Charles Ellicott 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)

Showed us light ... — Whether this is literal or figurative is difficult to decide.

If literal, it may be a repetition of Psalms 118:24. Alternatively, if this psalm makes a particular reference to the Feast of Tabernacles, then Mr. Burgess’s suggestion—which connects the light with the pillar of cloud and fire, an element that feast very probably specially commemorated—is most worthy of notice.

Figuratively, the words would, of course, mean “the light of salvation and hope,” as is often the case in the Psalms.

It is also possible there may be an allusion to the priestly benediction (Numbers 6:25), where the verb is the same.

Bind the sacrifice ... — This interpretation is unlikely to mean “tie the victim to the horns of the altar,” because the Hebrew phrase means “as far as to.” No satisfactory explanation is possible for binding animals “as far as” the altar, unless we are to translate it as “bind and lead.”

However, the Hebrew word rendered victim might, by its derivation (meaning “to go round”), easily mean a circlet or crown. By supplying the verb go, we arrive at the meaning: bind on a crown, go with garlands even to the horns of the altar. The ancient versions, Septuagint, Vulgate, Aquila, and Symmachus, all point to this rendering.