Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 118:27

"Jehovah is God, and he hath given us light: Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." — Psalms 118:27 (ASV)

God is the Lord – Still the language of the priests in their official capacity. The meaning here seems to be, “God is Yahweh,” or, “Jehovah is the true God.” It is an utterance of the priesthood regarding the great truth that they were specifically appointed to maintain: that Yahweh is the true God, and that only He is to be worshipped. It was appropriate to enunciate this truth on all occasions, and it was especially appropriate to enunciate it when a prince, who had been rescued from danger and death, came as the restored leader of God’s people to acknowledge His gracious intervention.

On such an occasion—in view of the rank and character of the one who came, and in view of what God had done for him—it was proper for the ministers of religion to announce in the most solemn manner that Yahweh was the only true and living God.

Which has shown us light – He has given us light in the days of our darkness and adversity; He has restored us to prosperity and bestowed on us the blessings of safety and peace.

Bind the sacrifice with cords – Come freely with the sacrificial victim, with the offering that is to be presented to God in sacrifice.

The word—חג châg—commonly means a festival or feast (Exodus 10:9; Exodus 12:14); it then means a festival-sacrifice or victim (Exodus 23:18; Malachi 2:3). The Septuagint and Vulgate render it, “Prepare a solemn feast.” Our translation probably expresses the true sense.

The word rendered “cords” properly means anything interwoven or interlaced. It can then mean a cord, a braid, or a wreath, and subsequently a branch with thick foliage. Different interpretations have been given of this passage, but the word is probably correctly rendered “cords.”

To the horns of the altar – Altars were often made with projections or “horns” on the four corners (Exodus 27:2; Exodus 30:2; Exodus 37:25; 1 Kings 2:28). Whether the animal was actually bound to the altar when it was slain is not certain, but there seems to be an allusion to such a custom here. Lead up the victim, make it ready, and bind it even to the altar, preparatory to the sacrifice. The language is that of welcome addressed to the one who led up the victim, meaning that his sacrifice would be acceptable.