Psalm 117 read:
Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel speak for its sake; for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron speak; for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let all who fear the Lord say this; for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Out of sorrow I called on the Lord, and heard me into space. The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear; What will man do to me? The Lord is my helper, and I will look upon my enemies. It is good to trust in the Lord rather than rely on man; It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations have gone after me, and in the name of the Lord I have resisted them; they cheated me, and in the name of the Lord they resisted them; she passed over me like bees on a honeycomb, and burned like fire among thorns; and in the name of the Lord I resisted them. I rejected the mouth, and the Lord accepted me. The Lord is my strength and my song, and be my salvation. The voice of joy and salvation in the villages of the righteous; the right hand of the Lord create strength. The right hand of the Lord has exalted me, the right hand of the Lord has created strength. I will not die, but I will live and carry on the work of the Lord. While the Lord punished me, He did not give me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness; Having entered into it, let us confess to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter into her. Let us confess to you that you heard me and were my salvation. The stone that was built carelessly, this quickly became the cornerstone; This came from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes. This day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Oh, Lord, save, Oh, Lord, hurry up. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Bless you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and appear to us; make a holiday in the horns of the oltar. You are my God, and we will confess to you; You are my God, and I will exalt you; Let us confess to you that you heard me and were my salvation. Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
Why read Christian Psalm 117
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The content of Psalm 117 in the Orthodox Bible directly indicates the time and reasons for its writing: it was the period after the Jewish people emerged from the captivity of the Babylonians and the construction of the second temple. Psalm 117 is a solemn, sublime hymn in which the anonymous author expresses rejoicing at the occasion of returning to his native lands, and invites all fellow citizens to join him. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Ps. 117:9) - with this phrase the psalmist says that Israel’s numerous attempts to come to an agreement with the pagan peoples surrounding it did not yield results, and that only hope in God was always justified. The interpretation of Psalm 117 explains that by God's help it means the building of the temple.
Christian Psalm 117 as a prayer against enemy attacks
In the text of Psalm 117, the author writes about the difficulties that befell the Israelites during the construction of the temple: how all the nations (meaning, of course, the tribes neighboring Israel) laughed at the Jews, not believing that the construction would be completed. The psalm mentions problems with building materials and the people's grief over the small size of the temple, but at the end of construction it describes widespread joy. Listening online and reading Psalm 117 in Orthodoxy is customary for protection from enemy invasions.
Listen to the video prayer Psalm 117 in Russian
Read the text of the Orthodox prayer Psalm 117 in Russian
Hallelujah.
Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say today: He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say today: He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord now say: He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Out of the cramped space I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me, and the Lord brought me to a spacious place. The Lord is for me - I will not be afraid: what will man do to me? The Lord is my helper: I will look upon my enemies. It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes. All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them; they surrounded me, surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them; they surrounded me like the bees of a honeycomb, and were quenched like fire among thorns: in the name of the Lord I cast them down. They pushed me hard so that I would fall, but the Lord supported me. The Lord is my strength and song; He became my salvation. The voice of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord creates power! The right hand of the Lord is high, the right hand of the Lord creates power! I will not die, but will live and proclaim the works of the Lord. The Lord punished me severely, but did not put me to death. Open the gates of truth to me; I will enter into them and glorify the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter into them. I praise You that You heard me and became my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner: this is from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad on it! Oh, Lord, save me! Oh, Lord, make haste! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. God is Lord and has shone upon us; bind the sacrifice with ropes, lead it to the horns of the altar. You are my God: I will praise You; You are my God: I will exalt You, I will glorify You, for You heard me and became my salvation. Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
Psalter, text of Psalm 117 in Church Slavonic
Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel speak for its sake; for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron speak; for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let all who fear the Lord say this; for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Out of sorrow I called on the Lord, and heard me into space. The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear; What will man do to me? The Lord is my helper, and I will look upon my enemies. It is good to trust in the Lord rather than rely on man; It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations have gone after me, and in the name of the Lord I have resisted them; they cheated me, and in the name of the Lord they resisted them; she passed over me like bees on a honeycomb, and burned like fire among thorns; and in the name of the Lord I resisted them. I rejected the mouth, and the Lord accepted me. The Lord is my strength and my song, and be my salvation. The voice of joy and salvation in the villages of the righteous; the right hand of the Lord create strength. The right hand of the Lord has exalted me, the right hand of the Lord has created strength. I will not die, but I will live and carry on the work of the Lord. While the Lord punished me, He did not give me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness; Having entered into it, let us confess to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter into her. Let us confess to you that you heard me and were my salvation. The stone that was built carelessly, this quickly became the cornerstone; This came from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes. This day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Oh, Lord, save, Oh, Lord, hurry up. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Bless you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and appear to us; make a holiday in the horns of the oltar. You are my God, and we will confess to you; You are my God, and I will exalt you; Let us confess to you that you heard me and were my salvation. Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 117 in Russian:
Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say today: He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say today: He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord now say: He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Out of the cramped space I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me, and the Lord brought me to a spacious place. The Lord is for me - I will not be afraid: what will man do to me? The Lord is my helper: I will look upon my enemies. It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes. All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them; they surrounded me, surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them; they surrounded me like the bees of a honeycomb, and were quenched like fire among thorns: in the name of the Lord I cast them down. They pushed me hard so that I would fall, but the Lord supported me. The Lord is my strength and song; He became my salvation. The voice of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord creates power! The right hand of the Lord is high, the right hand of the Lord creates power! I will not die, but will live and proclaim the works of the Lord. The Lord punished me severely, but did not put me to death. Open the gates of truth to me; I will enter into them and glorify the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter into them. I praise You that You heard me and became my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner: this is from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad on it! Oh, Lord, save me! Oh, Lord, make haste! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. God is Lord and has shone upon us; bind the sacrifice with ropes, lead it to the horns of the altar. You are my God: I will praise You; You are my God: I will exalt You, I will glorify You, for You heard me and became my salvation. Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
Amazing Psalm 117.
Individual texts from this psalm have been read by anyone who has at least once read at least one of the Gospels or the Acts of the Apostles. But there are much fewer who know where these texts that Jesus Christ quoted came from. I myself remembered from this Psalm one verse 24 (“Today is the day that the Lord has made, so let us be happy today!” (modern translation) or “This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (synod. translation) Actually, I perceived this text taken out of context, connecting it with another “passage” from Phil.4:4 (Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say: rejoice. (syn. trans.)) as a command to rejoice simply by realizing that The Lord is that He created this day, and this is a reason for joy. It must be said that the church fathers selected the same verse from this psalm as “... most harmonious and containing some lofty truth, so that the people, even without knowing everything psalm, I received perfect instruction from here.” (John Chrysostom) And in this I absolutely agree, this thought is very bright and deeply sinks into the heart.
However, the Word of God is not a collection of “passages” that we can use at will, to the best of our education or understanding of the text; each text contains a certain meaning laid down by God, which, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was written down by the apostles and prophets.
And in order to understand it, we need to consider at least three aspects :
1. The broadest one - the Bible was given to us so that we could know God and be with Him.
2. Context of the book - to consider the text, you need to look at the book in which this text is located, its main topic (topics), author, historical picture, reasons and purposes of writing (if possible and availability of this information).
3. Context of one idea - in any book of the Bible, as a rule, there are some blocks that talk about one thing, perhaps a chapter or several chapters or part of a chapter, containing one traceable idea.
Of course, here you can add stylistic features of the book, textual criticism, meanings of words in the original language, and so on, but this is not always available, especially if you only have a printed version of Scripture.
Let's try to look at Psalm 117 a little more broadly than we usually perceive it. But first, let’s read the entire text of this Psalm.
Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
Let [the house of] Israel say this day: For His mercy endureth forever. Let the house of Aaron say today, For His mercy endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord now say, For His mercy endures forever.
Out of trouble, I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me, and the Lord [led me out] to a spacious place. The Lord is for me - I will not be afraid: what will man do to me? The Lord is my helper: I will look upon my enemies.
It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes.
All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them; they surrounded me, surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them; they surrounded me like bees, and were quenched like fire among thorns: in the name of the Lord I cast them down. They pushed me hard so that I would fall, but the Lord supported me.
The Lord is my strength and song; He has become my salvation. The voice of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord creates power! The right hand of the Lord is high, the right hand of the Lord creates power!
I will not die, but will live and proclaim the works of the Lord. The Lord punished me severely, but did not put me to death. Open the gates of truth to me; I will enter into them and glorify the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter into them. I praise You that You heard me and became my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner: this is from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad on it!
Oh, Lord, save me! Oh, Lord, make haste! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
God is Lord and has shone upon us; bind the sacrifice with ropes, [lead] it to the horns of the altar. You are my God: I will praise You; You are my God: I will exalt You.
Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
The book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible is called “tehillim” or “sefer tehillim”, which means praise, or book of praise, and in the Greek Bible “ψαλτήριον”. The latter name denoted a string instrument like our guitar, which in ancient times was used by the Jews for the most part to sing the Psalter. (Interpretation of Lopukhin's Psalter).
Psalm 117 in the book of Psalms occupies a place among the glorifying psalms (“hallel”, including “small galel” - psalms 112-118), which were sung on special occasions and in the new moon, and is also among the messianic psalms. It is also worth saying that this psalm was apparently written after the Babylonian captivity during the time when the second temple was restored.
In this context, the main theme of this psalm is the glorification of God, it begins and ends with the call to praise the Lord (Jesus), “for His mercy endures forever.” In composition and theme it is similar to Psalm 113, there is a similar rhythm here - words about God alternate with words about people, here the main idea is also in the middle. And this thought from the middle of the psalm is mentioned in the Gospels, here the psalm is directly quoted by Christ, and all four evangelists and the author of Acts speak about it.
Thus, glorification has a very specific basis, namely Jesus Christ, Messiah, Savior. And if Psalm 113 speaks of the hardness of hearts of people who “having ears do not hear, having eyes do not see...”, worship “the creations of human hands...” (idols), then here the psalmist clearly answers the question of where is God. God “became salvation” for people by becoming incarnate as the Man Jesus Christ.
And on this foundation everything else was built, the man’s prayer was heard, and God brought him out of tightness and into freedom. God saves not by works of the law, but by mercy, “for His mercy endures forever.” Therefore, you should not put your hopes and reliance on people who change (Jer. 2:11), but God does not change, is faithful to His decisions (Ps. 89:35).
About God and people.
The Psalm says that God is merciful, hears prayers, helps, supports in difficult times, gives strength and joy, because He Himself is strong, punishes, creates great things and enlightens.
And people who want to please Him must glorify God, exalt Him before other people, talk about His mercy, pray and cry out to God, hope in God and not in people, separate (“depose”) in the name of God, find strength and joy in God and enter the gates of righteousness.
Here you can see that God wants to communicate with people - people pray, He listens, they cry out, He helps, they need the truth, He enlightens, punishes, but, of course, God is indescribably higher than people, because all nations are like a speck of dust to Him, Therefore, people should glorify Him for His mercy towards us, unworthy.
Jesus quotes verses 22-23, telling the parable of the wicked husbandmen, this is a warning to us not to become like those high priests and elders who, realizing who Jesus was, rejected Him, blinded by envy. These words are spoken by Peter when he and John appear before the same high priests after the resurrection and ascension of Christ and continues his thought in his 1st Epistle in the second chapter, where he says that we are like “living stones” laid on the precious foundation of Jesus Christ , we proclaim the perfections of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. He teaches us as priests to live a worthy life among unbelievers, so that they glorify God by seeing our life dedicated to God.
And so that our life will be filled with glory and we will feel the same and say the same as the psalmist:
Oh, Lord, save me! Oh, Lord, make haste! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
These words were spoken by the people when Jesus entered Jerusalem (Matt. 21, Mark 11:9, Luke 19:38, John 12:13), the same words were spoken by Jesus, warning the scribes and Pharisees about the danger of their hypocritical position ( Matthew 23:39, Luke 13:35).
So let us be among the people who glorify Jesus and await His return. Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever!
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