Praise Yahweh, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!
Parallel translations
- KJV O Praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
- 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 wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Rom 15:11Again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all the peoples praise him.”
- Ps 67:3let the peoples praise you, God. Let all the peoples praise you.
- Rev 5:9They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
- Ps 86:9All nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord. They shall glorify your name.
- Ps 66:1For the Chief Musician. A song. A Psalm. Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
- Ps 148:11–14kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth;
- Ps 66:4All the earth will worship you, and will sing to you; they will sing to your name.” Selah.
- Rev 7:9–10After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
- Isa 24:15–16Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east, even the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea!
- Ps 150:6Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!
- Isa 42:10–12Sing to Yahweh a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants.
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.