Why read Psalm 112?
Psalm 112 is a prayer of praise and hope for people who feel overlooked or powerless. It describes God lifting up the poor and bringing joy to the forgotten, inviting a compassionate response.
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.
The full text of Psalm 112 (9 verses), from the 16th Kathisma of the Psalter. The opening words — “Praise the Lord, young people; praise the name...” — are also the psalm’s traditional “name”: our grandmothers did not say “Psalm 112”, but called it by name, using its first words.
The text of Psalm 112
1. Praise the Lord, young people; praise the name of the Lord.
2. May the name of the Lord be blessed from now and forever.
3. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is praised.
4. The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.
5. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high
6. And looks upon the lowly, in heaven and on earth?
7. He who brings the poor out of the dust and raises the needy from the refuse,
8. To seat him with the great, with the great of His people.
9. He who makes the barren woman dwell in a home, as a mother rejoicing in children.
When Psalm 112 is read
- It belongs to the 16th Kathisma and is read in the order of the Psalter at services; the faithful read it during fasts and in times of need.
- 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
Read also
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
