What does Psalm chapter 117 mean?

This psalm is only seventeen words long in the original Hebrew. Yet some of those terms play a crucial role in our understanding of the Old Testament. Among these important words is halal, meaning "praise." Another is YHWH, or Yahweh, a personal reference to the One True God (Exodus 3:15). The non-Jewish nations of the world are described using the term goyim. Also mentioned is the idea of God's steady, loyal, caring love, from the root hesed. The last term in the psalm is halelu-yāh, literally meaning "praise Jah," or "praise God," which is the basis of the modern expression "hallelujah."

The first verse of this psalm calls on the entire world to praise God. That extends beyond Israel by using the term goyim, which refers to the nations and cultures outside of God's chosen people. It also speaks to all "peoples," spanning all ethnicities and tribes (Revelation 7:9). In English, the psalm begins and ends with the same phrase: "praise the Lord!" The two expressions are not identical in Hebrew. In verse one, the phrasing is halelu' et YHWH (Psalm 117:1).

At the end of the second verse is the term halelu-yāh, which is seen commonly in the "Hallel" psalms of this section (Psalm 113—118). The psalmist makes note of the Lord's steady, constant love. This comes from the term hesed, which is sometimes rendered as "lovingkindness," "merciful kindness," or "unfailing love." Many Old Testament passages note this aspect of God's character (Exodus 34:6; Deuteronomy 5:9–10; Psalm 21:7; 103:11; Jeremiah 31:3).