Psalm 117

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:1

O praise the Lord, all ye nations ; or, "all ye Gentiles," as in Romans 15:11 . The goim are especially the heathen nations of the earth (comp. Psalms 2:1 , Psalms 2:8 ; Psalms 9:5 , Psalms 9:15 , Psalms 9:19 , Psalms 9:20 , etc.). Praise him ; rather, laud him (Revised Version). The verbs in the two clauses are different. All ye people; rather, all ye peoples . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:1

God in national life. "Laud him, all ye people" (Revised Version). This psalm was called by the Puritans the "Dunbar Psalm," because Cromwell, the lord-general, when at the foot of Doon Hill, after the battle of Dunbar, made a halt, and sang this psalm, "till the horse could gather for the chase." It is agreed that it is a kind of doxology, and was used either at the beginning or at the close of a liturgical service; somewhat as we use, " Glory be to the Father," etc. It was the one most... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:1-2

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:1-2

The kingdom of God. The psalmist, consciously or unconsciously, anticipates the glories of the kingdom of God, as that is now being established under the reign of Christ. We have— I. ITS STRONG FOUNDATION . It is founded on mercy and truth. Not on irresistible power, not on unchangeable law, but on Divine mercy and truth. 1. God's mercy to mankind, secured by the redeeming work, and promised by the unchanging word, of Jesus Christ, is one stone of that foundation. 2. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:1-2

The doxology. This is the shortest psalm, but it is long enough to show— I. THAT THERE IS ONE SUPREME OBJECT OF WORSHIP FOR ALL MEN . It is Jehovah, the Lord. He and he alone. Three times in this short psalm is this affirmed. 1. The atheism by whatever name it is called—of the day denies this , saying, either God does not exist, or, if he does, we cannot know it. 2. False ideas of the Trinity practically deny this . Many Christians are... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:2

For his merciful kindness (or, his mercy) is great towards us ; literally, has been great over us . The appeal is to history, and the mercy intended is that shown in God's continual protection of Israel. And the truth of the Lord endureth forever . God's "truth" is here, as so often, his faithfulness to his promises, the promises being especially those made to Abraham and David. His mercy and truth" to Israel were an indication of what the Gentiles might expect of him in his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:2

God's merciful dealings with nations. The psalmist, no doubt, refers to the character of God's dealings with Israel, but he implies that they do but present a model of God's dealings with all nations; and he calls upon those nations to examine and. see what God's dealings had been with them , so that they might find cause for praise. The early Jews realized monotheism as a special possession of their nation. The later prophets and psalmists realized monotheism as a trust, concerning... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:2

Truth regarded as reliability. "The truth of the Lord endureth for ever." The term "truth" is constantly employed without a well-defined and precise meaning. Truth sometimes only means that which seems true to a particular individual at a particular time. Sometimes it only means " veracity ," or the correspondence between a proposition and a man's belief. Truth is the correspondence of the proposition with fact. There is a standard truth. It is close kin with eternal righteousness. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 117:2

Praise. "Praise ye the Lord." It may be interesting to inquire what "praise" is; and what are the proper forms and features of human praise as offered to God. What praise does God reasonably demand? And what praise is man, at his best, able to offer? But those considerations may lead us into somewhat familiar lines. There may be some freshness in considering what the response to this call, what the offering of this praise, is to men . It is a glorifying of God; but it is also a... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 117

The occasion and the author of this psalm are alike unknown. DeWette regards it as a temple-psalm, and agrees with Rosenmuller in the supposition that it was sung either at the beginning or the end of the service in the temple. Knapp supposes that it was used as an intermediate service, sung during the progress of the general service to vary the devotion, and to awaken a new interest in the service, either sung by a choir or by the whole people.In many manuscripts of Kennicott and De Rossi, and... read more

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