Praise the LORD, All You Nations
Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes
Psalm 117 summary: what it means
Psalm 117 is two verses long, the shortest psalm and the shortest chapter in the Bible. The first verse addresses all the nations and all the peoples, calling them to praise and extol the LORD. The second gives the reason: his loving kindness is great toward us, and his faithfulness endures forever. The call goes out to the whole world, but the reason is what God has done for us, the people speaking.
It ends where it began, with praise the LORD. There is no request, no complaint and no story. The psalm says only who should praise and why, and in that short space it links one people's experience of God's faithfulness to every nation on earth.
Psalm 117: Praise the LORD, All You Nations
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-117
Psalm 117 commentary: explained verse by verse
Praise the LORD, all you nations!Extol him, all you peoples!
O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
The call to praise goes to all nations and all peoples, not only to Israel. Praise and extol are paired, so the line says the same thing twice in different words.
Also read Romans 15:11, Isaiah 24:15-16, Revelation 5:9, Psalm 150:6
For his loving kindness is great toward us.The LORD’s faithfulness endures forever.Praise the LORD!
For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
The reason for the praise is twofold: God's loving kindness is great toward us, and his faithfulness endures forever. The psalm closes with praise the LORD, the same call it opened with.
Also read John 14:6, Isaiah 25:1, Psalm 100:4-5, Psalm 103:11
A prayer from Psalm 117
LORD, I join all the nations and all the peoples in praising you. I want to extol you with everyone, from every place. Your loving kindness toward us is great. Your faithfulness endures forever. When I feel small or far away, remind me that this praise is for all peoples, and that your kindness reaches wide enough to include me. When my own faithfulness wavers, let me lean on yours, which does not end. With the whole earth, I praise you, LORD. Amen.
Psalm 117 Bible study questions
- In verse 1, who is called to praise the LORD, and how wide is that call?
- In verse 2, what two qualities of the LORD are named as the reason for praise?
- The psalm is only two verses long: what do you notice about how much it says in so few words?
- Verse 2 says his loving kindness is great toward us, yet verse 1 speaks to all nations: how do you read the move from nations to us?
- Psalm 100:5 also speaks of the LORD's loving kindness and faithfulness enduring: how do the two short psalms compare?
Questions about Psalm 117
What is the meaning of Psalm 117?
It calls every nation and people to praise the LORD, because his loving kindness toward his people is great and his faithfulness lasts forever.
Who wrote Psalm 117?
The author is not named in the text. Psalm 117 has no heading.
Is Psalm 117 the shortest psalm?
Yes. With two verses it is the shortest of the 150 psalms, and the shortest chapter in the Bible.
What does Psalm 117:1 mean?
It calls all the nations and all the peoples to praise and extol the LORD, so the invitation reaches beyond Israel to everyone.
What does Psalm 117:2 mean?
It gives the reason for praise: God's loving kindness is great toward us and his faithfulness endures forever. It ends with praise the LORD.
How does the King James Version word Psalm 117?
The KJV reads "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."
Psalm 117 KJV: the King James Version
O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.1
For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.2
Psalm 117 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 הַֽלְל֣וּ אֶת־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־גּוֹיִ֑ם שַׁ֝בְּח֗וּהוּ כָּל־הָאֻמִּֽים ׃
2 כִּ֥י גָ֘בַ֤ר עָלֵ֨ינוּ ׀ חַסְדּ֗וֹ וֶֽאֱמֶת־יְהוָ֥ה לְעוֹלָ֗ם הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃
Psalm 117 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 116 there.
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1 O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
2 For his mercy is confirmed upon us: and the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever.
Psalm 117 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 116.
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1 Alleluja. Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes; laudate eum, omnes populi.
2 Quoniam confirmata est super nos misericordia ejus, et veritas Domini manet in æternum.
Printable Psalm 117: free, large print and PDF
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Psalm 117 at a glance
| Verses | 2 |
| Heading in the text | No heading |
| Attributed to | Not named in the text. The psalm has no heading. |
| Type | Praise |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 116 |
| Latin first line | Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes |
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Psalm 117 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 117 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 117 belongs
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source