Psalm 103:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

NIV: Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul.

NASB: Bless the Lord, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord, my soul!

CSB: Bless the Lord, all his works in all the places where he rules. My soul, bless the Lord!

NLT: Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

KJV: Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

NKJV: Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

David calls on all that the Lord has made—all His works, everywhere—to bless God. In this context the word "bless" is referring to praising God. Because the Lord's dominion includes both heaven and earth, it is appropriate that all His created beings and objects praise Him. When Jesus entered Jerusalem to the praise of those who lined the road, some of the Pharisees told Him to silence His disciples, but Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out" (Luke 19:40). It is not out of the realm of possibility that nature can praise the Lord. Even when God's creation doesn't speak in audible words, its very existence shouts the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).

Finally, at the close of Psalm 103, David calls upon his soul to praise the Lord. This is how he began the psalm. Having been forgiven and given a new start, David had greater reason to praise the Lord than did the angels and all nature. We, too, should praise the Lord joyfully, wholeheartedly, and thankfully for our salvation. The Lord saved us by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9; John 3:36), when we were helpless and hopeless (Romans 5:8). We ought to say as the apostle Paul did, "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).

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.