Why read Psalm 110?
Psalm 110 is a prayer of thanksgiving and a reflection on wisdom. Praise for God's works, covenant and commandments leads to reverence for Him as the beginning of wisdom.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
Psalm 110 — “I shall praise You, O Lord, with all my heart,...” — is the prayer through which the Psalmist places the experience of an entire hour of life before God. It belongs to the 16th Kathisma and has 10 verses, which you will find in full below.
The text of Psalm 110
1. I shall praise You, O Lord, with all my heart, in the council of the righteous and in the assembly.
2. Great are the works of the Lord and suited to all His desires.
3. Praise and majesty is His work, and His righteousness remains unto the ages of ages.
4. He made a remembrance of His wonders. Merciful and compassionate is the Lord.
5. He gave food to those who fear Him; remember His covenant forever.
6. He declared the strength of His works to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations.
7. The works of His hands are truth and judgement. All His commandments are true,
8. Established unto the ages of ages, done in truth and righteousness.
9. He sent deliverance to His people; He commanded His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.
10. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; good understanding belongs to all who practise it. His praise remains unto the ages of ages.
When Psalm 110 is read
- It belongs to the 16th Kathisma — the psalms are read in full within the cycle of kathismata, at Matins and Vespers.
- At the end of each psalm, tradition adds: «Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.».
Adjacent psalms
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
