Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8+10, 12-13 (8a)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2)

Because this psalm combines individual thanksgiving (vv. 2–5) and corporate hymnody (vv. 6–18), commentators have debated which is indicative of its function (see Allen, Psalms 101–150 , [WBC 21; Waco: Word, 1983], pp. 19–20). As I have argued, this separation between individual and corporate settings has been overstressed. Whether the concerns were individual or corporate, Israel’s worship was primarily public. In this public setting, a liturgist would lead the singing of psalms and speak on behalf of both the corporate body and its individual members. A postexilic date is implied by the Hebrew grammar (e.g., the irregular forms of the feminine pronouns in vv. 3–5) and by the possible influence from Aramaic (see GKC, p. 256). The psalm’s apparent use of written sources, as noted below, may also point in this direction.

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