Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 117

O praise the Lord, all you nations — The idea is that God has a claim to universal worship, and that all the nations of the earth are obligated to adore Him as the true God. He is not the God of the Hebrew people only, but of all people; His praise should be celebrated not merely by one nation, but by all. This is one of the passages in the Old Testament, anticipating what is more fully disclosed in the New Testament, in which the sacred writer extends his vision beyond the narrow boundaries of Judea, and looks to the world, the whole world, as the theater on which the true religion was to be displayed, and for which it was designed.

It is language such as would be inspired by the Spirit of inspiration on the assumption that the time would come when the barrier between Jews and Gentiles would be broken down, and when all the nations of the earth would possess the true religion and unite in the worship of the same God.

This doctrine, however, was not fully made known until the coming of the Redeemer. The announcement of this was made by the Redeemer Himself (Matthew 12:21; Matthew 28:19). It was the occasion of a significant part of the trouble which the Apostle Paul had with his countrymen (Acts 18:6; Acts 21:21; Acts 22:21; Acts 26:20, 23).

It was one of the doctrines which Paul especially sought to establish as a great truth of Christianity—that all the barriers between the nations were to be broken down, and the Gospel proclaimed to all people alike (Romans 3:29; Romans 9:24, 30; Romans 11:11; Romans 15:9–11, 16, 18; Galatians 2:2; Ephesians 2:11–18; Ephesians 3:1–9). It is under the gospel that this language becomes especially appropriate.

Praise Him, all you people — People of all lands. The word here rendered “praise” — שׁבח shâbach — means properly to soothe, to still, to restrain — as, for example, billows (Psalms 89:9); and then, to praise, as if to soothe with praises — mulcere laudibus, Pacuv. The idea of soothing or mitigating, however, is not necessarily in the word, but it may be understood in the general sense of praise.

We may in fact often soothe or appease people — angry, jealous, suspicious people — by skillful flattery or praise, for there are few, even when under the influence of anger or hatred, who cannot be approached in this way, or who do not value praise and commendation more than they value indulging their passion; but we cannot hope thus to appease the anger of God. We approach Him to express our deep sense of His goodness, and our veneration for His character; we do not expect to turn Him from anger to love — to make Him forget His justice or our sins — by soothing flattery.

For his merciful kindness is great toward us - His kindness; His compassion; His love. All nations—all people—may say this, and therefore the psalm is adapted to universal praise. Especially may this be said in view of the love of God to mankind in the gift of a Savior—a Savior not for any one people especially or exclusively, but for the world (John 3:16).

And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever - All that God has said: His declarations, His promises, His assurances of mercy. They are the same in all lands where they are made known, and they are the same in all ages of the world.

Truth is a representation of things as they are; and truth, therefore, must be ever the same. What was true in the first ages of the world in regard to the relation of the sum of the squares on the two sides of a right-angled triangle to the square of the hypotenuse is true now, and will always be true; and so, what God has affirmed at any one time will always remain the same in all ages and in all lands.

What was truth to Abraham is truth to us; what was truth to Paul is truth to us; what was truth to the martyrs is truth to us; what is truth to us will be truth to all generations of the world in all lands, and will be truth forever. This fact, too, is a just foundation for universal praise, and therefore the psalm is so adapted to be used in all lands and among all people. How often in our own language has this psalm been the medium of the utterances of praise in Christian sanctuaries:

“From all that dwell below the skies,
Let the Creator’s praise arise;
Let the Redeemer’s name be sung,
Through every land, by every tongue.
Eternal are your mercies, Lord;
Eternal truth attends your word;
Your praise shall sound from shore to shore,
Till suns shall rise and set no more.