Notice
David addresses his own soul, making praise a deliberate act that reaches into everything within him and centers on YHWH’s holy name.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What would you write today if you addressed your own soul as David does?
Write on thisWhat might “All that is within me” include in your praise today?
Write on thisWhat difference might praising God’s holy name make to the words you choose?
Write on thisConnect
Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 146:1–2Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, my soul.Both psalms address the soul with the same command to praise the LORD.
Psalm 57:7–11My heart is steadfast, God. My heart is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises.Psalm 103 summons everything within the speaker to praise; Psalm 57 joins a steadfast heart to a resolve to sing praises.
1 Corinthians 14:15What should I do? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding …David summons his whole self to praise, while Paul speaks of singing with both spirit and understanding.
John 4:24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”Both address worship of God: David summons his soul to praise, while Jesus speaks of worship in spirit and truth.
Psalm 111:1Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation.Praise from everything within David shares Psalm 111’s emphasis on giving thanks to the LORD with a whole heart.
Psalm 103:22–104:1Praise the LORD, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul!The closing verse repeats the opening command to the soul and extends the summons to all God’s works throughout his dominion.
Colossians 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in …Both locate praise within the worshiper: David addresses his soul, and Colossians speaks of singing to the Lord with grace in the heart.
Mark 12:30–33You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.David’s summons to praise with everything within him shares the commandment’s emphasis on devotion to God involving the whole person.
Luke 1:46–47Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.David commands his soul to praise the LORD, and Mary declares that her soul magnifies the Lord.
Philippians 1:9This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment,The connection is broad: both concern inward devotion, though David urges praise and Paul prays for love shaped by knowledge and discernment.
Revelation 4:8The four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within. They have no rest day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is …David praises the LORD’s holy name, while the four living creatures praise the Lord God as holy without rest.
Isaiah 6:3One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”The LORD’s holiness is central to both David’s summons to praise and the declaration heard in Isaiah.
Where this verse fits
Praise and worship. gratitude. wanting a steady prayer habit.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
Praise may begin with words addressed to your own soul, as David’s does here. YHWH’s holy name deserves the praise of your whole self.
Now put it in your words.
Start an entry on Psalm 103:1. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).