Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Psalms 117:1 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 1. 1O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 117:1: Within “All nations called to praise steadfast truth,” the line “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” supplies one distinct parallel claim, image, address, or response.
The shortest psalm throws the doors wide
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 117:1–2. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 117:1–2
Read Psalms 117:1 with 117:1–2. Read alone, “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 117:1–2, the communal voice carries the movement “All nations called to praise steadfast truth” as part of “All nations called to praise steadfast truth.” Its 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 117:1–2 opens Psalm 117 with “O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people” and establishes the communal voice and “All nations called to praise steadfast truth” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 117:1 adds the distinct poetic line “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” within “All nations called to praise steadfast truth,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.
Follow the Context
- Identify the communal voice, address, and parallel lines in Psalms 117:1–2; do not make every “I”, “we,” king, enemy, or worshiper interchangeable.
- Within Psalms 117:1–2, the communal voice carries the movement “All nations called to praise steadfast truth” as part of “All nations called to praise steadfast truth.” Its 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 shortest psalm's universal invitation rests on covenant faithfulness, not coercion or erasure of Jewish particularity.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Psalms 117:1 does not allow “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” to become an independent promise, command, accusation, doctrine, or authorization. This verse adds the distinct poetic line “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” within “All nations called to praise steadfast truth,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. The complete movement is “All nations called to praise steadfast truth.” This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The shortest psalm's universal invitation rests on covenant faithfulness, not coercion or erasure of Jewish particularity.
What Remains True
Psalm 117:1 carries “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” inside the hymn movement “All nations called to praise steadfast truth.” Its durable contribution is this: 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 “All nations called to praise steadfast truth.” The unit's reviewed limit is: The shortest psalm's universal invitation rests on covenant faithfulness, not coercion or erasure of Jewish particularity.
How It Can Shape Life
- Keep the movement “All nations called to praise steadfast truth” in view. Answer “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” by naming one concrete gift or act of mercy, sharing gratitude without requiring a grieving person to match your mood. The textual reason is this verse's role: Psalm 117:1 adds the distinct poetic line “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” within “All nations called to praise steadfast truth,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.
Teach It Back
In your own words, place “O praise the LORD, all ye nations” inside “All nations called to praise steadfast truth.” Identify its hymn role, the neighboring poetic movement, one uncertainty, one enduring truth, one proportionate action, and this boundary: This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The shortest psalm's universal invitation rests on covenant faithfulness, not coercion or erasure of Jewish particularity.
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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 117:1–2 — All nations called to praise steadfast truthSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
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 117:1–2, 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 117:1–2
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 117:1–2.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 117 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 117:1–2
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, Summary, Outline, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to Psalms 117:1–2
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 117 for Psalms 117:1–2
Open NETS Psalms ↗