BackgroundPsalm 117 is, by traditional Hebrew chapter divisions, the shortest psalm in the Bible at only two verses, and by some counting methods it sits as the middle chapter of the Christian Bible. Its brevity is part of its theological force. The Hallel's universalism ("Praise the LORD, all nations, extol him, all peoples") is delivered in just enough words to fit on a doorpost. Paul cites this psalm in Romans 15:11 as one of his proof texts that the inclusion of the Gentiles was always part of Israel's own scriptures. Jewish tradition placed Psalm 117 as the central hinge of the Hallel after the meal, a brief universal trumpet between the personal thanksgiving of 116 and the great festal procession of 118.
Psalm 117: Praise the LORD, All Nations
By Bea Zalel
Psalm 117
- Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!
- For great is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah!
Theme
Bea Zalel here, and I always smile when I get to Psalm 117. It is the entire psalm in two verses. "Praise the LORD, all nations, extol him, all peoples. For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Halelu-Yah." That is it. The shortest chapter in Scripture and, by some counting methods, the literal middle chapter of the Christian Bible.
Brevity is doing theological work here. Psalm 117 is a global summons to a Hebrew God set inside a Hebrew prayer book. The address goes out to "all nations" and "all peoples," the Hebrew "goyim" and "ummim," the very categories that elsewhere in the Old Testament stand opposed to Israel. Here they are invited to join the chorus. The reason the poet gives is not that the nations have somehow earned this welcome. The reason is that God's "hesed," his covenant loyalty, has been so great toward Israel that even the outsiders should take note and praise.
The apostle Paul reads this psalm in Romans 15:11 as one of four scriptural pillars for Gentile inclusion in the people of God. He reads it correctly. Psalm 117 is a doorway. It says the particular story Israel has just sung in Psalms 113-116 is not for Israel alone. It is meant to make the world louder. At the Passover table, after the meal, this two-verse hinge swings the celebration outward before the great processional psalm that closes the Hallel.
Discussion questions
- Why might Israel's Passover liturgy include such an explicit summons to the Gentile nations to join in praise?
- What does it mean that the shortest chapter in the Bible is a missions text rather than a doctrinal definition?
- How does Paul's use of this psalm in Romans 15:7-13 illuminate its original force?
- The reason given for global praise is God's "hesed" toward Israel. Why is one people's experience of covenant love a sufficient basis for another people's praise?
- Psalm 117 sits between the personal thanksgiving of 116 and the festal celebration of 118. What is the rhetorical effect of placing this universal note in the middle?
- Some Christian traditions hold that Psalm 117 is the literal middle chapter of the Bible. Whether or not that is exactly right, what would it mean for the Bible to have a universal call to Gentile praise at its center?
- How does the brevity of this psalm function differently than length would? What can two verses do that twenty cannot?
- Where in your own community is praise too small, addressed only to the in-group?
- What is the difference between mission as conquest and mission as invitation, and which posture does this psalm take?
- If you had to memorize a two-verse summons to keep with you for a year, would this be the one, and what would it ask of you?
Read this psalm in another translation
The inline text above is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). Open in a new tab to compare with a modern licensed translation: