Psalm 117: Praise the Lord, All You Nations
This is a multilingual setting of Psalm 117 submitted by Paul Neeley. It was composed by Paul Neeley and Josh Davis.
Psalm 117Reflection:
How does this psalm piece interpret the psalm?
Psalm 117 has been my life’s direction-setting passage for many years, with a clarion call for all people groups to worship the Lord. In this song, languages used include English, Hebrew, Kiswahili, Portuguese, Korean, Spanish, and French. All the language phrases mean “Praise the Lord!” A Native American flute is also used in addition to global percussion, though those are not necessary to use the song in a church service. Psalm 117 is as significant today as it was thousands of years ago, calling all the “ethne” to praise the Lord for God’s love and faithfulness. We should say or sing this short psalm continually.
Liturgical Suggestions:
To use this song at a church, keep the “Hallelujah” in Hebrew as presented here and ask people in your congregation to sing the phrase in their languages. You do not need to use six in a single service! The idea is to have a few multilingual phrases and melodic phrases that interlock in a pleasing manner.
Score in PDF available:Copyright Information:
Text and Music: Psalm 145; Paul Neeley and Josh Davis, © Paul Neeley and Josh Davis
Used by permission. Creative Commons.
Contact: Paul Neeley, paulneeley@gmail.com; Josh Davis, jd@proskuneo.org