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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 117:1-2

There is a great deal of gospel in this psalm. The apostle has furnished us with a key to it (Rom. 15:11), where he quotes it as a proof that the gospel was to be preached to, and would be entertained by, the Gentile nations, which yet was so great a stumbling-block to the Jews. Why should that offend them when it is said, and they themselves had often sung it, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and laud him, all you people. Some of the Jewish writers confess that this psalm refers to the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 117:1

O praise the Lord, all ye nations ,.... The Lord having chosen, and Christ having redeemed, some out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation; and the Gospel being sent and preached to all nations, and some of each being called and converted by the Spirit of God; they are excited to praise the Lord, Jehovah, Father, Son and Spirit, for their several acts of divine grace and kindness towards them, in choosing, redeeming, and sanctifying them; and in favouring them with the Gospel, and the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 117:1

O praise the Lord, all ye nations - Let all the Gentiles praise him, for he provides for their eternal salvation. Praise him, all ye people - All ye Jews, praise him; for ye have long been his peculiar people. And while he sends his Son to be a light to the Gentiles, he sends him also to be the glory of his people Israel. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 117:1

Verse 1 1Praise Jehovah, all ye nations. The Holy Spirit having, by the mouth of the prophet, exhorted all nations to celebrate the praises of God’s mercy and faithfulness, Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, very justly considers this as a prediction respecting the calling of the whole world, (Romans 15:11.) How can unbelievers be qualified for praising God, who, though not entirely destitute of his mercy, yet are insensible of it, and are ignorant of his truth? It would therefore serve no... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

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

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

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 117:1

O praise the Lord, all ye nations - The idea is that God has a claim to universal worship, and that all the nations of the earth are under obligations to adore him as the true God. He is not the God of the Hebrew people only, but of all people; his praise should be celebrated not merely by one nation, but by all. This is one of the passages in the Old Testament, anticipating what is more fully disclosed in the New Testament, in which the sacred writer extends his vision beyond the narrow... read more

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