Psalms 117 Study Notes: All Nations Called to Praise
The shortest psalm summons every nation and people on earth to praise the LORD. Its reason is God's great, loyal love toward His people and His faithfulness that lasts forever, and Paul later cites it to show that God meant the Gentiles to glorify Him.
General
True or False: Psalm 117 calls only the people of Israel to praise the LORD.
Answer: False
This is false. The shortest psalm addresses the whole world: every nation and every people is summoned to praise and honor the LORD (117:1). Israel's God is not a local god; He is Lord of all peoples, and the psalms often call the nations to worship Him (Psalm 67:3-4). This hope goes back to God's promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him, which Paul calls the gospel announced in advance (Galatians 3:8). It is fulfilled in the song of heaven, which praises the Lamb for buying people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Revelation 5:9).
- Psalm 117:1 (BSB)“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!”The psalm opens by calling every nation and people to praise the LORD.
- Psalm 67:3-4 (BSB)“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the earth. Selah”Another psalm prays for all the peoples and nations to praise God and rejoice in His rule.
- Galatians 3:8 (BSB)“The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.””Paul says the promise to Abraham already announced that God would bless all nations.
- Revelation 5:9 (BSB)“And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”The heavenly song praises the Lamb for purchasing people from every nation by His blood.
Theological
True or False: The call to praise in 117:1 is addressed only to Israel.
Answer: False
This is false. Psalm 117:1 summons all nations and all peoples to praise and extol the LORD, a universal horizon common in the psalms (Psalm 67:3-4). The summons echoes the Abrahamic promise, which Paul calls the gospel announced beforehand, that God would declare Gentiles righteous through faith and bless every nation through Abraham (Galatians 3:8). Its fulfillment appears in the new song of Revelation 5:9: the Lamb's blood has purchased for God a people drawn from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.
- Psalm 117:1 (BSB)“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!”The psalm opens by calling every nation and people to praise the LORD.
- Psalm 67:3-4 (BSB)“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the earth. Selah”Another psalm prays for all the peoples and nations to praise God and rejoice in His rule.
- Galatians 3:8 (BSB)“The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.””Paul says the promise to Abraham already announced that God would bless all nations.
- Revelation 5:9 (BSB)“And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”The heavenly song praises the Lamb for purchasing people from every nation by His blood.
General
When Paul quotes 117:1 in Romans 15:11, what point is he supporting?
Answer: That Gentiles would praise the mercy God showed in Christ
In Romans 15, Paul says Christ became a servant to the Jewish people to confirm God's promises to Israel's forefathers, with the aim that Gentiles (the non-Jewish nations) would honor God's mercy (Romans 15:8-9). He then gathers several Old Testament passages to prove that this was always God's plan, and one of them is this psalm's call for all nations and peoples to praise the Lord (Romans 15:11). The same hope appears in Isaiah, where God's Servant is sent to shine as light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6), and Paul states it directly elsewhere: He is God over the Gentiles as well (Romans 3:29).
- Psalm 117:1 (BSB)“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!”The call for all nations to praise the LORD, which Paul quotes.
- Romans 15:8-11 (BSB)“For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs, so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.” Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.””Paul strings together Old Testament texts, including this psalm, to show that God meant the Gentiles to glorify Him for His mercy.
- Isaiah 49:6 (BSB)“He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.””God's Servant is made a light for the nations, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.
- Romans 3:29 (BSB)“Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,”Paul insists God is the God of Gentiles as well as Jews.
Theological
What does Paul establish by citing 117:1 in Romans 15:11?
Answer: That Gentiles would praise the mercy God showed in Christ
Paul argues that Christ served the circumcision to confirm the patriarchal promises, with the further aim that Gentiles might honor God's mercy (Romans 15:8-9). He supports this with a chain of Old Testament texts from the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, among them this summons to all nations and peoples (Romans 15:11). The Gentile mission is therefore the outworking of God's ancient purpose, not an afterthought, a purpose voiced in the Servant's commission as a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6) and in Paul's insistence that He is God over Gentiles also (Romans 3:29).
- Psalm 117:1 (BSB)“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!”The call for all nations to praise the LORD, which Paul quotes.
- Romans 15:8-11 (BSB)“For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs, so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.” Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.””Paul strings together Old Testament texts, including this psalm, to show that God meant the Gentiles to glorify Him for His mercy.
- Isaiah 49:6 (BSB)“He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.””God's Servant is made a light for the nations, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.
- Romans 3:29 (BSB)“Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,”Paul insists God is the God of Gentiles as well as Jews.
General
What reason does Psalm 117 give for calling the nations to praise the LORD (117:2)?
Answer: His great love toward His people and lasting faithfulness
The psalm's reason for praise is God's loving devotion, His loyal, covenant-keeping love, which is great toward His people, together with His faithfulness, which lasts forever (117:2). Strikingly, the nations are called to praise God for what He has done for Israel: His love to His people becomes a reason for the whole world to worship. These two qualities, His loving devotion and His faithfulness, are exactly how the LORD described Himself to Moses (Exodus 34:6). They held even when Jerusalem lay in ruins (Lamentations 3:22-23), and God stays faithful even when His people fail (2 Timothy 2:13).
- Psalm 117:2 (BSB)“For great is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah!”The psalm gives its reason for praise: the LORD's love toward His people and His lasting faithfulness.
- Exodus 34:6 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,”The LORD describes Himself to Moses as abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”Even in ruin, Jerusalem's mourner rests on the LORD's loving devotion and great faithfulness.
- 2 Timothy 2:13 (BSB)“if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”Paul affirms that God remains faithful even when His people are faithless.
Theological
What ground for praise does 117:2 set before the nations?
Answer: His great love toward His people and lasting faithfulness
The ground of praise in 117:2 is the LORD's covenant love, His loving devotion, which is great toward His people, and His faithfulness that endures forever. The nations are summoned to praise God for His dealings with Israel, so that His covenant mercy to one people becomes the occasion of worldwide worship. The pairing of loving devotion with faithfulness recalls the divine self-revelation at Sinai (Exodus 34:6), sustains the lament over the ruins of Jerusalem (Lamentations 3:22-23), and grounds the Pauline assurance that God remains faithful even when His people prove faithless (2 Timothy 2:13).
- Psalm 117:2 (BSB)“For great is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah!”The psalm gives its reason for praise: the LORD's love toward His people and His lasting faithfulness.
- Exodus 34:6 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,”The LORD describes Himself to Moses as abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”Even in ruin, Jerusalem's mourner rests on the LORD's loving devotion and great faithfulness.
- 2 Timothy 2:13 (BSB)“if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”Paul affirms that God remains faithful even when His people are faithless.