Psalm 105
Psalm 105 is the 105th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O give thanks unto the LORD". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 104. In Latin, it is known as "Confitemini Domino". Alexander Kirkpatrick observes that Psalms 105 and 106, the two historical psalms which end Book 4 of the Hebrew psalms, are closely related. Psalm 105 gives thanks for God's faithfulness to the covenant he made with Abraham; Psalm 106 is a psalm of penitence, reciting the history of Israel’s faithlessness and disobedience.
Psalm 105 is used as a regular part of Jewish, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.
Psalm 105 and Psalm 106, both long historical Psalms, delineate contrasting narratives within the thematic spectrum of divine fidelity and human unfaithfulness. Psalm 105 serves as a chronicle of God's unwavering faithfulness, while Psalm 106, concluding Book 4 of Psalms, presents a historical account marked by the unfaithfulness of God's people. Noteworthy is O. Palmer Robertson's discernment that both Psalms draw inspiration from disparate sections of 1 Chronicles 16. A distinctive feature of Book 4 is a pronounced prevalence of references to Chronicles.
Uses
New Testament
In the New Testament, verses 8–9 are quoted in the Song of Zechariah in Luke.Judaism
- Recited on the first day of Passover.
- Verses 8–10 are part of the paragraph recited in the naming of a boy at a brit milah.
- Verses 8 and 42 are found separately in the repetition of the Amidah on Rosh Hashanah.
Eastern Orthodox Church
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Psalm 104 is part of the fourteenth Kathisma division of the Psalter, read at Matins on Thursday mornings, as well as on Tuesdays and Fridays during Lent, at the Third Hour and Matins, respectively.Musical settings
Heinrich Schütz composed a four-part setting to a metric German text, "Danket dem Herren, lobt ihn frei", SVW 203, for the 1628 Becker Psalter.Text
The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 104.Related Bible passages
Related Bible passages include: Va'eira, Bo (parsha), and Beshalach: Torah portions (parashot) telling the Exodus story; Psalm 78.There are two slight differences between the wording of verses 1–15 and the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 16:
- Verse 6: O offspring of his servant Abraham, reads O offspring of his servant Israel in 1 Chronicles 16:13
- Verse 8: He is mindful of his covenant for ever reads Remember his covenant for ever in 1 Chronicles 16:15.