Psalm 33 is the 33rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning 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 ...
: "Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright". The Book of Psalms is part of the
third section The Third Section of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery (russian: Tretiye Otdeleniye, or ''III otdeleniye sobstvennoy E.I.V. kantselyarii'' - in full: Третье отделение Собственной Его Императорского ...
of the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" '' ChristianOld Testament. 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 ...
and Latin
Vulgate
The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible.
The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...
translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 32. In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". Its purpose is to praise "the Sovereignty of the Lord in Creation and History".
Psalm 33 is used in both Jewish and Christian liturgies. It has been set to music.
Text
Hebrew Bible version
The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 33:
King James Version
# Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
# Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
# Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
# For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.
# He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
# By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
# He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
# Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
# For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
# The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
# The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
# Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
# The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
# From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
# He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
# There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
# An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
# Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
# To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
# Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
# For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
# Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
Verse 7
:''He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap'';
::''He lays up the deep in storehouses.''
Alternatively, "as a heap" may be read as "in a vessel", or "in a wineskin".
Content
In the ''International Critical Commentary'' series, Charles and Emilie Briggs described it as follows: "Ps. 33 is a song of praise. (1) A call to worship in the temple with song, music, and shouting (v.1–3), because of the righteousness and kindness of Yahweh (v.4–5). (2) All mankind are called to fear Yahweh, the creator of all things, and disposer of all nations (v.6–10). (3) Yahweh from His heavenly throne inspects all mankind (v.13–15); and victory is not due to armies or warriors (v.16–17). (4) He delivereth those who fear Him (v.18–19); therefore his people long for Him, are glad in him, and trust in His name for victory (v.20–22). A gloss praises the plans of Yahweh as everlastingly secure, and also the happiness of His people (v.11–12)."
Psalm 33 does not contain an ascription to any particular author in the Hebrew text, although the Septuagint ascribes it to
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
. Some manuscripts join it with Psalm 32. The Briggses suggest that it dates to the time of the Maccabees.
Yom Tov
Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...
, and - in many communities - on Hoshana Rabbah.
*Is recited by some during Tashlikh.
*Is recited on days of
Fast of Behav
The Fast of Behav (תענית בה"ב) refers to a tradition of Ashkenazic Jews to fast on the Monday, Thursday, and then following Monday after the holidays of Sukkot and Pesach. While today very few people fast, many Ashkenazic communities r ...
in some traditions.
*Verse 1 is part of Shochein Ad.
*Verse 10 is the tenth verse of
Yehi Kivod
Yehi kevod ( he, יְהִי כְבוֹד, lit= odwill be honored) is a prayer recited daily during pesukei dezimra prior to Ashrei. The prayer is a representation of God's exaltation in both the heavens and the earth.
The succession Yehi kevod h ...
in Pesukei Dezimra. Verse 11 is the twelfth verse of Yehi Kivod. Verse 9 is the thirteenth verse of Yehi Kivod.
*Verse 15 is found in Tractate Rosh Hashanah 1:2.
*Verses 20–22 are the second thru fourth verses of Hoshia Et Amecha of Pesukei Dezimra.
*Verse 22 is part of the final paragraph of
Tachanun
''Tachanun'' or ''Taḥanun'' ( he, תחנון "Supplication"), also called ''nefilat apayim'' ( he, נפילת אפיים "falling on the face"), is part of Judaism's morning (''Shacharit'') and afternoon (''Mincha'') services, after the recitati ...
Maariv
''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''.
The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms ...
.
New Testament
Verse 6, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made", is alluded to in Hebrews 11:3: "By faith we know the universe was made by God's command".
Book of Common Prayer
In the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
's ''
Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
'', this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the sixth day of the month.
Musical settings
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 ...
wrote a setting of a paraphrase of the psalm in German, "Freut euch des Herrn, ihr Christen all", SWV 130, for 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 cont ...
'', published first in 1628.
Carl Loewe
Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (; 30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869), usually called Carl Loewe (sometimes seen as Karl Loewe), was a German composer, tenor singer and conductor. In his lifetime, his songs ("Balladen") were well enough known for s ...
composed a setting in German for male a cappella choir, published in Dresden in 1845.
Alan Hovhaness
Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American- Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) a ...
set portions of this psalm, along with Psalms 146 and 150, in his opus 222 ''Praise the Lord with Psaltery''.
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...