Psalm 117 “Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever”

Psalm 117 of the Book of Psalms

This article uses Hebrew (Masoretic). numbering of psalms. Psalm 117 in Greek (Septuagint or Vulgate) numbering corresponds to Psalm 118 in Hebrew numbering.

Psalm 117

Psalm 117 from the Book of Psalms.
In Latin it is known as Laudate Dominum
.[1] Psalm 117, with only two verses, is the shortest psalm, as well as the shortest chapter of the whole. Bible.

In the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 116 in a different numbering system.

Text

Further Information: Chapters and Verses of the Bible

With only two verses and sixteen words in Hebrew, it is the shortest psalm in the Book of Psalms. It is also the shortest chapter in the entire Bible. It is the 595th of the 1,189 chapters of the King James Version of the Bible, making it the middle chapter of the said version.

In Hebrew, this is an acrostic poem and is one of the so-called Egyptian Hallel prayers.

Hebrew Bible Version

King James Version

Praise the Lord, all nations! praise him, all you people. For his merciful kindness toward us is great: and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord.

— Psalm 117 King James Version

Publication by the successors of A.P. Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. Interpretation of the Psalter

Psalm 117

[Hallelujah]

The psalm represents the Jewish people rejoicing due to the freedom they received (v. 5), liberation from enemies (10-13) and especially from the miraculous completion of the building, which was completed despite difficult circumstances (22-23). All of the above coincides with the time of the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity and the completion of the construction of the second temple, about the consecration of which the psalm was probably written.

Let all classes and all Israel praise the Lord for His mercy (1-4). Out of trouble, I cried out to the Lord and He set me free. If the Lord is my protector, then whom should I fear (5-9)? All nations oppressed me, but I brought them down in the name of the Lord, to whom is my song (11-14). The voice of rejoicing is heard in the dwellings of the righteous, thanking the Lord for His judgment and salvation (15-18). Open the gates of righteousness to enter into a building completed with the favor of the Lord. Let us bless this day and celebrate it with sacrificial offerings and praises to the Lord (19-29).

1 Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. 2 Let the house of Israel say this day: He is good, for His mercy endures forever. 3 Let the house of Aaron say today: [He is good,] for His mercy endures forever. 4 Let those who fear the Lord now say, He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

1-4. The unknown writer of the psalm invites the entire Jewish people to confess and sing the great mercy of God, which is spoken of in all subsequent contents.

5 Out of the cramped space I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me, and the Lord brought me to a spacious place.

5. “From cramped conditions” - from a difficult situation, of course the Babylonian captivity. “He heard me” - he brought me to a spacious place, that is, to freedom from captivity, gave me the opportunity to be governed and live according to my own law.

6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid: what will man do to me? 7 The Lord is my helper: I will look upon my enemies. 8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes.

8-9. The entire history of the life of the Jewish people, who tried to defend their political independence by concluding alliances with neighboring pagan peoples, showed how unsuccessful these attempts were. Bitter experience forced the Jews to admit that to strengthen their well-being it is better to rely on God than on human help or military force (“princes” are leaders).

10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them; 11 They surrounded me, they surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them; 12 They surrounded me like bees [of a honeycomb], and were quenched like fire among thorns: in the name of the Lord I cast them down. 13 They pushed me hard so that I fell, but the Lord supported me. 14 The Lord is my strength and song; He became my salvation.

10-14. The fruitfulness of such faith was justified under the present circumstances of the construction of the temple. - “All the nations surrounded me.” It is known that the construction of the temple, in addition to the poverty of the returning Jews, was greatly hindered by the Samaritans, who presented the construction of the temple to the Persian rulers as the construction of a citadel, a fortress, with the goal of breaking away from the Persians and waging war against them. Only the preaching of the prophets, which inspired the builders, and faith in their own righteousness and protection from God supported the builders and was crowned with success. - “They pushed me hard so that I fell” - a Hebrew abandoned by everyone. the people considered themselves close to death, but the Lord saved them, both from captivity and helped them in the present case to build the temple. That is why the writer says: “The Lord is my strength and song.”

15 The voice of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord creates power! 16 The right hand of the Lord is high, the right hand of the Lord does might! 17 I will not die, but will live and proclaim the works of the Lord.

15-17. Apparently, the writer further paints a picture of nationwide rejoicing. Voices are heard in the villages of the righteous, that is, among the Jewish people, as the only worshiper of the One and True God at that time: “The Lord miraculously saved me.” This gives me confidence that in the future I will not perish, I will maintain political and religious independence (“I will live”) in order to always praise the Lord.

18 The Lord punished me severely, but did not put me to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them and glorify the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter into them. 21 I praise You that You heard me and became my salvation. 22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner: 23 This is from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it!

22-24. The visible manifestation of Divine help is revealed in the construction of the temple. Even those who built it laughed at the material (“stone”) from which it was made, but the temple was still completed. It is clear that God Himself helped, and therefore we will praise the Lord on this solemn day of completion of the building. During the construction of the second temple, those who had seen and remembered the first, rich temple of Solomon, cried at the sight of the small size and poverty of the material from which the second temple was built, considering this a sign of the Jews’ rejection of the Lord, which undermined the energy of the builders. But the significance of the temple as a religious center, and therefore a political unifying point, was probably, if not clearly recognized, still felt by many, and their rejoicing at the completion of construction is understandable.

25 Oh, Lord, save me! Oh, Lord, make haste! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

26. Here a procession is depicted going to the temple and chanting: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” to which the priests respond: “We bless...”

27 God is the Lord, and has shone upon us; bind the sacrifice with ropes, lead it to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God: I will praise You; You are my God: I will exalt You, [I will praise You, for You heard me and became my salvation]. 29 Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

27-29. The Lord appeared to us and gave us the opportunity to complete the construction of the temple. The writer invites to solemnly celebrate this day with an abundance of sacrifices, placing the meat designated for sacrifice on the horns of the altar, as required by law, and then invites everyone to sing praises to the Lord.

Jesus Christ applies the image of a “stone” (verse 22) to Himself (Matthew XXI:42; Mark XII:14; Luke XX:17) and other writers also apply this expression to Him (Acts IV:11; 1 Pet II: 7). By a temple, the walls of which are connected by stone, we must understand the church founded on Christ, Who reconciled man with God; They also mean two natures in Jesus Christ, just as two walls of a building are united on one stone. This image can also be understood as an indication that with the coming of Christ the Old Testament found its completion in His life, teaching and suffering, a new life began, a new building was created. The psalm is educational.

Uses

Tosher Rebbe of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, shaking the Four Species during Sukkot during the Hallel prayer.

Judaism

Psalm 117 is one of the six psalms (113-118) that make up the Hallel. On all days when Hallel is read, this psalm is read in its entirety.[2]

Christianity

In Psalm 117, the Gentiles are invited to join in praising God. Christians view this as the fulfillment of God's promise of mercy to the Gentiles, pointing to God's promise that all nations will be blessed in the seed of Abraham, whom they believe is Christ, as described in the Letter to the Galatians. Galatians 3:16 says, “Now the promises were given to Abraham and his seed. He does not say: and to descendants, as if about many, but as if about one: and to your seed, which is Christ.” Verse 1 quoted in Romans 15:11[3]

Catholicism

in the Catholic Church, the Rule of Saint Benedict assigns this psalm (116 in the Vulgate) to the office of Vespers on Monday. St. Benedict of Nursia usually used four psalms at Vespers, but due to the brevity of this psalm, he added a fifth when it was used. However, this psalm is currently used in the Liturgy of the Hours on Saturdays of the first and third weeks. The psalm can be sung after the Blessing of Holy Communion, a ritual performed in the Catholic[4] and some Anglican churches.

We read the Psalter. Psalm 117

Conversation with Archpriest Alexy Ladygin about the Psalter.
Dear brothers and sisters, we continue to study the Psalter and today we will talk about the 117th Psalm with the prescription: Alleluia. It speaks of thanksgiving to the Lord, and a person is called to repentance, to confess his sins, for the psalm begins with the words “Confess the Lord,” and confession, according to the interpretation of the holy fathers, is both repentance of one’s sins and sending thanksgiving to the Lord. Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever. The psalmist David often glorifies confession, knowing the great importance it has. We have said more than once that the word “confess” is a call to repentance, a call for a person to bring repentance to God for his sins. Why is it necessary to repent before God? Firstly, it gives a person the opportunity to improve. Secondly, as the psalmist himself explains, for His mercy endures forever: the Lord gives special grace, shows kindness to those who repent for their sins, shows His mercy through the forgiveness of sins for which a person repents.

Let the house of Israel say, For He is good, for His mercy endures forever. The entire house of Israel is called to repentance; it is called not only Israel in the literal sense, but, according to the thoughts of the holy fathers, the entire Christian Church, the entire Christian world, which is also called to repentance, on the one hand, is called this way. On the other hand, we must talk about what kind of mercy the Lord shows through repentance to every person.

Let the house of Aaron say: For He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let all who fear the Lord say, For He is good, for His mercy endures forever. This speaks of both the house of Israel and the house of Aaron, which unites the entire priesthood. “Let all who fear the Lord say” - the whole world, having accepted the Lord, receives forgiveness of sins through repentance and must testify to the great mercy of God, which the Lord shows to man through repentance.

Out of sorrow I called on the Lord, and heard me into space. When a person is in sorrow, he calls on the Lord. Here the holy fathers say that grief is simply necessary for a person, for it concentrates him internally, gives him the opportunity to turn to God - to get away from the everyday bustle that absorbs a person and ties him to earthly things. When sorrows come, a person turns to the Lord - and the Lord delivers him from distress. Grief is always cramped, it is the inability to do anything; it really causes a person severe pain, and when in this state a person turns to God, the Lord takes him out of this sorrow into space - gives him complete freedom to live and perform his earthly service.

The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear: what can man do to me? We must always trust in the Lord - and I will not fear: what can man do to me? As the holy fathers say, the Lord does not deliver from difficulties and troubles that another person can cause, but He helps to get out of that disastrous and sorrowful state into which a person can fall due to the dislike of another person. Therefore, you should always trust in the Lord. And the psalmist more than once expressed the idea that he always turned to God, and the Lord always helped him: he did not look for an opportunity to take revenge on a person, to do him harm, but always relied on the will of God. And the holy Apostle Paul says: “Give place to the wrath of God,” that is, the Lord Himself will punish such a person, admonish him and lead him to repentance.

The Lord is my Helper, and I will look at my enemies - always trust in God, and God Himself will punish our enemies, He Himself will lead them to correction and to the realization of the mistakes that they have made, causing harm to another person.

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: “Do not trust in princes, in the sons of men.” You should always trust in the Lord. Moreover, the Holy Scripture tells us such wonderful words: “...cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes the flesh his support, and whose heart withdraws from the Lord,” for every person is a lie - it is human nature to deceive and deceive others. There are life circumstances when no one can help you: neither another person, nor even those in charge who exist in this world and occupy a special position, sometimes can do nothing. Our trust should always be in the Lord; only the Lord can help bring our soul out of prison, lead us out of a sorrowful state, help us get rid of the difficulties or illnesses that we encounter in life. Relying on another person simply means being deceived: not everyone can help you, on the one hand; on the other hand, will he want to help you, despite the fact that he is sitting at the same table with you.

It is no coincidence that there is a Russian proverb: “Everyone is a neighbor at dinner, but when trouble comes, the water washes everyone away.” Indeed, as long as you are in a special position, some kind of status, you can receive, treat, everyone comes to you and says: “We are your friends, we will help you, we will do everything for you, everything will be fine in your life,” and when trouble comes, everyone is washed away by the water: everyone shuts down, closes down, someone is disingenuous, someone is deceiving, someone does not want to help you, they run away. And only prayer to the Lord allows a person to endure this grief and solve all the problems that exist in life: the Lord is the only One who will never let you down, will never leave you and will always help. Therefore, in any condition, a person must turn to the Lord - from sorrow he called on the Lord, and heard me into space - and the Lord will free me from this tightness. The Psalmist speaks very deep words to us, so that we understand that it is good to trust in the Lord, rather than trust in man, rather than trust in princes.

All the pagans have beaten me, and in the name of the Lord I resisted them - “all nations will rise up against me,” but you can only be saved by trusting in the Lord: even if the whole world rises up against you, but you will be with God, the Lord will never leave you and will protect you; No matter what difficult condition you are in, the Lord will always help.

They cheated me, and in the name of the Lord they resisted them. The enemy of the human race surrounds us on all sides. It talks about both evil people and our enemies who surround us - sometimes it seems to us that the world is rebelling against us, that no one can help us, and here we should never give up trust in the Lord. You can overcome everything only when you trust in the Lord, and in the name of the Lord resist them. It has become commonplace, that is, the enemy of the human race surrounds us. The Holy Fathers say that you need to pay special attention to various thoughts and passions: sometimes it seems to you that it is impossible to defeat them, it is impossible to resist them, but by calling on the name of God you can defeat all the evil intentions of the enemy of the human race: “In My Name the demons will be destroyed.” – there is no greater and higher name than our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the psalmist draws attention to this, so that we call on the Lord and His name is always in our thoughts and on our lips - then it will be easier to fight all the evil intentions of the enemy of the human race.

I have become like bees on a honeycomb, and have burned like fire among thorns: and in the name of the Lord I have resisted them. Here again the psalmist says how passions attack a person: having beaten me like bees on a honeycomb - just as bees sting, surround, swoop down on sweet honey in a whole swarm and eat it, so do different thoughts, and sometimes enemies surround a person and attack him. And just as fire flares up in thorns, literally “burning up the thorns,” so enemies attack a person, causing him some kind of harm. But in the name of the Lord I resisted them. Despite even such terrible suffering as bee stings (the psalmist compares), the burns that you receive while in fire - no matter what sorrows and difficulties there are in your life, always trust in the Lord: the Lord will help you. Be it life's difficulties, or experiences that come from people or from our enemies, or diseases that can take over a person and sometimes it seems that this disease will defeat you (when a person is diagnosed with some kind, he goes into a frenzy, he does not know , what to do, it seems to him that life is over) - at these moments you should always turn to the Lord, and the Lord will help. You can face all of this when you call on the name of the Lord, and all of this can be overcome.

I turned away from the mouth, and the Lord accepted me. Enemies or some kind of sorrow attack a person so much that the person thinks that he is about to fall: he is already hesitating, his knees and legs are breaking, he can barely stand, ready to fall. But the Lord always helps a person, and whoever trusts in Him will always receive help from the Lord and will be able to resist even in difficult circumstances of his life.

The Lord is my strength and my song, and be my salvation. The psalmist says: “I will continually sing to the Lord, I will glorify Him, because I always trust in the Lord, and the Lord gives me salvation” - both in this life and in the eternal. It is impossible to live without the thanksgiving that we send to the Lord, for the Lord always helps us and takes care of us.

The voice of joy and salvation in the villages of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord create power. The right hand of the Lord has exalted me, the right hand of the Lord has created strength. Of course, the Lord gives a person His support, He extends a helping hand, only each of us must remember that he must cry out to God. The Holy Scripture tells us how the Apostle Peter drowned when he walked on the water to meet the Lord: a strong wind blew, he began to drown and said: “Lord! save me,” and the Lord extended His hand to him and rescued him from the water. So in our life, the Lord always extends His strong, strong hand to us, on which we lean, and the Lord helps us. The Holy Fathers say that it is no coincidence that the Psalmist says three times: the right hand of the Lord create power, the right hand of the Lord exalts me, the right hand of the Lord creates strength, indicating by this the trinitarian nature of our God. When we trust in our Lord, He helps us. "The voice of joy and salvation in the villages of the righteous." In which villages of the righteous? We call the Kingdom of Heaven the settlement of the righteous: there the voice of joy, singing, thanksgiving and praise are always sent to the Lord. The Holy Fathers say that the Church of Christ, in which there is light and truth and the affirmation of the Law, is also called the village of the righteous.

I will not die, but I will live and carry on the work of the Lord - our enemies will die first, because they do not trust in the Lord, but we trust in Him, and He gives us strength and strength. Therefore, when a person trusts in the Lord, he lives, and then, seeing how the Lord helps him, how He defeats our enemies, he (telling the work of the Lord) speaks about the mercy that the Lord showed to man: how He supported him. The older generation - our grandmothers, our parents told us in childhood how the Lord helped them through life, brought them out of a difficult state, helped them find peace and tranquility, raise children, organize a household - they felt the hand, the right hand of God: how the Lord supported them, and in an absolutely miraculous way, many issues were resolved through the prayers of our parents. We also need to talk about this to our children, so that they see our life and say: “Really, how the Lord helps us! How many miracles the Lord showed, what life circumstances we had and how miraculously they were resolved!” We always understand that if the Lord had not helped, this would never have happened and would not have been accomplished.

While the Lord punished me, He did not put me to death - the Lord, of course, sends us punishments, but not to cause us pain or so lead us to death: He did not give me over to death. Punishments are inevitable in our lives, they are given to enlighten us, so that we are more attentive to our lives, do not do wrong, do not hurt our neighbors, but do more deeds of mercy, remember the Lord more. It is no coincidence that this psalm says so: out of sorrow I called on the Lord, and hearing me into space - when you are in sorrow, you begin to call on the Lord, and when everything is good, we forget about God, we forget about the temple, about prayer - we begin to enjoy this life and we think that we are complete owners of this life. But in reality, of course, only the Lord gives us everything we need in it, gives us peace. Therefore, we must always be in connection with God, we must be grateful to the Lord for His constant blessings. Therefore, punishments are sent by the Lord for each of us, so that we would come to our senses - not fix our eyes only on this life, but also strive to acquire the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

Open the gates of righteousness for me: when we enter, let us confess to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord: the righteous shall enter into it. What is the gate of truth? The Holy Fathers say that this is the Law that the Lord gave us, and we must go through these gates: this is the gate of the Lord. The Lord gives us narrow gates, but the Lord passed through them - and He calls us to follow Him, fulfilling the commandments of God: whoever lives according to the commandments of God does not follow the broad path of this life, but these narrow gates lead a person to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let us confess to You that You heard me and You were my salvation - when a person is in such a state and after punishment the Lord delivers him, then he sends thanks to God that the Lord heard him and gave him salvation, that is, corrected him. Here we glorify and thank the Lord for the fact that He has so wisely arranged and takes such wonderful care of man.

The stone that was built carelessly, this was at the head of the corner: this came from the Lord, and is marvelous in our hands: amazing words that the psalmist says, as if out of context - first he talks about thanksgiving, glorification, confession, the structure of our human life, and suddenly, among other things, he begins to sharply prophesy about Christ. The Holy Fathers are amazed: why does the psalmist do this, why does he begin to prophesy about Christ so sharply? They say that he speaks a little secretly about Christ, so that this mystery would be understood only by those who are in spiritual contemplation and reasoning. Here he prophesies about Christ: the stone that was carelessly built will become the cornerstone. This Stone is Christ, Whom the Jews neglected, and He became the foundation of the Church of Christ; This came from the Lord, and is marvelous in our minds - God came from God the Father and appeared here on earth.

This is the day that the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad on it. Every day is blessed. We often say that “this day is hard, this day is not good, this day you can’t do this or that.” Every day is blessed - there is no hard day: we ourselves, with our sins or wrong actions, make the day hard, but every day was created by the Lord for man, every day is a new blessing of God for man, so we should rejoice about every day. And there is also a spiritual meaning here: this day that the Lord has created - what day is this? For us, the most amazing and saving day is when the Lord resurrected, when He gave man eternal life, trampled death itself with His death and opened the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Resurrection of Christ is, of course, the holiest and most blessed day that the Lord gave to the whole world and, first of all, to those who believed in Him.

Oh, Lord, save me, oh Lord, hurry up. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: by blessing you from the house of the Lord, blessing and thanksgiving are sent forth again. He who comes in the name of the Lord is the Lord who came from God the Father, and blessings are sent to Him. You are blessed from the house of the Lord: every person who enters the temple of God (and the temple of God is the house of the Lord) receives a blessing from the Lord.

God is the Lord, and appear to us: make a holiday in the frequenting roads of the altar. God the Lord - who is He? The Holy Fathers say, the Lord is the God of armies.

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 You were my salvation. Here again the psalmist sends thanks to the Lord for His constant good deeds, for the fact that the Lord came to this earth, appeared to man and arranged salvation for every believing person - a person who gains faith is saved, for “whoever has faith and is baptized will be saved and whoever does not have faith will be condemned.”

And the psalmist ends with amazing words - the same ones with which this psalm began: Confess to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever. Again there is a call to repentance, for it is necessary to repent for one’s sins. The one who repents receives many benefits from the Lord and receives mercy from the Lord - forgiveness of our sins, which hinder us not only in this life, but most importantly, become a terrible obstacle on our path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is such an amazing psalm, dear brothers and sisters, that we studied today. God bless you all!

Recorded by Nina Kirsanova

Music settings

Beginning of Bach's motet
Psalm 117, the first words in Latin are known as Laudate Dominum

(translated as "O Praise the Lord" or "Praise the Lord"), has been set to music by a number of composers, including William Byrd,[5] Johann Sebastian Bach
Lobet den Herrn, Alle Hayden
, BWV 230, Michel Richard Delalande,[ 6], Marc-Antoine Charpentier, (6 settings), H.152, H.159, H.182, H.214, H.223, H 227, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart[7] and Robert Strasburg.[8]
Most recently it was installed by a Swedish composer. Fredrik Sixten. The psalm is also the intro to a '90s pop song. Happy Nation by Swedish pop group Ace Of Base,[ citation needed
] and popular arrangement by the Taizé Community.[9][10]

Recommendations

1. Parallel Latin/English Psalter/Psalm 116 (117) Archived 2017-05-07 in the Wayback Machine Mediumist.net
2. Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 638
3. Kirkpatrick, A.F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: With Introduction and Notes
   . Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: University Press. item 840. Received February 28, 2019.
4. The Benedictines of Solesmes, ed. Liber Usualis, n. 1853. New York: Desclee Company, 1961.
5. William Byrd, (Gradualia II (1607),) no. 45.
6. "Archival copy." Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-10-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) [archive] p.46
7. Rykvin, Axel (December 28, 2016). "Laudate Dominum (Mozart) performed by boy soprano Axel Rykvin (13 years old)." YouTube
   .
8. Robert Strasburg milkenarchive.org
9. Laudate Dominum taize.fr
10. Le site de la Communauté I offer the Midi version and other sections.