Psalms · psalm 117 of 150
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Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, with only two verses. It calls all nations and all peoples to praise the Lord, and gives the reason: his steadfast love is great toward us and his faithfulness endures forever. It ends with hallelujah. Paul quotes it in Romans 15:11 to show that God wanted the Gentiles to praise him together with Israel.
Psalm 117 is the sixth of the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118) and has no title. It has only two verses and is the shortest chapter in the Bible; Psalm 118 follows it and Psalm 119, the longest chapter, comes after. Though short, it has a wide message: praise of the Lord is not only for Israel but for all the nations.
The psalm begins with a universal call: praise the Lord, all nations, extol him, all peoples. It is surprising in a psalm that is part of Israel's worship: Gentiles, and not only Israelites, are invited to praise. The poet does not limit worship to the covenant people but extends it to all humanity.
Verse 2 gives the reason for that universal praise. The Lord's steadfast love is great toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Here us refers to Israel, which has received God's mercy, and God's faithfulness toward them is a reason for the nations to praise him. The two words, steadfast love and faithfulness, sum up the character of the Lord in the Old Testament: his loyal love and his fidelity.
The psalm ends with hallelujah, praise the Lord, the same word with which many psalms begin and end.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The psalm calls all nations and all peoples to praise the Lord. Worship of Israel's God was never only for Israel but points to all humanity.
The Lord's steadfast love is great toward his people and his faithfulness endures forever. The nations have reason to praise him because his loyal love and faithfulness do not change.
4 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: All nations and all peoples. — Psalm 117:1
Answer: It is great. — Psalm 117:2
Answer: Forever. — Psalm 117:2
Answer: Only two; it is the shortest chapter in the Bible. — Psalm 117:1-2
Psalm 117 is a missionary invitation in two verses. In a Sunday school class we can ask whom we have left out of praise, by prejudice or habit, and pray for the nations where the Lord is not yet known. The psalms do not lock praise inside the temple or one's own culture.
It can also be a simple psalm to memorize with children and to recall at the start of a meeting. It says little and says it well: God is merciful and faithful, and so he deserves praise. When everything seems complicated, returning to these two reasons is a good starting point.
Psalm 117 ends with a brief hallelujah. Psalm 118, the last of the Egyptian Hallel, develops the same praise with a personal story of rescue, the stone the builders rejected and the day that the Lord has made.
In Romans 15:11 he quotes verse 1 together with other Old Testament texts to show that God always wanted the Gentiles to praise his name along with the people of Israel. The praise of the nations is part of God's plan from the psalms.
The text does not explain it. It is an invitation to praise and a reason to do so, and it needs nothing more. Its brevity made it easy to remember and sing at the feasts, and it shows that a very short prayer can contain a complete message.