Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Psalms 111:1 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 1. 1Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 111:1: The summons “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my…” draws listeners into the shared movement “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works.”
An alphabet of praise studies the LORD's works, not the singer's mood
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 111:1–10. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 111:1–10
Read Psalms 111:1 with 111:1–10. Read alone, “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole…” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 111:1–10, the communal voice carries the movement “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works” as part of “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works.” Its acrostic-hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 111:1–10 opens Psalm 111 with “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the…” and establishes the communal voice and “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 111:1 summons praise or participation with “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in…” as one part of the psalm's communal movement.
Follow the Context
- Identify the communal voice, address, and parallel lines in Psalms 111:1–10; do not make every “I”, “we,” king, enemy, or worshiper interchangeable.
- Within Psalms 111:1–10, the communal voice carries the movement “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works” as part of “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works.” Its acrostic-hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
- This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The compact acrostic gathers memory and wisdom; fear of the LORD is reverent accountability, not terror imposed by human leaders.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Psalms 111:1 does not allow “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole…” to become an independent promise, command, accusation, doctrine, or authorization. This verse summons praise or participation with “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in…” as one part of the psalm's communal movement. The complete movement is “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works.” This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The compact acrostic gathers memory and wisdom; fear of the LORD is reverent accountability, not terror imposed by human leaders.
What Remains True
Read “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole…” as part of the communal voice in “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works.” Praise remembers concrete divine character and action, gathers many voices, and remains honest about grief rather than demanding one emotional performance. The local movement is “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works.” The unit's reviewed limit is: The compact acrostic gathers memory and wisdom; fear of the LORD is reverent accountability, not terror imposed by human leaders.
Teach It Back
Retell Psalm 111:1 as one step in Book V. Name the movement “Alphabetic praise for the LORD's works,” explain “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole…,” keep Jewish meaning and any later reception distinguishable, give one fitting response, and reject this overreach: This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The compact acrostic gathers memory and wisdom; fear of the LORD is reverent accountability, not terror imposed by human leaders.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Psalms 111:1–10 — Alphabetic praise for the LORD's worksSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The compact acrostic gathers memory and wisdom; fear of the LORD is reverent accountability, not terror imposed by human leaders.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 111:1–10, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 111:1–10
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 111:1–10.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 111 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 111:1–10
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗modern scholarly book course
Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Introductory Issues: genres, parallelism, and forms; Theological Themes: Torah and human response; applied to Psalms 111:1–10
Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗ancient greek text translation and introduction
A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms
Albert Pietersma
International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 111 for Psalms 111:1–10
Open NETS Psalms ↗