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Psalm 103

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Psalm 10345

By David.

103:1Praise the Lord, O my soul!

With all that is within me, praise1 his holy name!

103:2Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Do not forget all his kind deeds!2

103:3He is the one who forgives all your sins,

who heals all your diseases,3

103:4who delivers4 your life from the Pit,5

who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,

103:5who satisfies your life with good things,6

so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.7

103:6The Lord does what is fair,

and executes justice for all the oppressed.8

103:7The Lord revealed his faithful acts9 to Moses,

his deeds to the Israelites.

103:8The Lord is compassionate and merciful;

he is patient10 and demonstrates great loyal love.11

103:9He does not always accuse,

and does not stay angry.12

103:10He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;13

he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.14

103:11For as the skies are high above the earth,

so his loyal love towers15 over his faithful followers.16

103:12As far as the eastern horizon17 is from the west,18

so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions19 from us.

103:13As a father has compassion on his children,20

so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.21

103:14For he knows what we are made of;22

he realizes23 we are made of clay.24

103:15A person’s life is like grass.25

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

103:16but when the hot wind26 blows by, it disappears,

and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.

103:17But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers,27

and is faithful to their descendants,28

103:18to those who keep his covenant,

who are careful to obey his commands.29

103:19The Lord has established his throne in heaven;

his kingdom extends over everything.30

103:20Praise the Lord, you angels of his,

you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees

and obey his orders!31

103:21Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his,32

you servants of his who carry out his desires!33

103:22Praise the Lord, all that he has made,34

in all the regions35 of his kingdom!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

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Footnotes

  1. 45 Psalm 103. The psalmist praises God for his mercy and willingness to forgive his people.
  2. 1 The verb “praise” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
  3. 2 Or “his benefits” (see 2 Chr 32:25, where the noun is also used of kind deeds performed by the Lord).
  4. 3 This relatively rare noun refers to deadly diseases (see Deut 29:22; Jer 14:18; 16:4; 2 Chr 21:19).
  5. 4 Or “redeems.”
  6. 5 The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 55:24.
  7. 6 Heb “who satisfies with the good of your ornaments.” The text as it stands makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes an emendation of עֶדְיֵךְ (’ed’ekh, “your ornaments”) to עֹדֵכִי (’odekhiy, “your duration; your continuance”) that is, “your life” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 [], ).
  8. 7 The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.
  9. 8 Heb “the Lord does fairness, and [acts of] justice for all the oppressed.”
  10. 9 Heb “made known his ways.” God’s “ways” in this context are his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 18:30; 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11–12, 14]; 138:5; 145:17).
  11. 10 Heb “slow to anger” (see Ps 86:15).
  12. 11 Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Ps 86:15).
  13. 12 The Hebrew verb נָטַר (natar) is usually taken to mean “to keep; to guard,” with “anger” being understood by ellipsis. The idiom “to guard anger” is then understood to mean “to remain angry” (see Lev 19:18; Jer 3:5, 12; Nah 1:2). However, it is possible that this is a homonymic root meaning “to be angry” (see נטר).
  14. 13 Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”
  15. 14 Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”
  16. 15 For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (), , .
  17. 16 Heb “those who fear him.”
  18. 17 Heb “sunrise.”
  19. 18 Or “sunset.”
  20. 19 The Hebrew term פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, rebellious act”) is here used metonymically for the guilt such actions produce.
  21. 20 Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.
  22. 21 Heb “those who fear him.”
  23. 22 Heb “our form.”
  24. 23 Heb “remembers.”
  25. 24 Heb “we [are] clay.”
  26. 25 Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.
  27. 26 Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  28. 27 Heb “but the loyal love of the Lord [is] from everlasting to everlasting over those who fear him.”
  29. 28 Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”
  30. 29 Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”
  31. 30 Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”
  32. 31 Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”
  33. 32 Heb “all his hosts.”
  34. 33 Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”
  35. 34 Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
  36. 35 Heb “places.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press