Psalm 112 is the 112th

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

of the

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

, a psalm "in praise of the virtuous". This psalm, along with

Psalm 111 Psalm 111 is the 111th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Lat ...

, is

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fr ...

by phrase, that is, each 7-9 syllable phrase begins with a letter of the

Hebrew alphabet The Hebrew alphabet ( he, אָלֶף־בֵּית עִבְרִי, ), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is an abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew language and other Jewis ...

in order.

Psalm 119 Psalm 119 is the 119th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord". The Book of Psalms is in the third section of the Hebrew Bible, the ...

is also acrostic, with each eight-verse

strophe A strophe () is a poetic term originally referring to the first part of the ode in Ancient Greek tragedy, followed by the antistrophe and epode. The term has been extended to also mean a structural division of a poem containing stanzas of vary ...

commencing with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond t ...

version of the bible and in the Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus&nbs ...

, this psalm is Psalm 111.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 112:

King James Version

# Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. # His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. # Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. # Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. # A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. # Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. # He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. # His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. # He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. # The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

Latin Vulgate

# Beatus vir, qui timet Dominum, in mandatis ejus volet nimis. # Potens in terra erit semen ejus, generatio rectorum benedicetur. # Gloria et divitiae in domo ejus, et iustitia ejus manet in saeculum saeculi. # Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis, misericors et miserator et iustus. # Iucundus homo, qui miseretur et commodat, disponet res suas in judicio, # quia in aeternum non commovebitur. In memoria aeterna erit iustus, # ab auditione mala non timebit. Paratum cor ejus, sperare in Domino, # confirmatum est cor eius, non commovebitur, donec despiciat inimicos suos. # Dispersit dedit pauperibus; justitia ejus manet in saeculum saeculi, cornu ejus exaltabitur in gloria. # Peccator videbit et irascetur, dentibus suis fremet et tabescet. Desiderium peccatorum peribit.

Uses

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

The psalm begins הַלְלוּ-יָהּ:אַשְׁרֵי-אִישׁ, יָרֵא אֶת-יְהוָה; בְּמִצְו‍ֹתָיו, חָפֵץ מְאֹד.

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

*Verse 9 is quoted in 2 Corinthians 9:9.

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Saint

Benedict of Nursia Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Ori ...

attributed the psalms from the

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

110 at the services of

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meani ...

, in its Rule of St. Benedict set to 530 AD. So this psalm was traditionally recited or sung during the solemn service of

Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...

between the

and Psalm 113. In ordinary Roman rite, Psalm 112 is currently the reading of the fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Moreover, in the Liturgy of the Hours enacted in 1970, the psalm is still recited at

of Sunday's fourth weekThe main cycle of liturgical prayers takes place over four weeks. and evening of the Solemnity of the Epiphany.

Musical settings

The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

text was set to music by many composers of different nationalities, such as

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread ...

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is conside ...

. In

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Michel-Richard Delalande Michel Richard Delalande e Lalande'' (; 15 December 1657 – 18 June 1726) was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grands motets. He also wrote orc ...

(S39), and André Campra.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still u ...

composed 5 different "Beatus vir qui timet Dominum", H.154, H.199-H.199 a, H.208, H.221, H.224 (1670 - 1695) and many others composers also used these words. It is usually known by its opening phrase '' Beatus vir'' (also the beginning of Psalm 1), under which title it is included in numerous musical settings such as

's 1640 '' Selva morale e spirituale'', also known as the Vespers of 1640;

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespre ...

's 'Beatus Vir', the third movements of Mozart's ''

Vesperae de Dominica ''Vesperae solennes de Dominica'', K. 321, is a sacred choral composition, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1779. It is scored for SATB choir and soloists, violin I and II, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones ''colla parte'', 2 timpani, and basso cont ...

'' (K. 321) and ''

Vesperae solennes de confessore ''Vesperae solennes de confessore (Solemn Vespers for a Confessor)'', K. 339, is a sacred choral composition, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1780. It is scored for SATB choir and soloists, violin I, violin II, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones ''coll ...

'' (K. 339).

Beatus Vir (Gorecki) Beatus vir (; "Blessed is the man...") are the first words in the Latin Vulgate Bible of both Psalm 1 and Psalm 112 (in the general modern numbering; it is Psalm 111 in the Greek Septuagint and the Vulgate). In each case, the words are used to r ...

(Opus 38, subtitled Psalm for baritone, large mixed chorus and grand orchestra), is a musical psalm setting written by

Henryk Górecki Henryk Mikołaj Górecki ( , ; 6 December 1933 – 12 November 2010) was a Polish composer of contemporary classical music. According to critic Alex Ross (music critic), Alex Ross, no recent classical composer has had as much commercial success ...

in 1979.

References

External links

* in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre * King James Bible - Wikisource {{Psalms 112