Why read Psalm 111?
Read Psalm 111 for encouragement in generosity, justice and courage. Its portrait of someone who reveres God emphasizes compassion and a steadfast heart, even when bad news comes.
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.
“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord...” — this is how Psalm 111 begins, a work of 9 verses from the 16th Kathisma. The Psalter is read in the Orthodox Church at every service, and this psalm has its place in the order of prayer.
The text of Psalm 111
1. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord; he will greatly desire His commandments.
2. His offspring shall be mighty on earth; the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.
3. Glory and wealth are in his house, and his righteousness remains unto the ages of ages.
4. Light has dawned in the darkness for the righteous — the Merciful, Compassionate and Righteous One.
5. Good is the man who shows compassion and lends; he orders his words with judgement, for he shall never be shaken.
6. The righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance; he shall not fear slander.
7. His heart is ready to hope in the Lord; his heart is strengthened, he shall not fear until he comes to despise his enemies.
8. He distributed and gave to the poor; his righteousness remains unto the ages of ages.
9. His power shall be exalted in glory. 10. The sinner shall see and be angry, gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of sinners shall perish.
When Psalm 111 is read
- It belongs to the 16th Kathisma and may be read daily alongside the prayer rule (see the morning and evening prayers).
- 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.
