| Psalm 108 | |
| Subtitle: | "O give thanks unto the LORD" |
| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
Psalm 108 is the 108th psalm in the Book of Psalms. It is a hymn psalm, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 107. In Latin, it is known as "Paratum cor meum Deus".[1] It is attributed to David.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[2] [3] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Song, a Psalm of David. | ||
| 2 | My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises, even with my glory. | ||
| 3 | Awake, psaltery and harp; I will awake the dawn. | ||
| 4 | I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD, among the peoples; And I will sing praises unto Thee among the nations. | ||
| 5 | For Thy mercy is great above the heavens, And Thy truth reacheth unto the skies. | ||
| 6 | Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; And Thy glory be above all the earth. | ||
| 7 | That Thy beloved may be delivered, Save with Thy right hand, and answer me. | ||
| 8 | God spoke in His holiness, that I would exult; That I would divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. | ||
| 9 | Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the defence of my head; Judah is my sceptre. | ||
| 10 | Moab is my washpot; Upon Edom do I cast my shoe; Over Philistia do I cry aloud. | ||
| 11 | Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will lead me unto Edom? | ||
| 12 | Hast not Thou cast us off, O God? And Thou goest not forth, O God, with our hosts? | ||
| 13 | Give us help against the adversary; For vain is the help of man | ||
| 14 | Through God we shall do valiantly; For He it is that will tread down our adversaries. |
Psalm 108 contains numerous verses which appear in other psalms. Verses 1–5 are similar to Psalm 57:7–11, with slight variation, while verses 7–13 are similar to Psalm 60:5–12. William Barrick considers this psalm to be the "borrower".[4] [5] John Paul II said that the fusion of Psalms 57 and 60 with Psalm 108 shows that "Israel, already in the Old Testament, was re-using and bringing up-to-date the Word of God revealed".[6]
Charles Spurgeon called Psalm 108 "The Warrior's Morning Song, with which he adores his God and strengthens his heart before entering upon the conflicts of the day". He notes that in Psalm 57, verses 7-11 follow on from prayer "and grow out of it", whereas here they initiate the psalm: "the psalmist begins at once to sing and give praise, and afterwards prays to God in a remarkably confident manner".[7]
Matthew Henry calls it "an assurance of God's answer and salvation".[8]
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.[9] The Midrash teaches that this verse (verse 3 in Hebrew numbering) refers to David's practice of arising each night before dawn and praising God with psaltery and harp, thus "awakening the dawn".[10]
This is one of the psalms for which St. Benedict of Nursia did not specify the use, in the Rule of St. Benedict of 530AD. However, Psalm 108 was traditionally performed by his order for matins of Saturday,[12] or according to another document of the founder or according to one of his successors, so that all 150 psalms are executed each Week.[13]
In the Liturgy of Hours, Psalm 108 is read to the Office of Lauds of Wednesday of the fourth week.[14]
After the excommunication of the whole Spanish town of Trasmoz in the late 13th century, and the refusal of the population to repent the Church cursed the town with the chanting of psalm 108 in 1511.[15]
Psalm 108 has been set to music in the Anglican "Hymnal 1982", The United Methodist Hymnal, Psalter Hymnal (Gray) and the Baptist Hymnal (1991 version).
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the twenty-second day of the month,[16] as well as at Evensong on Ascension Day.[17]
Heinrich Schütz composed a four-part setting to a metric German text, "Mit rechtem Ernst und fröhlichm Mut", SVW 206, for the 1628 Becker Psalter. Marc-Antoine Charpentier set it around 1680 in Latin, Paratum cor meum Deus, H.183, for three voices and continuo.