| Psalm 89 | |
| Subtitle: | "I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever" |
| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
| Written: | by Ethan the Ezrahite |
Psalm 89 is the 89th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 88. In Latin, it is known as "Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo".[1] It is described as a maschil[2] or "contemplation".[3]
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic liturgies. It has been set to music, for example by Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz in German.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[4] [5] 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 | Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. | ||
| 2 | I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever; To all generations will I make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth. | ||
| 3 | For I have said: 'For ever is mercy built; In the very heavens Thou dost establish Thy faithfulness. | ||
| 4 | I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn unto David My servant: | ||
| 5 | For ever will I establish thy seed, And build up thy throne to all generations.' Selah | ||
| 6 | So shall the heavens praise Thy wonders, O LORD, Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. | ||
| 7 | For who in the skies can be compared unto the LORD, Who among the sons of might can be likened unto the LORD, | ||
| 8 | A God dreaded in the great council of the holy ones, And feared of all them that are about Him? | ||
| 9 | O LORD God of hosts, Who is a mighty one, like unto Thee, O LORD? And Thy faithfulness is round about Thee. | ||
| 10 | Thou rulest the proud swelling of the sea; When the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them. | ||
| 11 | Thou didst crush Rahab, as one that is slain; Thou didst scattered Thine enemies with the arm of Thy strength. | ||
| 12 | Thine are the heavens, Thine also the earth; The world and the fulness thereof, Thou hast founded them. | ||
| 13 | The north and the south, Thou hast created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Thy name. | ||
| 14 | Thine is an arm with might; Strong is Thy hand, and exalted is Thy right hand. | ||
| 15 | Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne; Mercy and truth go before Thee. | ||
| 16 | Happy is the people that know the joyful shout; They walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance. | ||
| 17 | In Thy name do they rejoice all the day; And through Thy righteousness are they exalted. | ||
| 18 | For Thou art the glory of their strength; And in Thy favour our horn is exalted. | ||
| 19 | For of the LORD is our shield; And the Holy One of Israel is our king. | ||
| 20 | Then Thou spokest in vision to Thy godly ones, And saidst: 'I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. | ||
| 21 | I have found David My servant; With My holy oil have I anointed him; | ||
| 22 | With whom My hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall strengthen him. | ||
| 23 | The enemy shall not exact from him; Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. | ||
| 24 | And I will beat to pieces his adversaries before him, And smite them that hate him. | ||
| 25 | But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him; And through My name shall his horn be exalted. | ||
| 26 | I will set his hand also on the sea, And his right hand on the rivers. | ||
| 27 | He shall call unto Me: Thou art my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation. . | ||
| 28 | I also will appoint him first-born, The highest of the kings of the earth. | ||
| 29 | For ever will I keep for him My mercy, And My covenant shall stand fast with him. | ||
| 30 | His seed also will I make to endure for ever, And his throne as the days of heaven. | ||
| 31 | If his children forsake My law, And walk not in Mine ordinances; : | ||
| 32 | If they profane My statutes, And keep not My commandments; | ||
| 33 | Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with strokes. | ||
| 34 | But My mercy will I not break off from him, Nor will I be false to My faithfulness. | ||
| 35 | My covenant will I not profane, Nor alter that which is gone out of My lips. | ||
| 36 | Once have I sworn by My holiness: Surely I will not be false unto David; | ||
| 37 | His seed shall endure for ever, And his throne as the sun before Me. | ||
| 38 | It shall be established for ever as the moon; And be stedfast as the witness in sky.' Selah | ||
| 39 | But Thou hast cast off and rejected, Thou hast been wroth with Thine anointed. | ||
| 40 | Thou hast abhorred the covenant of Thy servant; Thou hast profaned his crown even to the ground. | ||
| 41 | Thou hast broken down all his fences; Thou hast brought his strongholds to ruin. | ||
| 42 | All that pass by the way spoil him; He is become a taunt to his neighbours. | ||
| 43 | Thou hast exalted the right hand of his adversaries; Thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice. | ||
| 44 | Yea, Thou turnest back the edge of his sword, And hast not made him to stand in the battle. | ||
| 45 | Thou hast made his brightness to cease, And cast his throne down to the ground. | ||
| 46 | The days of his youth hast Thou shortened; Thou hast covered him with shame. Selah | ||
| 47 | How long, O LORD, wilt Thou hide Thyself for ever? How long shall Thy wrath burn like fire? | ||
| 48 | O remember how short my time is; For what vanity hast Thou created all the children of men! | ||
| 49 | What man is he that liveth and shall not see death, That shall deliver his soul from the power of the grave? Selah | ||
| 50 | Where are Thy former mercies, O Lord, Which Thou didst swear unto David in Thy faithfulness? | ||
| 51 | Remember, Lord, the taunt of Thy servants; How I do bear in my bosom [the taunt of] so many peoples; | ||
| 52 | Wherewith Thine enemies have taunted, O LORD, Wherewith they have taunted the footsteps of Thine anointed. | ||
| 53 | Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen. |
The superscription of the psalm states that it was written by Ethan the Ezrahite, who, along with Heman the Ezrahite (to whom Psalm 88 is attributed), was a wise man from the time of, or prior to, King Solomon. 1 Kings 4:31 states that Solomon "was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations" (ESV).
In 2 Samuel 7:12–17, God promises King David that there will always be a king from his line to rule over Israel. Some scholars claim that this psalm was written after the deportation of the Jews to Babylon.[6] However, this claim is inconsistent with the dating of Ethan to the time of Solomon. More likely is that it was written on behalf of the king (David or Solomon) during a time of trouble. The author expresses his belief that the promises outlined in 2 Samuel 7:12-17 will be fulfilled.
Charles Spurgeon called this psalm a Covenant Psalm and described it as "the utterance of a believer". It begins with words of praise for Yahweh's goodness and covenant faithfulness. For the first 37 verses, the psalm recounts the promises made to King David and the covenant established by God with him; from verse 38 to 51, the psalmist laments what seems to him like God's lack of remembrance of his covenant promises.
Blessed be the forevermore!
Amen and Amen.[7]
This closing verse is the benediction or doxology by which the third book of the psalter is brought to a close, "[not] part of the original psalm, [but] entirely in harmony with the spirit of it".[8]
In the New Testament, part of verse 10 is quoted in Luke KJV,[13] and verse 20 is quoted in Acts KJV.[13]
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read in the evening of the 17th day of the month,[14] as well as at Evensong on Christmas Day.[15]
Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 90 in a metred version in German as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628. It is split in two parts, "Ich will von Gnade singen" and "Ach Gott, warum verstößt du nun", SWV 186 and 1878.Alan Hovhaness set the text to music in his Op. 27, a choral work O Lord God of Hosts.[16]