Psalm 103
The full text of Psalm 103 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
Of David.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
22 Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Translation notes (4)
- Psalm 103:5a Kannesher (כַּנֶּשֶׁר), 'like the eagle', may denote either the eagle or the griffon vulture, as Hebrew uses one word for both large raptors. Ancient interpreters connected the image with the bird's annual molt, after which its plumage appears fresh, a natural picture of vigor restored; the point is renewed vitality, not literal rejuvenation.
- Psalm 103:8a This verse repeats the self-declaration of Exodus 34:6, where the LORD proclaims himself rachum, 'merciful', and channun, 'gracious', a formula echoed throughout the Hebrew Bible (Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nehemiah 9:17). The phrase 'abounding in steadfast love' translates rav-chesed, chesed denoting loyal covenant love.
- Psalm 103:14a The Hebrew yitsrenu, 'our frame' (יִצְרֵנוּ), derives from yatsar, 'to form', the verb used in Genesis 2:7 when the LORD formed man from the dust of the ground. Together with aphar, 'dust' (עָפָר), the language recalls Genesis 3:19, grounding divine compassion in the Creator's intimate knowledge of human frailty.
- Psalm 103:16a Hebrew ruach (רוּחַ) means both 'wind' and 'breath' or 'spirit'; here it denotes the hot desert wind that withers grass, though the word's other sense may evoke the fleeting breath of human life itself. The image of a place no longer knowing the one who occupied it echoes Job 7:10.
About this translation
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