaven like? Shall I be able
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

Out of the Deep of Loneliness, Failure, and Disappointment.
My heart is smitten down, and withered like grass. I am even as a sparrow that sitteth alone on the housetop--Ps. cii. 4, 6. My lovers and friends hast Thou put away from me, and hid mine acquaintance out of my sight--Ps. lxxviii. 18. I looked on my right hand, and saw there was no man that would know me. I had no place to flee unto, and no man cared for my soul. I cried unto Thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my Hope. When my spirit was in heaviness, then Thou knewest my path.--Ps. cxlii. 4, 5.
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

"Nunc Dimittis"
We shall note, this morning, first, that every believer may be assured of departing in peace; but that, secondly, some believers feel a special readiness to depart now: "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace;" and, thirdly, that there are words of encouragement to produce in us the like readiness: "according to thy word." There are words of Holy Writ which afford richest consolation in prospect of departure. I. First, then, let us start with the great general principle, which is full of comfort;
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

A Treatise on Good Works
I. We ought first to know that there are no good works except those which God has commanded, even as there is no sin except that which God has forbidden. Therefore whoever wishes to know and to do good works needs nothing else than to know God's commandments. Thus Christ says, Matthew xix, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." And when the young man asks Him, Matthew xix, what he shall do that he may inherit eternal life, Christ sets before him naught else but the Ten Commandments.
Dr. Martin Luther—A Treatise on Good Works

Links
Psalm 116:15 NIV
Psalm 116:15 NLT
Psalm 116:15 ESV
Psalm 116:15 NASB
Psalm 116:15 KJV

Psalm 116:15 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Psalm 116:14
Top of Page
Top of Page