Psalms 117 — ENGLXXUP

See Hebrew/Greek in BSB →

117 Alleluia. ^{Verse 2} Let now the house of Israel say, that he is good: ^{Verse 3} Let now the house of Aaron say, that he is good: ^{Verse 4} Let now all that fear the Lord say, that he is good: ^{Verse 5} I called on the Lord out of affliction: ^{Verse 6} The Lord is my helper; ^{Verse 7} The Lord is my helper; ^{Verse 8} It is better to trust in the Lord ^{Verse 9} It is better to hope in the Lord, ^{Verse 10} All nations compassed me about: ^{Verse 11} They completely compassed me about: ^{Verse 12} They compassed me about as bees do a honeycomb, ^{Verse 13} I was thrust, and sorely shaken, that I might fall: ^{Verse 14} The Lord is my strength and my song, ^{Verse 15} The voice of exultation and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: ^{Verse 16} The right hand of the Lord has exalted me: ^{Verse 17} I shall not die, but live, ^{Verse 18} The Lord has chastened me sore: ^{Verse 19} Open to me the gates of righteousness: ^{Verse 20} This is the gate of the Lord: ^{Verse 21} I will give thanks to thee; because thou hast heard me, ^{Verse 22} The stone which the builders rejected, ^{Verse 23} This has been done of the Lord; ^{Verse 24} This is the day which the Lord has made: ^{Verse 25} O Lord, save now: ^{Verse 26} Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord: ^{Verse 27} God is the Lord, and he has shined upon us: ^{Verse 28} Thou art my God, and I will give thee thanks: ^{Verse 29} Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good:

Commentary

1 Praise Jehovah, all ye nations. The Holy Spirit having, by the mouth of the prophet, exhorted all nations to celebrate the praises of God’s mercy and faithfulness, Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, very justly considers this as a prediction respecting the calling of the whole world, (Romans 15:11.) How can unbelievers be qualified for praising God, who, though not entirely destitute of his mercy, yet are insensible of it, and are ignorant of his truth? It would therefore serve no purpose for the prophet to address the heathen nations, unless they were to be gathered together in the unity of the faith with the children of Abraham. There is no ground for the censorious attempting, by their sophistical arguments, to refute the reasoning of Paul. I grant that the Holy Spirit elsewhere calls upon the mountains, rivers, trees, rain, winds, and thunder, to resound the praises of God, because all creation silently proclaims him to be its Maker. It is in a different manner that he is praised by his rational creatures. The reason assigned is, that God’s mercy and truth furnish materials for celebrating his praises. Besides, the prophet does not mean that God shall be praised everywhere by the Gentiles, because the knowledge of his character is confined to a small portion of the land of Judea, but because it was to be spread over the whole world. First, he enjoins God to be praised, because his goodness is increased, or strengthened, for the Hebrew term admits of both meanings. Secondly, because his truth remains steadfast for ever How, then, are those qualified to celebrate his praises, who, with brutal insensibility, pass over his goodness, and shut their ears against his heavenly doctrine?

The truth of God, in this passage, is properly introduced as an attestation of his grace. For he can be true even when he menaces the whole world with perdition and ruin. The prophet, however, has placed his mercy first in order that his faithfulness and truth, comprising an assurance of his paternal kindness, might encourage the hearts of the godly. His power and justice are equally praiseworthy; but as men will never cordially praise God until they are drawn by a foretaste of his goodness, the prophet very justly selects God’s mercy and truth, which alone open the mouths of those who are mute to engage in this exercise. When his truth is said to be everlasting, it is not set in opposition to his mercy, as if it, after flourishing for a season, then instantly passed away. The same reason would go to prove, that it was small compared with his mercy, which is said to be abundant. The meaning is, that God’s mercy is rich towards us, flowing in a perennial stream, because united to his eternal truth. If we read, his mercy is confirmed, all difficulty will be removed, for then both constancy and stability will alike adorn his mercy and his truth.

Open full in Library

Bible

Translations

Pentateuch

History

Wisdom

Major Prophets

Minor Prophets

Keyboard shortcuts