Psalm 146
Psalm 146 is the 146th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul". In Latin, it is known as "Lauda anima mea Dominum".
In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and in the Latin Vulgate/Vulgata Clementina, this psalm is Psalm 145.
Psalm 146 is used as a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has often been [|set to music], paraphrased in hymns such as Paul Gerhardt's German "Du meine Seele singe", and used in cantatas such as Bach's early Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 143.
Background
Psalm 146 is the first of five final concluding praise Psalms in the Book of Psalms. These psalms are not attributed to David; in the Septuagint, Psalms 145 to 148 are given the title "of Haggai and Zechariah". Psalms 146 and 147 are seen by some as twin Psalms. Both psalms draw on images from Isaiah 61, such as setting captives free and opening blind eyes in Psalm 147, and healing the brokenhearted in Psalm 148. Besides Isaiah 61, the themes in this Psalm are also found on Leviticus 25. This is one of six Psalms involving preaching to self, with the evocative phrase "O my soul" being used. Preaching to self was highly recommended by Welsh Minister Martyn Lloyd-Jones as he said "Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?"Uses
New Testament
- Verse 6 is quoted in the New Testament in Acts ; Acts
Judaism
- The psalm in its entirety is recited during Pesukei Dezimra, the initial section of the daily morning prayer service.
- The blessings Pokeiakh Ivrim, Matir asurim, Zokef kefufim, from the Birkat HaShachar are derived from Psalm 146:7-8.
- Verse 10 is part of Kedusha, and is a part of the third blessing of the High Holidays Amidah.
Catholic Church
- Since the Middle Ages, this psalm was recited or sung during the vespers office on Thursday, according to the Rule of St. Benedict, established in 530 AD. In the modern Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 139 is recited at Vespers, and also Wednesdays in the fourth and final week of the cycle of liturgical prayers. In the liturgy of the Mass, it is played or sung for the feast of St. John the Baptist.
Book of Common Prayer
Coptic Orthodox Church
In the Agpeya, the Coptic Church's book of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office of Compline and the third watch of the Midnight office. It is also in the prayer of the Veil, which is generally prayed only by monks.Musical settings
Psalm 146 was paraphrased in Paul Gerhardt's hymn in German "Du meine Seele singe", published in 1667 with a melody by Johann Georg Ebeling in the collection Pauli Gerhardi Geistliche-Andachten.Heinrich Schütz composed a four-part setting of a metric German version for the Becker Psalter, "Mein Seel soll loben Gott den Herrn, SWV 251. Johann Sebastian Bach based an early church cantata, Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 143, on verses from the psalm. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach included a setting for voice and in his collection of 42 psalms, Psalmen mit Melodien, H. 733, completed in 1774. The psalm is titled "Es werde Gott von uns erhoben!".
Alan Hovhaness set portions of this text, along with portions of Psalms 33 and 150, for his work Praise the Lord with Psaltery. Norma Wendelburg set the psalm to music in 1973, as Praise the Lord for mixed chorus and optional organ. Peter Heeren wrote a setting for mixed choir and piano in 2012, Der 146. Psalm.