Psalms 103:2
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Study Note
Study Note
'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits' — the second address to the self in Psalm 103 introduces what follows as an act of deliberate memory: the soul must rehearse the catalog of divine benefits to prevent the spiritual amnesia that the wilderness generation exemplified. The benefits listed (forgiveness, healing, redemption, lovingkindness, satisfaction — verses 3–5) are not abstract attributes but experienced transactions between the God of covenant and his servant. The psalm's insistence on self-address ('O my soul') has been understood in the Christian contemplative tradition as a model for the interior dialogue of spiritual discipline — commanding the affections rather than waiting passively for devotional feeling to arise.
Other Translations
Bless Jehovah, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:
Bless, O my soul, Jehovah, And forget not all His benefits,
Give praise to the Lord, O my soul; let not all his blessings go from your memory.
Cross References
Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house …
And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, …
Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which …
Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the …
Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? …
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there …
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at …