Psalm 117


Psalm 117 is the 117th psalm of the Book of Psalms. It's the shortest psalm and also the shortest chapter in the whole Bible, consisting of only two verses. It begins in the English King James Version "1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people." The Book of Psalms is the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 116 in a slightly different numbering system. In Latin, it is known as "Laudate Dominum".
The short psalm of praise is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Anglican and Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music often, in many languages.
Consisting of only two verses, Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm and also the shortest chapter in the whole Bible.

Text

With just two verses and sixteen words in Hebrew, 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 said version.
In Hebrew, it is an acrostic poem and is one of the so-called Egyptian Hallel prayers.

Hebrew Bible version

King James Version

  1. 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.

    Uses

Judaism

Psalm 117 is one of six psalms of which Hallel is composed. On all days when Hallel is recited, this psalm is recited in its entirety.

New Testament

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 Paul's Letter to the Galatians. 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." Verse 1 is quoted in Romans

Catholicism

In the 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, this psalm 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", 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,, H 177, H 152, H 159, H 182, H 214, H 223, H 227, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Robert Strassburg. 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.