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Psalm 146

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This article is about Psalm 146 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalms 146 and 147 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 147.

Psalm 146
"Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul."
Psalm 146 in Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry
Other name
  • Psalm 145
  • "Lauda anima mea Dominum"
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 146
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

Psalm 146 is the 146th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul". In Latin, it is known as "Lauda anima mea Dominum".[1]

In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and in the Latin Vulgate/Vulgata Clementina, this psalm is Psalm 145.

Psalm 146 is used as a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has often been set to music, paraphrased in hymns such as Paul Gerhardt's German "Du meine Seele singe" (You my soul sing), and used in cantatas such as Bach's early Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 143 (Praise the Lord, my soul).

Text

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Hebrew

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The following table shows the Hebrew text[2][3] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse Hebrew English translation (JPS 1917)
1 הַֽלְלוּ־יָ֡הּ הַֽלְלִ֥י נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה׃‎ Hallelujah. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 אֲהַלְלָ֣ה יְהֹוָ֣ה בְּחַיָּ֑י אֲזַמְּרָ֖ה לֵאלֹהַ֣י בְּעוֹדִֽי׃‎ I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises unto my God while I have my being.
3 אַל־תִּבְטְח֥וּ בִנְדִיבִ֑ים בְּבֶן־אָדָ֓ם ׀ שֶׁ֤אֵ֖ין ל֥וֹ תְשׁוּעָֽה׃‎ Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 תֵּצֵ֣א ר֭וּחוֹ יָשֻׁ֣ב לְאַדְמָת֑וֹ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַ֝ה֗וּא אָבְד֥וּ עֶשְׁתֹּֽנֹתָֽיו׃‎ His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his dust; In that very day his thoughts perish.
5 אַשְׁרֵ֗י שֶׁ֤אֵ֣ל יַעֲקֹ֣ב בְּעֶזְר֑וֹ שִׂ֝בְר֗וֹ עַל־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽיו׃‎ Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 עֹשֶׂ֤ה ׀ שָׁ֘מַ֤יִם וָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הַיָּ֥ם וְאֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֑ם הַשֹּׁמֵ֖ר אֱמֶ֣ת לְעוֹלָֽם׃‎ Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that in them is; Who keepeth truth for ever;
7 עֹשֶׂ֤ה מִשְׁפָּ֨ט ׀ לָעֲשׁוּקִ֗ים נֹתֵ֣ן לֶ֭חֶם לָרְעֵבִ֑ים יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה מַתִּ֥יר אֲסוּרִֽים׃‎ Who executeth justice for the oppressed; Who giveth bread to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners;
8 יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ פֹּ֘קֵ֤חַ עִוְרִ֗ים יְ֭הֹוָה זֹקֵ֣ף כְּפוּפִ֑ים יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה אֹהֵ֥ב צַדִּיקִֽים׃‎ The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind; The LORD raiseth up them that are bowed down; The LORD loveth the righteous;
9 יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ שֹׁ֘מֵ֤ר אֶת־גֵּרִ֗ים יָת֣וֹם וְאַלְמָנָ֣ה יְעוֹדֵ֑ד וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים יְעַוֵּֽת׃‎ The LORD preserveth the strangers; He upholdeth the fatherless and the widow; But the way of the wicked He maketh crooked.
10 יִמְלֹ֤ךְ יְהֹוָ֨ה ׀ לְעוֹלָ֗ם אֱלֹהַ֣יִךְ צִ֭יּוֹן לְדֹ֥ר וָדֹ֗ר הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃‎ The LORD will reign for ever, Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Hallelujah.

King James Version

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  1. Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
  2. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
  3. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
  4. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
  5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
  6. Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
  7. Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
  8. The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
  9. The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
  10. The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.

Background

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Psalm 146 is the first of five final concluding praise Psalms in the Book of Psalms.[4] These psalms are not attributed to David; in the Septuagint, Psalms 145 (this psalm) to 148 are given the title "of Haggai and Zechariah".[5] Psalms 146 and 147 are seen by some as twin Psalms.[6] Both psalms draw on images from Isaiah 61 (which Jesus takes as applying to himself in Luke 4), such as setting captives free and opening blind eyes in Psalm 147, and healing the brokenhearted in Psalm 148. Besides Isaiah 61, the themes in this Psalm are also found on Leviticus 25 (the year of Jubilee). This is one of six Psalms involving preaching to self, with the evocative phrase "O my soul" being used.[a] Preaching to self was highly recommended by Welsh Minister Martyn Lloyd-Jones as he said "Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?"[7]

Verse 2

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While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.[8]

The wording of Psalm 104:33 is "almost identical".[5]

Uses

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Ps 146.

Judaism

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  • The psalm in its entirety is recited during Pesukei Dezimra, the initial section of the daily morning prayer service.[9]
  • The blessings Pokeiakh Ivrim ("gives sight to the blind"), Matir asurim ("releases the bound"), Zokef kefufim ("straightens the bent"), from the Birkat HaShachar are derived from Psalm 146:7-8.[10]
  • Verse 10 is part of Kedusha,[11] and is a part of the third blessing of the High Holidays Amidah.[12]

Christianity

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Book of Common Prayer

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In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the thirtieth day of the month.[16]

Musical settings

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Psalm 146 was paraphrased in Paul Gerhardt's hymn in German "Du meine Seele singe" (You my soul sing), published in 1667 with a melody by Johann Georg Ebeling in the collection Pauli Gerhardi Geistliche-Andachten (Spiritual devotions by Paul Gerhardt).[17]

Heinrich Schütz composed a four-part setting of a metric German version for the Becker Psalter, "Mein Seel soll loben Gott den Herrn (My soul shall praise God the Lord), SWV 251. Johann Sebastian Bach based an early church cantata, Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 143 (Praise the Lord, my soul), on verses from the psalm.[18] Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach included a setting for voice and in his collection of 42 psalms, Psalmen mit Melodien, H. 733, completed in 1774. The psalm is titled "Es werde Gott von uns erhoben!" (God shall be exsultet by us).[19]

Alan Hovhaness set portions of this text, along with portions of Psalms 33 and 150, for his work Praise the Lord with Psaltery.[20] Norma Wendelburg set the psalm to music in 1973, as Praise the Lord for mixed chorus and optional organ.[21] Peter Heeren wrote a setting for mixed choir and piano in 2012, Der 146. Psalm.[22]

Notes

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  1. ^ The six psalms are Psalms 42, 43, 103, 104, 116 and 146.

References

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  1. ^ "Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 145 (146)". medievalist.net. 2 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Psalms – Chapter 146". Mechon Mamre.
  3. ^ "Psalms 146 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
  4. ^ Henry, Matthew. "Psalms 147". Bible Study Tools. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  5. ^ a b Kirkpatrick, A., Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Psalm 146, accessed 6 July 2022
  6. ^ Brodersen, A. (2017), The End of the Psalter: Psalms 146-150 in the Masoretic Text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Septuagint
  7. ^ Lloyd-Jones, Martyn (1965). Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Its Cure. London: Pickering & Inglis. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  8. ^ Psalm 146:2: New King James Version
  9. ^ The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 70
  10. ^ The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 18
  11. ^ The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 100
  12. ^ The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, page 67
  13. ^ Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 840. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  14. ^ Prosper Guéranger, Règle de saint Benoît, (traduction de Prosper Guéranger, réimpressin 2007)
  15. ^ Psautier latin-français du bréviaire monastique, 1938/2003 p 519.
  16. ^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, p. 307
  17. ^ "Du meine Seele singe". hymnary.org. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  18. ^ Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 143 – Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  19. ^ Psalmen mit Melodien, H.733 (Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
  20. ^ "Alan Hovhaness List of Works by Opus Number". www.hovhaness.com. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  21. ^ Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). "Wendelburg, Norma Ruth". International encyclopedia of women composers. Vol. 2. New York: Books & Music (USA). p. 748. ISBN 0-9617485-1-6.
  22. ^ Der 146. Psalm (Heeren, Peter): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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