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This psalm is short and sweet; I doubt the reason why we sing it so often as we do is for the shortness of it; but, if we rightly understood and considered it, we should sing it oftener for the sweetness of it, especially to us sinners of the Gentiles, on whom it casts a very favourable eye. Here is, I. A solemn call to all nations to praise God, Ps 117:1. II. Proper matter for that praise suggested, Ps 117:2. We are soon weary indeed of well-doing if, in singing this psalm, we keep not up those pious and devout affections with which the spiritual sacrifice of praise ought to be kindled and kept burning.
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All Nations Admonished to Praise God
繁體中文
勸萬民讚美神
¹ 萬國啊，你們都當讚美耶和華！萬民哪，你們都當頌讚他！ ² 因為他向我們所施的慈愛極大；耶和華的誠實永遠長存。你們要讚美耶和華！
本篇含有豐富的福音真理。使徒為我們提供了解讀的鑰匙（羅 15:11），他在那裏引用本篇作為證據，證明福音要傳給外邦列國，並為他們所接受——這卻是猶太人極大的絆腳石。當經上說——而且他們自己也常如此唱誦——「萬國啊，你們都當讚美主；萬民哪，你們都當頌讚祂」，這為何要絆倒他們呢？有些猶太作者承認本篇是指著彌賽亞的國度；甚至有人有一種想法，認為本篇只有兩節，是要表明在彌賽亞的日子，神要被兩種人榮耀——猶太人按摩西律法，外邦人按挪亞眾子的七條誡命——卻仍要成為一個教會，正如這兩節成為一篇詩。此處有：
一、福音教會的廣大範圍（詩 117:1）。許多世代以來，惟獨在猶大，神才為人所認識，祂的名才被稱頌。利未的子孫和以色列的後裔稱頌祂，但其他列國卻「讚美木頭石頭的神」（但 5:4），而對又真又活的神，至少據我們所知，完全沒有公開的敬拜。但此處「萬國」都被召來讚美耶和華，這不能套用於舊約時代，因為這呼召當時既未向任何外邦國家發出，更未以他們所能明白的語言向萬國發出；而且除非那地的百姓成為猶太人、受割禮，否則他們不能獲准與他們同讚美神。但基督的福音被定規要傳給萬國，藉著祂那隔斷的牆被拆毀，那些「遠離的人」得以「親近」。這便是隱藏在預言中許多世代的奧祕，至終在應驗中顯明：「外邦人在基督耶穌裏，藉著福音，得以同為後嗣」（弗 3:3, 6）。此處請注意：1. 誰要被接納入教會——「萬國」與「萬民」。原文所用的詞與詩篇第二篇中向基督「暴怒」的「外邦」、謀算虛妄事的「萬民」（詩 2:1）相同；那些曾作祂國度仇敵的，要成為祂甘心順服的子民。天國的福音要傳給「天下萬國，對萬民作見證」（太 24:14，可 16:15）。萬國都要被召，而在某些來自萬國的人身上，這呼召要成為有效的呼召，他們要成為門徒。2. 他們被接入教會的事如何被預告——藉著重複的呼召「頌讚祂」。福音的信息既傳給萬國，就要使他們有理由讚美神；福音制度的設立，要使他們有權利和機會讚美神；而福音恩典的大能，要賜他們一顆讚美的心。神以自己的話邀請、又以自己的靈感動人來讚美祂，並如此使人成為祂的得名得讚之民（耶 13:11），這樣的人是極蒙恩惠的。見啟 7:9-10。
二、福音恩典那不可測度的豐富，這正是我們讚美的內容（詩 117:2）。在福音中，神那為人所頌讚的兩大屬性——祂的慈愛與祂的誠實——最明亮地照耀於其本身，也最舒適地照臨我們；使徒在引用本篇之處，特別提及這兩件大事，作為外邦人當因之榮耀神的緣由（羅 15:8-9），即為「神的誠實」並為「祂的憐憫」。我們這些得享福音的人，有理由讚美主：1. 因祂憐憫的大能：「祂向我們所施的慈愛極大」；它是「堅固」的（原文之意）；它「大有能力」，足以赦免「大能的罪」（摩 5:12），足以成就極大的救恩。2. 因祂誠實的永存：「耶和華的誠實永遠長存。」福音傳到外邦人中間，對他們而言是憐憫，純然的憐憫。這是向他們所施的慈愛，遠超他們所配得的；在其中，「耶和華的誠實」——對列祖所應許的誠實——「永遠長存」；因為儘管猶太人硬心被逐，那應許卻在信主的外邦人——亞伯拉罕屬靈的後裔——身上應驗了。神的憐憫是我們一切安慰的源頭，祂的誠實是我們一切盼望的根基；因此，我們必為這兩樣都讚美主。
英文原文
All Nations Admonished to Praise God
¹ O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
² For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
There is a great deal of gospel in this psalm. The apostle has furnished us with a key to it (Ro 15:11), where he quotes it as a proof that the gospel was to be preached to, and would be entertained by, the Gentile nations, which yet was so great a stumbling-block to the Jews. Why should that offend them when it is said, and they themselves had often sung it, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and laud him, all you people. Some of the Jewish writers confess that this psalm refers to the kingdom of the Messiah; nay, one of them has a fancy that it consists of two verses to signify that in the days of the Messiah God should be glorified by two sorts of people, by the Jews, according to the law of Moses, and by the Gentiles, according to the seven precepts of the sons of Noah, which yet should make one church, as these two verses make one psalm. We have here,
I. The vast extent of the gospel church, Ps 117:1. For many ages in Judah only was God known and his name praised. The sons of Levi and the seed of Israel praised him, but the rest of the nations praised gods of wood and stone (Da 5:4), while there was no devotion at all paid, at least none openly, that we know of, to the living and true God. But here all nations are called to praise the Lord, which could not be applied to the Old-Testament times, both because this call was not then given to any of the Gentile nations, much less to all, in a language they understood, and because, unless the people of the land became Jews and were circumcised, they were not admitted to praise God with them. But the gospel of Christ is ordered to be preached to all nations, and by him the partition-wall is taken down, and those that were afar off are made nigh. This was the mystery which was hidden in prophecy for many ages, but was at length revealed in the accomplishment, That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, Eph 3:3,6. Observe here, 1. Who should be admitted into the church—all nations and all people. The original words are the same that are used for the heathen that rage and the people that imagine against Christ (Ps 2:1); those that had been enemies to his kingdom should become his willing subjects. The gospel of the kingdom was to be preached to all the world, for a witness to all nations, Mt 24:14, Mk 16:15. All nations shall be called, and to some of all nations the call shall be effectual, and they shall be discipled. 2. How their admission into the church is foretold—by a repeated call to praise him. The tidings of the gospel, being sent to all nations, should give them cause to praise God; the institution of gospel-ordinances would give them leave and opportunity to praise God; and the power of gospel-grace would give them hearts to praise him. Those are highly favoured whom God invites by his word and inclines by his Spirit to praise him, and so makes to be to him for a name and a praise, Jer 13:11. See Re 7:9,10.
II. The unsearchable riches of gospel-grace, which are to be the matter or our praise, Ps 117:2. In the gospel, those celebrated attributes of God, his mercy and his truth, shine most brightly in themselves and most comfortably to us; and the apostle, where he quotes this psalm, takes notice of these as the two great things for which the Gentiles should glorify God (Ro 15:8,9), for the truth of God and for his mercy. We that enjoy the gospel have reason to praise the Lord, 1. For the power of his mercy: His merciful kindness is great towards us; it is strong (so the word signifies); it is mighty for the pardon of mighty sins (Am 5:12) and for the working out of a mighty salvation. 2. For the perpetuity of his truth: The truth of the Lord endures for ever. It was mercy, mere mercy, to the Gentiles, that the gospel was sent among them. It was merciful kindness prevailing towards them above their deserts; and in it the truth of the Lord, of his promise made unto the fathers, endures for ever; for, though the Jews were hardened and expelled, yet the promise took its effect in the believing Gentiles, the spiritual seed of Abraham. God's mercy is the fountain of all our comforts and his truth the foundation of all our hopes, and therefore for both we must praise the Lord.
本篇簡短而甘甜；我懷疑我們之所以如此頻繁地唱它，是因它簡短；但我們若正確地明白並思想它，就必因它的甘甜而更加頻繁地唱它——尤其是對我們外邦罪人而言，本篇對我們投以極為恩惠的目光。其中有：一、向萬民發出鄭重的呼召，要他們讚美神（詩一一七1）。二、提出合宜的讚美內容（詩一一七2）。我們若在唱這詩時，沒有保持那當用以點燃並維持讚美這屬靈祭物的敬虔熱切情感，便確實很快就對行善生厭了。