Psalm 117 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Psalm 117
"O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. "
Psalm 117, from the Wolfcoz Psalter, c. 820-830.
Other name	Psalm 116 "Laudate Dominum"
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 117 is the 117th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people." In Latin, it is known as Laudate Dominum. Consisting of only two verses, Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm and also the shortest chapter in the whole Bible. It is joined with Psalm 118 in the manuscripts of the Hebraist scholars Benjamin Kennicott and Giovanni Bernardo De Rossi.

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

Text

Further information: Chapters and verses of the Bible

With just two verses and seventeen words and 62 characters in Hebrew (29 in v1 + 33 in v2 is 62), it is the shortest psalm in the Book of Psalms. It is also the shortest chapter in the whole Bible. It is the 595th of the 1,189 chapters of the King James Version of the Bible, making it the middle chapter of this version.

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

Hebrew Bible version

King James Version

O praise the LORD, all ye nations:
praise him, all ye people.
2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us:
and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever.

Praise ye the LORD.

—Psalm 117 King James Version

Uses

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

Judaism

Psalm 117 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.

Christianity

In Psalm 117, 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 the Letter to the Galatians. Galatians 3:16 says "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Verse 1 is quoted in Romans KJV.

Catholicism

In the Catholic Church, the Rule of Saint Benedict assigns this psalm (116 in the Vulgate) 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. It 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 and some Anglican churches.

Musical settings

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, Johann Sebastian Bach Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230, Michel Richard Delalande, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, (6 settings), H.152, H.159, H.182, H.214, H.223, H.227, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Robert Strassburg. Alan Hovhaness set portions of it, along with Psalm 27, in his 1935 work The God of Glory Thundereth. More recently, it has been set by the Swedish composer Fredrik Sixten. The psalm 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.

See also

In Spanish: Salmo 117 (116) para niños