Psalm 146:1 kjv
Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Psalm 146:1 nkjv
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
Psalm 146:1 niv
Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul.
Psalm 146:1 esv
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
Psalm 146:1 nlt
Praise the LORD!
Let all that I am praise the LORD.
Psalm 146 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 103:1 | Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. | Personal call to bless/praise God. |
| Psa 104:35 | ...Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! | Direct echo/parallel to Psa 146:1. |
| Psa 145:21 | My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless... | Universal and personal declaration of praise. |
| Psa 150:6 | Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! | Ultimate call for all creation to praise. |
| Psa 42:5 | Why are you cast down, O my soul...? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise. | Self-admonition to hope and praise amidst distress. |
| Psa 42:11 | Why are you cast down, O my soul...? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise. | Repeated self-encouragement to praise God. |
| Psa 63:4 | So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. | Commitment to lifelong, active praise. |
| Phil 4:4 | Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! | New Testament command for continual rejoicing/praise. |
| Deut 6:5 | You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul... | Holistic devotion, forming the basis for true praise. |
| Matt 22:37 | You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul... | Jesus echoing the holistic call to love/devote to God. |
| Psa 34:1 | I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. | Continuous and consistent praise. |
| Psa 71:8 | My mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your glory all day long. | Persistent and enduring expression of praise. |
| Heb 13:15 | Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise... | Continual praise as a spiritual offering. |
| Psa 115:18 | But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord! | Commitment to bless God perpetually. |
| Rev 19:5 | And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God..." | Heavenly summons to praise God. |
| Psa 9:1 | I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will recount all... | Praise from the entirety of one's being. |
| Psa 35:9 | And my soul shall rejoice in the Lord; It shall exult in His salvation. | Soul finding joy and triumph in God. |
| Isa 42:8 | I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another... | Exclusive worship of Yahweh, rejection of idolatry. |
| Jer 9:24 | ...let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me... | True boasting found in knowing the Lord (linked to 'halal'). |
| 1 Chr 29:10 | So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly... | Commual and leadership in praising God. |
| Luke 1:46 | And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord..." | Mary's personal praise stemming from her inner being. |
Psalm 146 verses
Psalm 146 1 Meaning
Psalm 146:1 is a dual declaration and command to praise the Lord. It begins with a general, collective exhortation ("Praise the Lord!") and immediately follows with an intensely personal call from the psalmist to his own innermost being ("Praise the Lord, O my soul!"). This verse sets the tone for the entire psalm, initiating a heartfelt and resolute commitment to worship Yahweh from the core of one's existence, asserting that all of one's life should be devoted to God's praise.
Psalm 146 1 Context
Psalm 146 stands as the first of the final five "Hallelujah" psalms (Psalms 146-150), often called "The Great Hallel," which each begin and end with the Hebrew phrase "Hallelujah" ("Praise the Lord"). These psalms form a powerful doxological conclusion to the entire Book of Psalms. Psalm 146 itself is a strong declaration of trust in God alone, contrasting the futility of relying on human authority (princes, mortals) with the eternal, faithful, and just nature of the Lord. The initial command to "Praise the Lord, O my soul!" serves as an essential and vibrant call to worship, setting the individual's spiritual disposition and purpose before delving into the character and deeds of God that make Him worthy of such comprehensive praise. Historically, these psalms might have been used in temple worship, possibly during post-exilic periods of national restoration and spiritual renewal, encouraging reliance on Yahweh after experiences of human leadership failure or foreign domination.
Psalm 146 1 Word analysis
- Praise (הַלְלוּ, Hallel): This is an imperative plural verb, stemming from the root "halal" (הָלַל). It means to laud, commend, boast, celebrate, rave, or even shine. It conveys a highly active, expressive, and exuberant form of worship, not merely passive admiration. It implies a public declaration of God's greatness and is the origin of the term "Hallelujah," which means "Praise Yah/the Lord." The use of the plural implies a communal call to worship.
- the Lord (יָהּ, Yah): This is the shortened, poetic form of the personal covenant name of God, Yahweh (YHVH). It signifies the self-existent, eternal God who establishes and keeps His promises. This specific form, "Yah," appears almost exclusively in doxological phrases like "Hallelujah" and underscores the unique object of the worshiper's praise—the one true God.
- O my soul (נַפְשִׁי, nafshi): "Nefesh" (נֶפֶשׁ) refers to the totality of a person—soul, self, life, breath, inner being, mind, will, and emotions. It is not just one part of a human being but encompasses the essence of the living person. When the psalmist addresses "my soul," it is a profound self-admonition, a directive from his conscious will to his deepest self to engage fully, passionately, and unreservedly in praising God. It indicates a decision to involve every fiber of his being in worship.
Words-group analysis
- "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!": This opening phrase employs repetition and a significant shift in address. The first "Praise the Lord!" (Hallelu Yah) is a universal, plural command, an invitation or instruction to a community or general audience to worship Yahweh. The immediate second phrase, "Praise the Lord, O my soul!" (Hallelu Yah, Nafshi), intensifies this call by making it deeply personal. It's an internal exhortation, the psalmist consciously directing his own complete self—his thoughts, emotions, will, and being—to fulfill the initial communal call. This transition from general to specific emphasizes that while praise is a corporate act, it must also be an intimate and internal commitment, often requiring an act of will to overcome indifference or despair. It underscores that true praise requires engaging one's entire essence.
Psalm 146 1 Bonus section
- The emphatic repetition of "Praise the Lord" and the specific address "O my soul" signal a critical message: true worship requires intentionality and active participation of one's deepest essence. It is a decision more than merely a feeling.
- This verse stands in stark contrast to reliance on human efforts or trust in anything other than the eternal God, a theme explicitly developed in later verses of Psalm 146. By opening with a pure command to praise Yahweh, the psalm implicitly refutes any alternative objects of worship or misplaced trust.
- The 'Hallelujah' at the beginning of this psalm and the others in the closing set can function as both a joyful acclamation ("Praise the Lord!") and a directive ("You are commanded to praise the Lord!"). This dual meaning adds to its power.
- The consistent use of the shortened "Yah" for "Lord" throughout these final psalms reinforces a familiar, intimate, and ancient acknowledgment of God's covenant name, underscoring the enduring relationship between God and His people as the foundation for their praise.
Psalm 146 1 Commentary
Psalm 146:1 acts as a powerful gateway to the concluding collection of praises in the Psalter. Its twofold structure—a general invocation followed by an intimate self-address—is profound. The initial "Hallelujah" serves as a communal summons, reminding all listeners of their inherent duty and privilege to laud the Most High God. Immediately, however, the psalmist internalizes this call, challenging his own "nefesh" – his complete being – to actively and genuinely engage in worship. This self-exhortation highlights that praise is not merely an outward ritual or an emotion that passively arises; it is often a deliberate act of will, a choice to command one's entire inner person to honor God, especially when one's emotions or circumstances might naturally lead elsewhere. It grounds corporate worship in individual spiritual vitality and unwavering devotion to God alone, setting the stage for the rest of the psalm which details why Yahweh alone is worthy of such comprehensive praise (His faithfulness, justice, and care for the vulnerable).
Examples:
- Before beginning a prayer time, one might verbally say, "Praise the Lord, O my soul!" to intentionally focus one's mind and heart.
- When facing personal challenges or doubts, recalling this verse can be a command to oneself to shift focus from difficulties to God's character.
- In communal worship, responding to a call to praise by mentally engaging one's "soul" deepens the corporate experience into a personal encounter.