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Psalm 117 Bible study: Praise the LORD, all you nations

Psalm 117 calls "all you nations" and "all you peoples" to praise the LORD (117:1), and its reason is his loving kindness "toward us" (117:2). Its Hebrew word for peoples comes only three times in the Hebrew Bible. Paul quotes its call in Romans 15:11, after saying Christ became a servant "that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy" (Romans 15:9).

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“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! For his loving kindness is great toward us. The LORD’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD!”
Psalm 117:1-2 · World English Bible

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“Psalm 117 begins and ends with the words "Praise the LORD".”

Is that in Psalm 117, or not? Make your call.

What's really going on

A call to everyone, and a reason about us

In the text

Psalm 117 is two verses. The first is a call: "Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!" (117:1) (tap Praise, nations, Extol, peoples). In Hebrew both commands are spoken to many people at once. The second verse gives the reason, and it opens with the small Hebrew word ki, the WEB's For: "For his loving kindness is great toward us" (117:2) (tap loving kindness, great). Here is what almost everyone misses: the call goes out to every nation, but the reason is about us. The psalm calls all the nations to praise the LORD, and the reason it gives is his loving kindness "toward us" (117:2). It doesn't say who us is (see the honest questions).

Where it leads to Jesus

All you Gentiles

In the text

Psalms 117:1leads toRomans 15:11

The psalm calls, "Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!" (117:1). Paul writes, "Now I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers" (Romans 15:8), "and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy" (Romans 15:9). Among the scriptures he gives for it, the third is this psalm's call: "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all the peoples praise him" (Romans 15:11). The lines before it speak of praise "among the Gentiles" (Romans 15:9) and of the Gentiles rejoicing "with his people" (Romans 15:10); this one has all twice, every nation and every people called to praise. The WEB has nations in the psalm and Gentiles in Romans (tap nations), and Paul doesn't name the psalm.

Honest questions

Questions people ask about Psalm 117

That was a taste

The rest of Psalm 117 is waiting in Favor

  • Two words for the nations, one of them rare
  • Loving kindness and faithfulness
  • Where Paul sets this psalm
  • The same two verbs, spoken to one city
  • 5 questions as you read
  • 7 more Hebrew words
  • A short check at the end
  • Your notes, saved as you go
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The Hebrew word behind it

גּוֹיgoysay GOY

Brown-Driver-Briggs: "nation, people". Strong's: "a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile". "Praise the LORD, all you nations!" (117:1): nations is goyim, the plural, after kol, all. Where Paul quotes the call, the WEB has Gentiles: "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!" (Romans 15:11). Psalm 67's notes follow goyim beside that psalm's other words for the peoples (Psalm 67:2).

For your group

Psalm 117 Bible study questions

  1. 1Psalm 117 calls "all you nations" to praise the LORD (117:1). Who is someone far from your own world you would love to see praising God, and how could you pray for them this week?
  2. 2The psalm's reason is "his loving kindness is great toward us" (117:2). Where have you seen God's loving kindness toward you, or toward your group, lately?
  3. 3"The LORD’s faithfulness endures forever" (117:2). Where in your life do you most need to lean on that this week?

Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 117 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.

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Questions

What is Favor?

Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.

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The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home