Psalm 117

Psalm 117, from the Wolfcoz Psalter, c. 820-830.

Psalm 117 is the 117th psalm of the Book of Psalms.

Text

With just two verses and sixteen words in Hebrew, it is the shortest of all 150 psalms. It is the 595th of the 1,189 chapters of the King James Version of the Bible, making it the middle chapter. It is also the shortest chapter in this version of the Bible.

O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. / For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.[1] In the Hebrew it is an acrostic Poem and is one of the so-called Egyptian Hallel prayers.

Uses

The Tosher Rebbe of Montreal, Quebec, Canada shaking the Four species during Sukkot while praying Hallel.

Judaism

It is one of six psalms (113-118) of which Hallel is composed. On all days when Hallel is recited, this psalm is recited in its entirety.[2]

New Testament

In this psalm, the Gentiles are invited to join in praise of God. Christians view this as a fulfillment of God's promise of mercy to the gentiles, pointing to God's promise that all nations would be blessed in the seed of Abraham, who they believe is Christ, as described in Saint Paul's Letter to the Galatians. Galatians 3:16 says "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,' meaning many people, but 'and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ."

Catholicism

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Rule of Saint Benedict assigns this psalm to the Office of Vespers on Monday. Saint Benedict of Nursia generally used four psalms in Vespers, but because of the shortness of this psalm, he added a fifth when it was used. However, Psalm 117 is currently used in the Liturgy of the Hours on Saturday of Weeks I and III. The psalm may be sung after Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, a ritual performed in Catholic[3] and some Anglican churches.

Musical settings

Psalm 117 by Johann Sebastian Bach

Psalm 117, known by the opening words in Latin as "Laudate dominum" (translated "O, Praise the Lord" or "Praise ye the Lord"), has been set to music by a number of composers, including William Byrd,[4] Johann Sebastian Bach 'Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden' (BWV 230), Michel Richard Delalande,[5] Robert Strassburg[6] and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; more recently, it has been set by the Swedish composer Fredrik Sixten. It also forms the introduction of the 90s pop song Happy Nation by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, and a popular arrangement from the Taizé community.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ↑ King James Bible
  2. ↑ The Complete Artscroll Siddur page 638
  3. ↑ The Benedictines of Solesmes, ed. Liber Usualis, p. 1853. New York: Desclee Company, 1961.
  4. ↑ William Byrd, (Gradualia II (1607),) no. 45.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-10-31. [archive] p.46
  6. ↑ http://milkenarchive.org/artists/view/Robert-Strassburg/
  7. ↑ http://www.taize.fr/spip.php?page=chant&song=463&lang=en
  8. ↑ http://milkenarchive.org/artists/view/robert-strassburg/
  9. ↑ Le site de la communauté propose une version Midi et les partitions.
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