I. (103:1–5) Bless the Lord, O My Soul, and Forget Not His Benefits. Each member of the worshiping congregation urges himself to “bless the Lord,” to speak well about him for his abundant generosity. This particular well-speaking is a listing of his “benefits,” to ensure that no one forget them. The theme of the psalm is therefore that the Lord’s faithfulness and generosity call forth a response of love and admiration, which are to be declared in song.

These verses each address “you,” namely, “my soul”; that is, each worshiper calls on his own inner being (“all that is within me”) to do the work of blessing. In Psalms the Hebrew word “soul” (nepesh) often refers to the inner self, without reflecting on whether this inner self is a separate component of the human being; at times the word is not noticeably different from English -self compounds (myself, himself).636

In verses 3–5 the song has each worshiper continuing to address his or her soul by listing some of the personal benefits of God. The verb “heals” (v. 3) often refers to curing someone from a physical sickness but can also be used as a metaphor for restoring moral and spiritual life (cf. Isa. 6:10; 53:5; Jer. 3:22; Hos. 14:4). Since it is parallel with “forgives,” the metaphorical use is likely here. Thus “iniquity” is likened to “diseases,” which weaken and corrupt; it is God’s mercy that takes them away. These sentiments reflect David’s own experience of God’s forgiveness (cf. Psalm 51). These benefits go on to include God’s constant care and provision. (On “redeems” [103:4] cf. comment on 25:22; cf. also Gen. 48:16; Pss. 26:11; 31:5; 34:22; 49:7, 15; 55:18; 69:18; 71:23; 72:14; 119:134, 154. On “Steadfast love and mercy” cf. comment on 103:6–19 [at v. 8].) The worshiper reminds his soul that the Lord’s “good” (his generous provision) has the result that his “youth is renewed like the eagle’s”; the eagle is an emblem of strength, vitality, and youthful endurance (cf. Isa. 40:31).

II.A. (103:6–14) The Lord’s Dealings. The first subsection takes verse 8 as its theme with its evocation of the Lord’s name (from Ex. 34:6, the OT’s fundamental confession of God’s character), recounting some of the many ways in which the Lord has shown his “steadfast love.” The recounting is intended to be suggestive, not exhaustive. The personal benefits of Psalm 103:3–5 derive from membership in that people to whom God has pledged himself and for whom he has done these great deeds.

In verse 6 “righteousness” and “justice” are the blessings of protection from those who might exploit or harm (cf. Deut. 16:18; Pss. 33:5; 97:2; Isa. 5:7); the “oppressed” refers to oppressed people in general but especially stresses God’s care for his own people when they are oppressed by those who would subdue their faithfulness to him (cf. Ps. 146:7). That this is stressing God’s care for Israel becomes clear from the following verse, in which God has shown his “ways” (his character as it governs his deeds; cf. Ex. 33:13) and his “acts,” which reveal his enduring commitment to his people (i.e., they express his “ways”; cf. Pss. 9:11; 66:5; 77:12; Isa. 12:4, where the word is “deeds”).

Singing Psalm 103:8 can reinforce the sense of assurance, and thus confidence, that God “will not always chide” his people nor “keep his anger” at them—whatever disciplinary measures he takes are for their purification, not their ultimate rejection (cf. 30:5; Mic. 7:18). This confidence is strengthened by reflecting on what God has done for his people in the past: “he does not deal with” them (and has not dealt with them) according to their “sins,” “iniquities” (v. 10), or “transgressions” (v. 12)—the names for what God forgives (Ex. 34:7) in the fundamental confession of faith. Likewise, “steadfast love” (Ps. 103:11) and “compassion” (v. 13, related to the word “merciful” in v. 8) continue the evocation of the divine name.

Verses 11–13 make three comparisons for the kindness of God toward his people: (1) It is as immeasurable as the height of heaven above earth (v. 11; cf. 36:5). (2) It is as far as the distance from east to west (103:12; the picture is one in which they are infinitely far from one another). (3) It is as tender as a father’s compassion for the frailness of his own child (v. 13). This last image depends on the notion that God is a father, both to his people as a whole (Ex. 4:22–23) and to the particular faithful members (Prov. 3:12). The image is an example of homology: one can grasp the image based on analogy with human experience (and even with bad experiences imagination can supply the understanding), but, having grasped it, faithful fathers will seek more and more to be the kind of father who “shows compassion to his children.”

The subsection ends with an explanation, with the word “for” (v. 14): God “knows our frame,” or, “knows how we are formed” (cf. ESV mg.)—which, together with “we are dust,” looks back to the creation of Adam (Gen. 2:7). Each of Adam’s children is “formed of dust” (with many intermediate steps; cf. Job 10:8–9; Pss. 90:3; 104:29; Eccles. 3:20; 12:7). Probably, in view of what follows, the idea of dust points to human frailty and finiteness (dust is not eternal or omniscient). Although in Genesis the return to dust is a consequence of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, the psalm here directs the worshipers’ attention to the Lord’s “compassion” as his response to the human condition, rather than disdain. The Lord “remembers” it and shows patience, even with his people, even when they stray.

II.B. (103:15–19) Man and God. This subsection brings the song to its crescendo: amid the shortness of human life (Ps. 103:15–16) God’s steadfast love for his faithful is everlasting (v. 17a), displayed in his bestowing on his faithful the privilege of nurturing those who will be his people in coming generations (vv. 17b–18).

For the image of “grass” and “flower” (v. 15), and the transience of life, cf. 90:5 (also Isa. 40:7). In the arid climate of Israel, grass and flowers can dry out and wither very quickly—because in the bright sunshine in the dry season “the wind passes over it,” drying out the plants, “and it is gone” (Ps. 103:16).637 For other reflections on the shortness of life cf. 102:3, 11.

The psalm has mentioned the Lord’s “steadfast love” several times already (103:4, 8, 11); now it adds that it is “from everlasting to everlasting” (v. 17; cf. 25:6; 100:5). The psalm clarifies that those who particularly receive that steadfast love are “those who fear him” (cf. 103:11, 13), the same group as “those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments” (v. 18). They are the faithful who believe the promises and obey the commands (Ex. 19:5; Deut. 7:9; cf. John 14:15, 21; 15:10; Rev. 1:3; 3:8). Nevertheless, the reception of God’s love does not end with them; it extends through time to further generations, to the “children’s children” of the faithful. The covenant of circumcision, which Abraham’s descendants were to “keep,” included the promise that the Lord would be God to both the parents and their offspring. This is the crowning privilege that God gives to his faithful: though their lives are short and appear almost insignificant, they may still contribute to the future well-being of the people of God by their godly and prayerful parenting and grandparenting; God’s “righteousness” is here his faithfulness to his own promises (cf. 100:5; 102:28). (In Ex. 34:7 God keeps steadfast love for thousands, which in light of Deut. 7:9 refers to thousands of generations for the faithful; cf. Ex. 20:6).

Psalm 103:19 links to the themes of the divine kingship Psalms (Psalms 93–100). The Lord’s “throne” and “kingdom” refer to his universal rule over all creation (cf. Section Overview of Psalm 93). The marvel of being God’s people is that the one whose kingdom “rules over all” offers the privilege of gratefully embracing his rule.

III. (103:20–22) Let All Creation Join in Blessing the Lord. After listing all these benefits, the psalm returns to urging various creatures to “bless the Lord,” echoing verses 1–2. The addressees go beyond the individual “soul” to include the “angels,” also called the “mighty ones” (vv. 20–21), and even “all his works in all places of his dominion” (the material creation; cf. v. 19). Such an overflow of goodness and steadfast love, as God’s works reveal, deserves that God’s people call on the angels and all nature (cf. 19:1) to join in their celebration. The song closes with the singer returning to urge his own “soul” to “bless the Lord” (cf. 103:1), with a deeper appreciation of how much praise and admiration he owes.

The song uses several names for the various kinds of angelic beings: they are “mighty ones,” God’s “hosts” (organized as if in armies), and his “ministers.” It emphasizes how they are ready in their obedience to the Lord’s will; they are good models in this for human worshipers. In verse 21 they “do [God’s] will”; Jesus echoes this in Matthew 6:10, teaching his followers to pray that God’s “will be done” with the same ready obedience shown by the angels (“in heaven”).