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Epiphany · Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany · Year C

Psalm 103:1-13

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

February 20, 2028

The Return of the Prodigal Son, James Tissot
The Return of the Prodigal Son, James Tissot, 1886–1894Brooklyn Museum, New York
In a stone courtyard the father throws his arms around his ragged son, who has fallen against him.He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.James TissotA French society painter who turned to religion and travelled to Palestine to paint the life of Christ where it happened.Brooklyn Museum, New YorkNew York’s second largest museum, holding a celebrated Egyptian collection and Tissot’s entire Bible series.Brooklyn Museum, New York
LSB Three-Year Lectionary
GospelLuke 6:27-38Lk 6:27-38
Epistle1 Cor. 15:21-26, 30-421 Cor 15:21-26, 30-42
Old TestamentGen. 45:3-15Gn 45:3-15
PsalterPs. 103:1-13Ps 103:1-13

Overview & Insights

“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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Commentary

BibleHub: Commentaries on Psalm 103:1BibleHub: Commentaries on Ps 103:1 BibleHub

Gathers classic commentaries on the psalm's call to bless the Lord.

Enduring Word: Psalm 103Enduring Word: Ps 103 Enduring Word · David Guzik

Verse-by-verse notes on God's benefits and fatherly compassion.

Working Preacher: Commentary on Psalm 103:[1-7] 8-13Working Preacher: Commentary on Ps 103:[1-7] 8-13 Working Preacher

Lutheran exegesis on hesed, God's steadfast love, running through these verses.

CEP: Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13CEP: Ps 103:(1-7), 8-13 Center for Excellence in Preaching

Reformed preaching commentary on the psalm as a catalog of God's remembered benefits.

Background & Word Study

Sefaria: Psalm 103:1-13 (Hebrew)Sefaria: Ps 103:1-13 (Hebrew) Sefaria

Hebrew text with English and classical Jewish commentary on the psalm.

The Church Fathers

Psalm 103Ps 103 Catena

Verse-by-verse comment from the Fathers on Psalm 103.

Questions preachers ask

What does Psalm 103 celebrate?

It blesses the God who forgives, heals, and redeems, whose steadfast love is as high as the heavens and who removes our sins as far as the east is from the west.

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