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In a sermon preached at the Paschal festival, St Augustine hears Psalm 111 as a song of whole-hearted confession. He reminds us that “confession” here does not mean only confession of sins. “The praise of God is poured forth in the devotion of confession.”¹ He contrasts the confession that shows a wound to the physician with thanksgiving for healing. The Psalm celebrates the Lord’s works, covenant remembrance, redemption, and the gift of holy fear.

Its spiritual center is worship that becomes obedience. The Lord’s works are not to be admired from a distance; they are to form a life. Augustine’s warning is sharp and pastorally necessary: “to understand, and not to do, is dangerous.” The Psalm therefore moves from praise in the assembly to wisdom expressed in keeping the commandments.²

Psalm 111 (LXX 110) - I Will Give Thee Thanks, O Lord, with My Whole Heart

Psalm Metadata

Field	Notes
NKJV / Masoretic numbering	Psalm 111
Septuagint / Coptic numbering	Psalm 110
Accepted author	No human author is named in the superscription; Alleluia is the praise heading.
Period in author’s life	No precise life event is given; the Psalm is a liturgical thanksgiving for the works of the Lord.
Christ prophecy status	Typological and ecclesial. The works of the Lord, the covenant, the redemption, and the fear of the Lord point toward Christ, the wisdom of God, and the new covenant.
Coptic lectionary/service use	The cited trilingual Book of Agpeya includes Psalm 111 (LXX 110) in the Ninth Hour, covering the whole psalm.
Numbering issue	This note embeds Brenton LXX Psalm 110. The cited Agpeya prints Psalm 110 (111) in nine units corresponding to the ten Brenton verses.

Historical and Scriptural Context

Psalm 111 is a hymn of praise for God’s mighty acts in the history of His people, including their deliverance and His covenant. Theodoret of Cyrus notes that this Psalm and the next are alphabetically composed in Hebrew. Such a poem is called an acrostic: its successive poetic units follow the order of the alphabet, a pattern that need not appear in the printed lines of an English translation. Psalm 112 (LXX 111) likewise speaks of the person who fears the Lord.

The Psalm’s teaching on the fear of the Lord also belongs with the wisdom of Proverbs 9:10, where reverence for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Geographical Significance ⛰️

The “inheritance of the heathen” recalls the land given to Israel. The Psalm places that gift within the people’s history of deliverance and covenant faithfulness.

The Characters 👥

The Lord. The God whose works are great, who is merciful and compassionate, who remembers His covenant, who sends redemption, and whose name is holy and fearful.

They that fear Him. The Psalm links their reverence for God with His provision and with wisdom put into practice.

The upright / the congregation. The assembly in which the psalmist gives thanks.

🕯️ Light from the Word

Psalm 110:1-3, I will give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart

110:1 Alleluia. I will give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation. 110:2 The works of the Lord are great, sought out according to all his will. 110:3 His work is worthy of thanksgiving and honour: and his righteousness endures for ever and ever.

The psalmist’s own resolve to give thanks is voiced among God’s people. Whole-hearted praise is not a demand to pretend that sorrow is absent; it is an invitation to bring our whole life before the Lord in the company of His people.

The great works of the Lord are to be sought out, not merely mentioned. Attending to what God has done gives substance to praise. His righteousness endures beyond a passing moment, so thanksgiving has a firmer ground than our present mood.

Lesson Guide

• Key phrases: “I will give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart”; “The works of the Lord are great.”
• Emphasize: thanksgiving in the congregation is a response to God’s works and enduring righteousness.
• Avoid: treating sorrow or a difficult season as proof that a person’s praise is insincere.

Psalm 110:4-6, He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered

110:4 He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is merciful and compassionate. 110:5 He has given food to them that fear him: he will remember his covenant for ever. 110:6 He has declared to his people the power of his works, to give them the inheritance of the heathen.

Remembrance moves in two directions: God causes His works to be remembered, and He Himself remembers His covenant. His works disclose His mercy and compassion; remembering them gives His people reason to hope in His faithfulness. The food He gives and the inheritance He grants recall His provision and deliverance, including the land given to Israel.

This history is not a promise that fearing God earns a person riches, land, conquest, or dominion over another people. Neither illness nor material hardship is proof that someone lacks reverence for God.

Christians also hear the Psalm’s food and covenant in the light of Christ. Augustine understands the food as heavenly bread and speaks of the Word made flesh as a gift not earned by us (Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 111, §4). At the Mystical Supper, Jesus gives His body, speaks of the new covenant in His blood, and asks His disciples to remember Him (Luke 22:14–20). In the Eucharist the Church receives His body and blood as His self-giving gift and remembers Him with thanksgiving. This Christian reading does not claim that the psalmist was describing the institution of the Eucharist as a historical event.

Lesson Guide

• Key phrases: “He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered”; “he will remember his covenant for ever.”
• Emphasize: remembering God’s mercy and covenant faithfulness gives the people reason for hope and praise.
• Avoid: turning the historical inheritance into a promise of personal wealth or conquest.

Psalm 110:7-10, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

110:7 The works of his hands are truth and judgment: all his commandments are sure: 110:8 established for ever and ever, done in truth and uprightness. 110:9 He sent redemption to his people: he commanded his covenant for ever: holy and fearful is his name. 110:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all that act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever and ever.

God’s works are marked by truth and judgment, and His commandments are sure. The Psalm speaks of His redemption before it speaks of our understanding: obedience is a response to His mercy, not a way to purchase it. Good understanding belongs to those who act accordingly; knowing what is right is meant to become a life of truth and uprightness.

Holy fear is reverent awe before God, whose mercy and justice are real; it is not a bargain for an easy life. For Christians, wisdom is not a way to make ourselves powerful. St Paul proclaims Christ crucified as the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23–24). Following Him calls us to trust and obedience rather than boasting.

Lesson Guide

• Key phrases: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”; “all that act accordingly have a good understanding.”
• Emphasize: reverence for the redeeming Lord bears fruit in what we do.
• Avoid: treating understanding as a substitute for action, or suffering as proof that someone lacks wisdom.

The Church’s Voice in Worship 📖

The trilingual Book of Agpeya associated with Fr Jacob B. Nadian and St Bishoy places Psalm 110 (111) in the Ninth Hour (printed pp. 116–117). Its nine printed units correspond to the whole Psalm in ten Brenton verses, though the wording and divisions differ. Praying this thanksgiving in the daily hours can form the habit of carrying remembered mercy into obedience.

Iconography Connection 🖼️

An icon of Christ can invite us to contemplate the Lord whose self-giving wisdom shapes the life of thanksgiving described here.

Spiritual Fruit 🍇

1. Give thanks with the whole heart. In the congregation, bring your whole life before God; praise need not pretend that sorrow is absent.

2. Remember the wonderful works of the Lord. Make a practice of recalling the mighty acts of God in history and in your life.

3. Fear the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. Let reverence for God shape your understanding and actions. If you have spoken falsely, correct the record and, where appropriate, apologize: this is a response to mercy, not a purchase of blessing.

4. Trust the enduring covenant. The Lord remembers His covenant for ever; rest in His faithfulness.

5. Praise the Lord for ever and ever. Let thanksgiving shape your ordinary choices as well as the words you sing.

Teacher's Notes

• Timing: 10 minutes for the whole heart of thanksgiving, 15 minutes for the works and covenant of the Lord, 15 minutes for the fear of the Lord and wisdom, 10 minutes for application.
• Where to linger: Psalm 110:9-10.
• Key phrase to say slowly: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all that act accordingly have a good understanding.”
• Pastoral warning: do not make reverence for God a condition for promised wealth or territorial dominion. The Psalm calls for grateful obedience, not a bargain for material reward.

Glossary

• Council of the upright: The assembly of the righteous where praise is offered.
• Inheritance of the heathen: The land described in the Psalm as given to God’s people in their history.
• Fear of the Lord: Reverent awe before God that is the beginning of wisdom and leads to action.
• Redemption: The deliverance from bondage that the Lord has sent to His people.

Translation and Source Notes

Embedded Scripture is from Brenton’s English Septuagint (LXX). The embedded chapter is Psalm 110; the study title uses NKJV/Masoretic numbering first, Psalm 111, with LXX 110 in parentheses. The Ninth Hour witness described above is a different translation, not the source of the Scripture printed here.

Sources

Primary sources: Brenton Septuagint, Psalm 110; Proverbs 9:10; Luke 22:14–20; 1 Corinthians 1:23–24; St Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 111 (LXX 110), §§2, 4, 7; Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 111, §7, in Robert C. Hill’s translation, p. 216.

Coptic Orthodox / liturgical sources: The Book of Agpeya, trilingual edition associated with Fr Jacob B. Nadian and St Bishoy, Ninth Hour, Psalm 110 (111), printed pp. 116–117.

Footnotes

1. St Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 111 (LXX 110), §2, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. VIII. ↩

2. St Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 111 (LXX 110), §7, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. VIII. ↩