Psalm 117 – Psalms Of Hallel By Rabbi Gail Diamond Psalm 117 1. Psalm 117 is the shortest Psalm in the book of Psalms, with only two verses. (There are some Psalms with 3 verses 131, 133, 134.) Some manuscripts show Psalm 117 as part of Psalm 116 or 118. How is Psalm 117 connected to Psalm 116 and 118? Is it connected to other Psalms in Hallel? Do you see it more as a conclusion to Psalm 116 or an introduction to Psalm 118? 2. Difficult words: אמים in verse one is actually the only use of this plural in Tanach. אמות with a similar meaning (nations) is used twice Genesis 25:16 and Numbers 25:15. 3. Biblical parallels Verse 1– Psalm 18:50; Psalm 66:8-9 Verse 2 - Psalm 100:5 4. Theological/Spiritual meaning: Verse 1 focuses on all the nations. We see the word גוים also used in Psalms 113, 115 and 118. Is its meaning the same here? What is the message of verse 1? How does it relate to verse 2? How do you understand the word גבר in the second verse? This is the only verb that describes G-ds action in the Psalm. Why do you think it was chosen? Verse 2 also mentions חסד and אמת. How are these two attributes of Hashem related? Why do you think they were chosen for this Psalm? Video Conclusion (Video May Reference Parts of Psalm 118)