Daily Verse Daily Verse by Faithlife | Psalm 103:1
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103:1 Bless Yahweh The psalmist repeats this command six times (vv. 1, 2, 20, 21, 22). The Hebrew word used here, barakh (which may be literally rendered as “to bless”), describes bestowing someone with special power or declaring Yahweh to be the source of special power. In that regard, it means praising Yahweh for who He is. Compare 106:48 and note.
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ps 103:1). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
106:48 This verse functions as a doxology or closing to Book Four of Psalms (see note on 1:1–6). The closing verses of each book of Psalms contain statements of blessing to Yahweh. Such formulaic statements of praise to Yahweh are usually called doxologies, and point to some level of intentional arrangement of each book of the Psalms. However, the precise nature of that arrangement is unclear. These statements could indicate that the psalms were collected into these books in stages; they could also indicate that the psalms were transmitted for a time in the form of these books.
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ps 106:48). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
103:1–2 The threefold repetition of bless represents the highest form of worship (Is 6:3). The Hebrew word translated benefits (gemul, from gamal) means paying back what is deserved (28:4; 94:2; 116:12; 142:7). It most often describes God’s divine wrath and retribution toward the enemy (Is 59:18), but here it describes the Lord’s blessings enumerated in vv. 3–5.
Warstler, K. R. (2017). Psalms. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 907). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.