Psalm 103:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!

NIV: Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

NASB: Bless the Lord, all you His angels, You who serve Him, doing His will.

CSB: Bless the Lord, all his armies, his servants who do his will.

NLT: Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!

KJV: Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

NKJV: Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

David addresses all the Lord's hosts in this verse and declares they are the Lord's "ministers" who do His will. This is from the Hebrew term mesor'tāy, which describes the action of a servant. This comes from the root Hebrew word sharath. The term "hosts" may apply to the angels mentioned in the previous verse. Psalm 103:20 refers to the angels as mighty, whereas this text refers to them as a "host." Scripture does not give an exact number of angels, but this does not mean there are an infinite number of them. However, there seem to far more of them than a human being could count. Hebrews 12:22 mentions innumerable angels in festal gathering.

When Jesus was born, an angel announced His birth to a group of shepherds. Luke 2:13 states: "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God." Isaiah 6:1–3 and Revelation 4:8 give us a glimpse of heavenly beings near God's throne. They praise Him and exclaim, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" (Revelation 4:8). Some Bible teachers include the heavenly bodies themselves in the hosts that David calls on to praise the Lord.

Psalm 103:20–22 contains the closing verses of this passage. David calls upon the Lord's angels and all His created beings to join in blessing the Lord, which in this context means to praise Him with strong affection. Psalm 150 concludes the book of Psalms with a similar call to praise the Lord. Praise to the Lord is appropriate because of His blessings (Psalm 103:1–13), His eternal love and righteousness (Psalm 103:17–18), and His sovereign rule over heaven and earth (Psalm 103:19).

Psalm 103 praises God for what He has done. This includes celebration of His personal influence, as well as the way God has blessed the nation of Israel. David encourages praises from himself, from the people in general, and even from the angels and hosts of heaven.

Psalm 103 is one of four psalms which complete the fourth division of the book of Psalms (Psalms 90—106). These four psalms ascribe praise to the Lord. Psalm 103 was written by David and expresses his gratitude to the Lord for all His benefits. First Thessalonians 5:18 conveys the same theme of thanksgiving by exhorting believers to ''give thanks in all circumstances.''

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.