Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
What does Psalms 103:1 mean?
By the pardon of sin, that is taken away which kept good things from us, and we are restored to the favor of God, who bestows good things on us.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside its immediate passage and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Psalms 103:1
Bless the Lord, O my soul - The word "bless," as applied to God, means to praise, implying always a strong affection for him as well as a sense of gratitude. As used with reference to people, the word implies a "wish" that they may be blessed or happy, accompanied often with a prayer that they may be so. Such is the purport of the "blessing" addressed to a congregation of worshippers. Compare Numbers 6:23-27 . The word "soul" here is equivalent to mind or heart: my mental and moral powers, as capable of understanding and appreciating his favors.
Key words
- Bless
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Bless the Lord, O my soul,.
- LORD
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Bless the Lord, O my soul,.
- soul
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Bless the Lord, O my soul,.
Context in Psalms 103
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Psalms 103 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book IV. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Bible verses about forgiveness
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Bible verses about thankfulness and gratitude
Passages on thanksgiving to God, grateful worship, and the discipline of remembering God’s goodness in ordinary life.