Psalm 113 is the 113th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the Lord, O ye servants of the Lord". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In Latin, it is known as 'Laudate pueri Dominum". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the bible and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 112. The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. In Judaism, it is the first of the six psalms comprising the Hallel, a prayer of praise and thanksgiving recited on Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the Hebrew month) and Jewish holidays. In Catholicism, it is one of the psalms included in the vespers service. It has been set to music often, notably by Claudio Monteverdi in his Vespro della Beata Vergine of 161

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

King James Version

Verse 1

In the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition, the wording reads Praise the Lord, ye children: praise ye the name of the Lord, from the Latin pueri, literally meaning "boys". Methodist writer Joseph Benson suggests there is a special emphasis in calling the Levites to praise, as they "are peculiarly devoted to this solemn work, and sometimes termed God’s servants, in a special sense", along with a general call to congregation.

Uses

Judaism

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the twenty-third day of the month, as well as at Evensong on Easter Day.

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz composed a metred paraphrase of Psalm 113 in German, "Lobet, ihr Knecht, den Herren", SWV 211, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628. This psalm has been set to music often, as it is one of the psalms included in vespers, typically set in Latin as Laudate pueri Dominum. Claudio Monteverdi wrote a setting in his Vespro della Beata Vergine, published in 1610. Mozart set the text in his two vespers compositions, Vesperae solennes de Dominica, K. 321, and Vesperae solennes de confessore, K. 339. Individual settings of the psalm include two by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (H.149, H.203, H.203 a), five by Antonio Vivaldi, RV 600–603. Handel set it twice, a setting in F major which is his earliest extant autograph which may have been written as early as 1701/02 in Halle, HWV 236, and a setting composed in D major in Rome in 1707, HWV 237. Jan Dismas Zelenka wrote two settings, both for a single soloist, trumpet and orchestra, ZWV 81 (1729) and ZWV 82 (1725). In 1830, Mendelssohn set the psalm as one of 3 Motets for female choir and organ, Op. 39, No. 2. In 1863, Bruckner set the psalm in German, Psalm 112 ''Alleluja! Lobet den Herrn, ihr Diener'', WAB 35.

Sources