Psalm 103
Psalm 103: Bless the Lord, O My Soul
The psalm of mercy measured in distances: as far as the east is from the west, and as tender as a father.
Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” is the psalm of mercy that measures forgiveness in distances. It promises that God removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
Pray it now
Psalm 103 in full
1Praise the LORD, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name!2Praise the LORD, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits,3who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases,4who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,5who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.6The LORD executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed.7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel.8The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.9He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.10He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.12As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.13Like a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.14For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.15As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.16For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more.17But the LORD’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children,18to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts.19The LORD has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.20Praise the LORD, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.21Praise the LORD, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure.22Praise the LORD, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul!
Psalm 103 · WEBC
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities from us.”
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What Psalm 103 Means
Psalm 103 is the Psalter's fullest statement about mercy, and its method is to keep reaching for something big enough to measure it against.
It starts by telling the soul to bless the Lord and then, in case the soul has forgotten, listing why: he forgives all your sins, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with loving kindness. The verb in the opening is a command addressed inward, the same technique Psalm 42 uses, and here it is used to prompt memory rather than to argue with despair.
The measurements are what people remember. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his loving kindness. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. That second image is chosen with care: north and south have poles and therefore a maximum distance, and east and west do not. The psalm reaches for the one axis with no limit.
Then the reason, and it is unexpectedly tender. He knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust. Mercy here is not indulgence, it is accurate knowledge of what we are made of. As a father has compassion on his children, the psalm says, and the compassion follows from knowing rather than from overlooking.
It ends by widening from one soul to the angels, the hosts, and all his works everywhere.
Liturgical Use in the Catholic Church
Psalm 103 appears throughout the Liturgy of the Hours and is a common responsorial psalm at Mass, particularly on Sundays when the readings concern mercy and forgiveness. It is widely used in the sacrament of reconciliation.
Praying Psalm 103 — A Simple Practice
Read it after confession rather than before; it is written from the far side of forgiveness and describes what has already been done. If you are struggling to believe a sin is actually gone, sit on the east and west verse and notice that the psalm deliberately chose the one direction with no limit. The line about remembering we are dust is worth keeping for days when you are disappointed in yourself.
The psalm’s instruction, “don’t forget all his benefits,” is the whole method of a prayer of gratitude — name the gifts one by one, as the psalm does.
For the day the whole country sets aside for that list, on the fourth Thursday of November, see our Thanksgiving prayers — including a dinner prayer that everyone at the table can answer.
Questions people ask
What does as far as the east is from the west mean?
It describes how completely God removes sin. The image is chosen precisely: north and south have poles and so a maximum distance between them, while east and west have none. The psalm reaches for the one axis with no limit.
What is Psalm 103 about?
The mercy of God, listed and then measured. It commands the soul to remember what God has done, measures his mercy against the height of the heavens and the distance of east from west, and grounds it in his knowing that we are dust.
Why does Psalm 103 say he remembers that we are dust?
As the reason for compassion rather than as an insult. Mercy in this psalm is not indulgence but accurate knowledge of what we are made of, which is why the verse is followed by the image of a father's compassion for his children.
What number is Psalm 103 in Catholic Bibles?
Psalm 102 in the Douay-Rheims and the Vulgate, which follow the Septuagint numbering.
