Psalms 103
103
Our Father’s Love
King David’s song of praise
1With my whole heart, with my whole life,
and with my innermost being,
I bow in wonder and love before you, the holy God!
2Yahweh, you are my soul’s celebration.
How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness
you’ve done for me?
3You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done. # 103:3 From this verse through the rest of the psalm, the writer used the second person (you). This translation has left the psalm in the first person to enhance the poetic nuance for the English reader.
You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease.
4You’ve rescued me from hell # 103:4 Or “redeemed me from the pit,” a term often used for Sheol or hell. and saved my life.
You’ve crowned me with love and mercy.
5You satisfy my every desire with good things. # 103:5 The Hebrew text is somewhat difficult to understand. It is literally “who satisfies with good ornaments.”
You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again # 103:5 Or “your youth [implying both strength and beauty] he restores.”
like a flying eagle in the sky!
6You’re a God who makes things right,
giving justice to the defenseless.
7You unveiled to Moses your plans
and showed Israel’s sons what you could do.
8Lord, you’re so kind and tenderhearted # 103:8 Or “Lord, you’re so compassionate and merciful.” The Hebrew word for “compassion” has a homonym that means “womb.” The Lord carries his people like a mother carries a child in her womb.
and so patient with people who fail you!
Your love is like a flooding river
overflowing its banks with kindness. # 103:8 See Ex. 34:6.
9You don’t look at us only to find our faults, # 103:9 Or “You [he] will not always fight with us [like fighting with enemies].”
just so that you can hold a grudge against us.
10You may discipline us for our many sins,
but never as much as we really deserve.
Nor do you get even with us for what we’ve done.
11Higher than the highest heavens—
that’s how high your tender mercy extends!
Greater than the grandeur of heaven above
is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all
who fear you and bow down before you!
12Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset—
that’s how far you’ve removed our guilt from us.
13The same way a loving father feels toward his children—
that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us, # 103:13 Or “like a father has deep compassion for his children.” The Hebrew word for “tender feelings” is racham, which has a homonym that can be translated “womb.” Our Father carries you in his womb. What a beautiful word play that our Father has a mother’s nurturing love for his children.
your beloved children, who live in awe of you.
14You know all about us, inside and out. # 103:14 The Hebrew word yatsar can be translated “form” or “frame.” God knows our frame. But yatsar also has a homonym that means “to be in distress” or “to be frustrated.” So this sentence could be translated “You know all about our frustrations and distress.” These thoughts combined would mean that God hasn’t forgotten that he formed us from dust and we’ll experience frustrations as human beings. God is sympathetic to our difficulties.
You are mindful that we’re made from dust.
15Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty # 103:15 The Hebrew word translated “beauty” actually means “shining.”
so swiftly fades away!
16Then all of a sudden we’re gone,
like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind,
taken away to our appointment with death,
leaving nothing to show that we were here.
17But Lord, your endless love stretches
from one eternity to the other,
unbroken and unrelenting toward those who fear you
and those who bow facedown in awe before you.
Your faithfulness to keep every gracious promise you’ve made
passes from parents, to children, to grandchildren, and beyond.
18You are faithful to all those who follow your ways
and keep your word.
19Yahweh has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom rules the entire universe.
20So bless the Lord, all his messengers of power,
for you are his mighty heroes who listen intently
to the voice of his word to do it.
21Bless and praise the Lord, you mighty warriors,
ministers who serve him well and fulfill his desires.
22I will bless and praise the Lord with my whole heart!
Let all his works throughout the earth,
wherever his dominion stretches—
let everything bless the Lord!
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Psalms 103: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationPsalms 103
103
Psalm 103#sn Psalm 103. The psalmist praises God for his mercy and willingness to forgive his people.
By David.
1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
With all that is within me, praise#tn The verb “praise” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line). his holy name!
2 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Do not forget all his kind deeds!#tn Or “his benefits” (see 2 Chr 32:25, where the noun is also used of kind deeds performed by the Lord).
3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,#tn This relatively rare noun refers to deadly diseases (see Deut 29:22; Jer 14:18; 16:4; 2 Chr 21:19).
4 who delivers#tn Or “redeems.” your life from the Pit,#tn The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 55:24.
who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your life with good things,#tc Heb “who satisfies with the good of your ornaments.” The text as it stands makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes an emendation of עֶדְיֵךְ (’ed’ekh, “your ornaments”) to עֹדֵכִי (’odekhiy, “your duration; your continuance”) that is, “your life” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 18).
so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.#sn The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.
6 The Lord does what is fair,
and executes justice for all the oppressed.#tn Heb “the Lord does fairness, and [acts of] justice for all the oppressed.”
7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts#tn Heb “made known his ways.” God’s “ways” in this context are his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 18:30; 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 138:5; 145:17). to Moses,
his deeds to the Israelites.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he is patient#tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Ps 86:15). and demonstrates great loyal love.#tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Ps 86:15).
9 He does not always accuse,
and does not stay angry.#tn The Hebrew verb נָטַר (natar) is usually taken to mean “to keep; to guard,” with “anger” being understood by ellipsis. The idiom “to guard anger” is then understood to mean “to remain angry” (see Lev 19:18; Jer 3:5, 12; Nah 1:2). However, it is possible that this is a homonymic root meaning “to be angry” (see HALOT 695 s.v. נטר).
10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;#tn Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”
he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.#tn Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”
11 For as the skies are high above the earth,
so his loyal love towers#tn For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19. over his faithful followers.#tn Heb “those who fear him.”
12 As far as the eastern horizon#tn Heb “sunrise.” is from the west,#tn Or “sunset.”
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions#tn The Hebrew term פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, rebellious act”) is here used metonymically for the guilt such actions produce. from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,#tn Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.#tn Heb “those who fear him.”
14 For he knows what we are made of;#tn Heb “our form.”
he realizes#tn Heb “remembers.” we are made of clay.#tn Heb “we [are] clay.”
15 A person’s life is like grass.#tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
16 but when the hot wind#tn Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification. blows by, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.
17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers,#tn Heb “but the loyal love of the Lord [is] from everlasting to everlasting over those who fear him.”
and is faithful to their descendants,#tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”
18 to those who keep his covenant,
who are careful to obey his commands.#tn Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom extends over everything.#tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”
20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,
you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees
and obey his orders!#tn Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”
21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his,#tn Heb “all his hosts.”
you servants of his who carry out his desires!#tn Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”
22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made,#tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
in all the regions#tn Heb “places.” of his kingdom!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
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