O Praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
Parallel translations
- WEB Praise Yahweh, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!
- BSB Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!
- NKJV Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!
- NASB Praise the Lord, all nations; Sing His praises, all peoples!
- NLT Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
All nations and peoples are called to praise the Lord. It matters because God's worship is meant for the whole world, not Israel alone.
Overview
The shortest psalm summons every nation to praise Yahweh, anticipating the global scope of his salvation. Paul cites this verse as proof that the Gentiles were always meant to glorify God (Rom. 15:11). It foreshadows the gospel going to all peoples, gathering worshipers from every tribe and tongue through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Rev 15:4Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
- Rom 15:11And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
- Ps 67:3Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
- Rev 5:9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
- Ps 86:9All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
- Ps 66:1Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
- Ps 148:11–14Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
- Ps 66:4All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
- Rev 7:9–10After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
- Isa 24:15–16Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
- Ps 150:6Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
- Isa 42:10–12Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 117:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.