Psalms — Chapter 103

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1Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.

2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—

3He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,

5who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

7He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.

8The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.

9He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever.

10He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.

12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

14For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field;

16when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

17But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children—

18to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.

19The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

20Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.

21Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will.

22Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

1Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

5Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

7He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

8The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

9He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

10He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

11For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

12As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

13Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

14For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

16For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

17But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;

18To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

19The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

20Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

21Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

22Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

1Bless Jehovah, O my soul; And all that is within me, [bless] his holy name.

2Bless Jehovah, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:

3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases;

4Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

5Who satisfieth thy desire with good things, [So that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle.

6Jehovah executeth righteous acts, And judgments for all that are oppressed.

7He made known his ways unto Moses, His doings unto the children of Israel.

8Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness.

9He will not always chide; Neither will he keep [his anger] for ever.

10He hath not dealt with us after our sins, Nor rewarded us after our iniquities.

11For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him.

12As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

13Like as a father pitieth his children, So Jehovah pitieth them that fear him.

14For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are as grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

16For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; And the place thereof shall know it no more.

17But the lovingkindness of Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, And his righteousness unto children`s children;

18To such as keep his covenant, And to those that remember his precepts to do them.

19Jehovah hath established his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all.

20Bless Jehovah, ye his angels, That are mighty in strength, that fulfil his word, Hearkening unto the voice of his word.

21Bless Jehovah, all ye his hosts, Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

22Bless Jehovah, all ye his works, In all places of his dominion: Bless Jehovah, O my soul. Psalm 104

1By David. Praise the Lord, O my soul. With all that is within me, praise his holy name.

2Praise the Lord, O my soul. Do not forget all his kind deeds.

3He is the one who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases,

4who delivers your life from the Pit, who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,

5who satisfies your life with good things, so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

6The Lord does what is fair, and executes justice for all the oppressed.

7The Lord revealed his faithful acts to Moses, his deeds to the Israelites.

8The Lord is compassionate and merciful; he is patient and demonstrates great loyal love.

9He does not always accuse and does not stay angry.

10He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.

11For as the skies are high above the earth, so his loyal love towers over his faithful followers.

12As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.

14For he knows what we are made of; he realizes we are made of clay.

15A person’s life is like grass. Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

16but when the hot wind blows, it disappears, and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.

17But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers and is faithful to their descendants,

18to those who keep his covenant, who are careful to obey his commands.

19The Lord has established his throne in heaven; his kingdom extends over everything.

20Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees and obey his orders.

21Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his, you servants of his who carry out his desires.

22Praise the Lord, all that he has made, in all the regions of his kingdom. Praise the Lord, O my soul.

1Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name!

2Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits;

3who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases;

4who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies;

5who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6Yahweh executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed.

7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel.

8Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.

9He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.

10He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.

11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.

12As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.

14For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more.

17But Yahweh’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children;

18to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts.

19Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.

20Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.

21Praise Yahweh, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure.

22Praise Yahweh, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise Yahweh, my soul!

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A hymn of praise calling the soul to bless the LORD and remember all his benefits — forgiveness, healing, redemption from the pit, and a crown of steadfast love that renews life like the eagle's youth (vv. 1-5). The LORD is described as compassionate and slow to anger, not repaying his people according to their sins but removing their transgressions as far as east is from west, and pitying them as a father pities his children, mindful that they are only dust (vv. 6-14). Human life is fleeting like grass or a flower blown away by the wind, but the LORD's steadfast love and righteousness endure from everlasting to everlasting for those who fear him and keep his covenant (vv. 15-18). The psalm closes with a call for angels, heavenly hosts, and all creation to join in blessing the LORD (vv. 19-22).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Hymn of Praise / Thanksgiving Psalm
Attributed Author: David (superscription: "A Psalm of David")
Key Themes: God's compassion and forgiveness, the fatherhood of God, removal of sin, human frailty and God's eternal love, commanding one's soul to worship, God's sovereign rule over all
Historical Context: Psalm 103 is one of the most beloved psalms in all of Scripture — a comprehensive celebration of God's character, especially His compassion and forgiveness. It begins and ends with "Bless the LORD, O my soul" — David commands himself to praise, then expands that call to angels, hosts, all creation, and back to himself. Unlike most praise psalms that focus on what God has done (historical acts), Psalm 103 focuses primarily on what God is like (His character). It contains no petitions, no complaints, no enemies — pure praise from beginning to end. The psalm echoes God's self-revelation in Exodus 34:6-7 (v.8) and applies it personally. Many consider this the greatest psalm of praise in the Psalter.
Bless the LORD, O My Soul (vv.1-2): Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. The psalm opens by giving an order to itself, which is a device worth noticing: the singer does not report that he feels grateful but instructs the part of him that ought to be. And the second verse names the enemy of praise as memory rather than doubt, forget not all his benefits.
Who Forgiveth All Thine Iniquities (vv.3-5): Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Five participles in three verses, each one a benefit, and forgiveness is put first with healing beside it, which is the pairing Jesus makes at the paralytic's mat in Mark 2. Then rescue and honour, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with lovingkindness. The last is renewal, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, an image of moulting rather than of the legend about the bird burning and rising.
The LORD Is Merciful and Gracious (vv.6-10): The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. The psalm turns from what God has done for one man to what he does as a matter of practice, and it grounds the claim in a text rather than in feeling, he made known his ways unto Moses. The words that follow are quoted from Exodus 34:6, the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, which is the sentence the Old Testament repeats more often than any other about God's character. Then the limit set on anger, he will not always chide, and the plainest denial of tit for tat in the psalter, he hath not dealt with us after our sins.
As Far as the East Is from the West (vv.11-14): For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. Two measurements, and both are chosen because they cannot be completed: height has no ceiling and east and west never meet, as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. The psalm then drops from cosmology to the household, like as a father pitieth his children, and gives the reason for the pity in a line that refuses to flatter, for he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. Being known is here a mercy rather than an exposure.
His Days Are as Grass (vv.15-18): As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. The wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. That last clause is the hardest sentence in the psalm, since it denies even the consolation of being missed by the ground. What is set against it is not human durability but God's, but the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him. And the psalm attaches a condition without softening it, to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
Bless the LORD, All His Works (vv.19-22): The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Having begun with one soul, the psalm ends by conscripting everything else, the angels that excel in strength, all ye his hosts, all his works in all places of his dominion. Then it closes where it opened, bless the LORD, O my soul, so the widest possible choir is bracketed by a single man talking to himself.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 103 - Bless the LORD, O My Soul
David Guzik

Psalm 103 | Bless the Lord, O My Soul | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Preaching Truth to Your Own Soul (vv.1-2) — The psalmist commands himself to praise and to not forget God's benefits, rather than waiting until he feels like worshiping. Do you actively remind yourself of what God has done, or let those benefits slip from memory?
  • A Cascade of Benefits (vv.3-5) — The psalmist lists forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, and satisfaction all in a row, a stacked picture of God's generosity. Which of these benefits do you most need to actually receive today instead of just knowing about?
  • Not Treated as Our Sins Deserve (v.10) — The psalmist marvels that God doesn't repay His people according to what their sins have earned. Do you still relate to God as though you need to earn what He has already given freely?
  • Sin Removed as Far as East From West (v.12) — The distance used to describe how far God removes our transgressions is one that never meets itself, an image of total separation from our guilt. Is there a sin you've confessed but still haven't let go of, even though God already has?
  • Compassion for Those Made of Dust (v.14) — God is described as remembering that His people are formed from dust, not expecting more from them than their frame allows. Where are you being harder on yourself than God actually is?
  • Steadfast Love From Everlasting to Everlasting (v.17) — In contrast to human life that withers like grass, God's love toward those who fear Him is described as having no beginning or end. Does your sense of God's love feel that permanent, or does it rise and fall with your circumstances?