Psalm 89

Psalm 89 is the 89th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 88. In Latin, it is known as "Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo".[1] It is described as a maschil[2] or "contemplation".[3]

This article is about Psalm 89 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 89 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 90.
Psalm 89
"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever"
Inscription from Psalm 89 at the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Brno-Husovice
Other name
  • Psalm 88
  • "Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo"
Writtenby Ethan the Ezrahite
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 89
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic liturgies. It has been set to music, for example by Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz in German.

Text

King James Version
1549 engraving of the Transfiguration of Jesus with Latin quotation: Beatus populus qui scit iubilationem, "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound." (Psalm 89:15)
  1. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
  2. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
  3. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
  4. Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
  5. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
  6. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
  7. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
  8. O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
  9. Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
  10. Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
  11. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
  12. The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
  13. Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
  14. Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
  15. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
  16. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
  17. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
  18. For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
  19. Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
  20. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
  21. With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
  22. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
  23. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
  24. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
  25. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
  26. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
  27. Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
  28. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
  29. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
  30. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
  31. If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
  32. Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
  33. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
  34. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
  35. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
  36. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
  37. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
  38. But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.
  39. Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
  40. Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.
  41. All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.
  42. Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
  43. Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.
  44. Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
  45. The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.
  46. How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?
  47. Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
  48. What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
  49. Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
  50. Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
  51. Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
  52. Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.

Analysis

The superscription of the psalm states that it was written by Ethan the Ezrahite, who, along with Heman the Ezrahite (to whom Psalm 88 is attributed), was a wise man from the time of, or prior to, King Solomon. 1 Kings 4:31 states that Solomon "was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations" (ESV).

In 2 Samuel 7:12–17, God promises King David that there will always be a king of the Jews. Some scholars claim that this psalm was written after the deportation of the Jews to Babylon.[4] However, this claim is inconsistent with the dating of Ethan to the time of Solomon. More likely is that it was written on behalf of the king (David or Solomon) during a time of trouble. The author expresses his belief that the promises outlined in 2 Samuel 7:12-17 will be fulfilled.

Charles Spurgeon called this psalm a Covenant Psalm and described it as "the utterance of a believer".[2] It begins with words of praise for Yahweh's goodness and covenant faithfulness. For the first 37 verses, the psalm recounts the promises made to King David and the covenant established by God with him; from verse 38 to 51, the psalmist laments what seems to him like God's lack of remembrance of his covenant promises.

Verse 52
Blessed be the LORD forevermore!
Amen and Amen.[5]

This closing verse is the benediction or doxology by which the third book of the psalter is brought to a close,[2] "[not] part of the original psalm, [but] entirely in harmony with the spirit of it".[6]

Uses

Judaism

New Testament

In the New Testament, part of verse 10 is quoted in Luke 1:51,[11] and verse 20 is quoted in Acts 13:22.[11]

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read in the evening of the 17th day of the month,[12] as well as at Evensong on Christmas Day.[13]

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 90 in a metred version in German as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628. It is split in two parts, "Ich will von Gnade singen" and "Ach Gott, warum verstößt du nun", SWV 186 and 1878.Alan Hovhaness set the text to music in his Op. 27, a choral work O Lord God of Hosts.[14]

References
  1. Parallel Latin/English Psalter, Psalmus 88 (89). Archived 2017-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Medievalist.
  2. Charles H. Spurgeon, Psalm 89 in "Treasury of David" Archived 2015-11-28 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Psalm 89: New King James Version
  4. Gordon Churchyard, Psalm 89 at Make Your Kingdom Come Soon!
  5. Psalm 89:52
  6. Kirkpatrick, A. (1906), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Psalm 89, accessed 17 March 2022
  7. The Artscroll Tehillim, page 329
  8. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 74
  9. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 264
  10. The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, page 439
  11. Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 839. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  12. Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff
  13. "The Book of Common Prayer: Proper Psalms On Certain Days" (PDF). The Church of England. p. 6. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  14. "Alan Hovhaness List of Works by Opus Number". www.hovhaness.com. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
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