Psalm 149 is the 149th psalm of the

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

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

as the book's penultimate piece. The first verse of the psalm calls to praise in singing, in English in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

: "Sing a new song unto the Lord". Similar to

Psalm 96 Psalm 96 is the 96th psalm of the Book of Psalms, a hymn. The first verse of the psalm calls to praise in singing, in English in the King James Version: "O sing a new song unto the Lord". Similar to Psalm 98 ("Cantate Domino") and Psalm 149, th ...

and

Psalm 98 Psalm 98 is the 98th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things". The Book of Psalms starts the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and, as such, ...

(Cantate Domino), Psalm 149 calls to praise God in music and dance, because he has chosen his people and helped them to victory. Psalm 149 is also marked by its

martial Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman poet from Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of ''Epigrams'', published in Rome between AD 86 and ...

tone:Rodd, C. S., ''18. Psalms'' in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)
The Oxford Bible Commentary
p. 404 it calls on the people to be ready to fight. The psalm forms a regular part of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Catholic 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 ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

liturgies Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

. It has often been set to music, notably by

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...

who set the complete psalm for chorus and orchestra, while

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

chose only the first three verses for his motet ''Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied'', BWV 225. It was paraphrased in hymns.

Background and themes

Psalm 149 shares its first line with

, known as Cantate Domino. Both psalms call for praise of God in music and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, because God has chosen his people and helped them to victory. Psalm 149 also calls to be ready to fight, with "swords sharpened on both sides in their hands". The end of the psalm has been interpreted differently by commentators.

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

wrote that the phrase of the sword has a "mystical meaning", dividing temporal and eternal things. James L. Mays comments: "There is an eschatological, almost apocalyptic, dimension to the psalm's anticipation of a warfare of the faithful that will settle the conflict of the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God". Citing verses 5 and 6, the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

('' Berakhot'' 5) says the praises said by the pious on their beds refer to the recital of the

Bedtime Shema ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewis ...

. The Shema is like a "double-edged sword" that can destroy both inner and outer demons and evil spirits. This image of a double-edged sword also refers to Israel's power of praises of God, which enable them to avenge themselves against the nations that persecuted them when the nations receive their punishment at the end of days. C. S. Rodd notes that some writers divide the psalm into two sections, verses 1-4 and 5-9 (such as the layout in the

New King James Version The New King James Version (NKJV) is an English translation of the Bible. The complete NKJV Bible was published in 1982 by Thomas Nelson, now HarperCollins. The NKJV is described by Thomas Nelson as being "scrupulously faithful to the origin ...

), but others create three sections, verses 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9. Support for a three-section structure "is seen primarily in the triad of

infinitive Infinitive (abbreviated ) is a linguistics term for certain verb forms existing in many languages, most often used as non-finite verbs. As with many linguistic concepts, there is not a single definition applicable to all languages. The word is deri ...

s in verses 7-9", namely ''to execute vengeance ..., to bind their kings ..., to execute judgment ...'' in the

Text

Hebrew Bible version

The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 149:

King James Version

# Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. # Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. # Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. # For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. # Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. # Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; # To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; # To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; # To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 149 is recited in its entirety in the '' Pesukei D'Zimra'' ("Verses of Praise") section of the daily morning prayer. It is traditionally grouped with Psalms

146 146 may refer to: *146 (number), a natural number *AD 146, a year in the 2nd century AD *146 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *146 (Antrim Artillery) Corps Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers See also

* List of highways numbered 146 * {{Numbe ...

147 147 may refer to: * 147 (number), a natural number * AD 147, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century * 147 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 147 AH, a year in the Islamic calendar that corresponds to 764 – 765 CE ...

148 148 may refer to: *148 (number), a natural number *AD 148, a year in the 2nd century AD *148 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *148 (album), an album by C418 *148 (Meiktila) Battery Royal Artillery *148 (New Jersey bus) 148 may refer to: *148 (numb ...

, and

150 150 may refer to: *150 (number), a natural number *AD 150, a year in the 2nd century AD *150 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *150 Regiment RLC *Combined Task Force 150 See also * List of highways numbered 150 The following highways are numbered ...

– the five concluding chapters of the Book of Psalms, which are all recited in their entirety during ''Pesukei D'Zimra'' – under the classification of "''halleluyah''" psalms which express praise of God. Verse 2 is recited by the creeping creatures in

Perek Shira ''Perek Shira'' (Hebrew פרק שירה, lit. "Chapter of Song") is an ancient Jewish text. There are a number of versions extant, some associated with the Ashkenazic tradition, some with the Sephardic, and some with the Mizrahi Jews tradition. ...

. Verse 5 is recited after saying Mishnayos for the departed.

Catholic Church

The psalm is one of the

Laudate psalms The Laudate Psalms are the psalms numbered 148, 149, and 150, traditionally sung all together as one psalm in the canonical hours, most particularly the hour of Lauds, also called "Morning Prayer", which derives its name from these psalms. The psal ...

or hymn psalms. With

Psalm 148 Psalm 148 is the 148th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the Lord from the heavens". In Latin, it is known as "Laudate Dominum de caelis". The psalm is one of the Laudate psalms. Old Testamen ...

and

Psalm 150 Psalm 150 is the 150th and final psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the . Praise God in his sanctuary". In Latin, it is known as "Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius". In Psalm 150, the psalmist ...

, Psalm 149 was recited or sung daily during the solemn service of

matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by ...

, according to the

Rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

(530 AD). In the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

, Psalm 149 is used for Sunday

Lauds Lauds is a canonical hour of the Divine office. In the Roman Rite Liturgy of the Hours it is one of the major hours, usually held after Matins, in the early morning hours. Name The name is derived from the three last psalms of the psalter (148, ...

of the

Roman rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

in the first week. It is also used for feasts and solemnities week. In the Eucharistic liturgy, it is the Saturday after the

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...

or before January 7 epiphany, and at

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

, the Monday of the sixth week.

Musical settings

With an

incipit The incipit () of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose. The word ''incipit'' comes from Latin and means "it beg ...

about singing, the psalm and especially its first line has often been set to music, in various languages.

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

published a composition of its beginning in Latin, "Cantate Domino canticum novum", in 1625 in his '' Cantiones sacrae'' as SWV 81, scored for four voices and basso continuo. He set the psalm in German, titled ''Die heilige Gemeine'' (The holy congregation) as part of the

Becker Psalter The ''Becker Psalter'' is a German metrical psalter authored by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker and first published by Jakob Apel in Leipzig in 1602 under the title ''Der Psalter Davids Gesangweis''. Several composers set the psalms contai ...

, as SWV 254.

Matthäus Apelles von Löwenstern Matthäus Apelles von Löwenstern (20 April 1594 – 11 April 1648) was a German psalmist, musician and statesman. Life He was born in Prudnik as Matthäus Apelt. His father was a saddler. He studied at the university of Frankfurt. He directed ...

published the hymn " Singt dem Herrn ein neues Lied", a paraphrase of the psalm, in 1644.

BWV 411 Johann Sebastian Bach's chorale harmonisations, alternatively named four-part chorales, are Lutheran hymn settings that characteristically conform to the following: * four-part harmony * SATB vocal forces * pre-existing hymn tune allotted to the ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

's four-part setting of Löwenstern's

hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

. Bach's cantata ''Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied'', BWV 190, for New Year's Day, and his motet ''Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied'', BWV 225, composed in the 1720s like the cantata, both open with words taken from the beginning of the psalm.

Jean-Joseph de Mondonville Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (, 25 December 1711 (baptised) – 8 October 1772), also known as Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, was a French violinist and composer. He was a younger contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau and enjoyed great succe ...

set the psalm as a motet, one of his nine grand motets, in 1734.

set the complete psalm for mixed choir and orchestra, as his Op. 79. Bernard Rose set the psalm in English as ''Praise ye the Lord'' for unaccompanied double choir in 1949.

Philip James Philip Frederick Wright James (May 17, 1890 – November 1, 1975) was an American composer, conductor and music educator. Life James was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. At an early age he began piano, violin and theory lessons, and served as ...

set it for choir in 1956.

Raymond Wilding-White Raymond Wilding-White (also known as Ray Wilding-White); (9 October 1922 – 24 August 2001) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and electronic music, and a photographer/digital artist. Biography Wilding-White was born in ...

set the psalm for two sopranos, violin and viola. English-language hymns paraphrasing Psalm 149, or taking inspiration from it, include "I sing the mighty power of God", "Let all the world in every corner sing", " Lord of the Dance", "Praise the Lord, sing Hallelujah", "Songs of praise the angels sang", and "We sing the mighty power of God".

References

External links

* * Ted Hildebrandt
Psalms Bibliography
2005
Psalm 149
biblegateway.com
Psalm 149 – The High Praises of God and a Two-Edged Sword
enduringword.com *

Charles H. Spurgeon Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He wa ...

The Treasury of David / by Charles H. Spurgeon / Psalm 149
romans45.org * {{Jewish prayers 149 Pesukei dezimra Siddur of Orthodox Judaism