Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Psalms 117:2 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 2. 2For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 117:2: The reason or consequence in “For his merciful kindness is great toward us” supports the surrounding claim in “All nations called to praise steadfast truth.”
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 117:2 with 117:1–2. Read alone, “For his merciful kindness is great toward us” 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 117:2 supplies a reason or consequence through “For his merciful kindness is great toward us” and must be read with the claim it supports.
What Remains True
The lasting force of “For his merciful kindness is great toward us” comes through Psalms 117:1–2 and Book V, not isolation. 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.
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 ↗