The opening summons is striking in its universality. The psalmist calls not merely upon Israel, not merely upon the covenant community, but upon “all ye nations” and “all ye people,” using the Hebrew words “goyim” and “leummim,” both of which explicitly refer to Gentile peoples and foreign nations. This was a radical and expansive vision for its time. Israel understood herself as the chosen people, set apart from the surrounding nations, and yet this psalm invites all of humanity into the praise of Israel's God.
Matthew Henry observed that this short psalm is a great one, containing the substance of the whole gospel, since the calling of the Gentiles into the fellowship of God's covenant was always the divine intention running beneath the surface of Israel's particular calling. Adam Clarke noted that the universality of this call anticipates what the prophets would later develop more fully, that the knowledge of the Lord would eventually cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
The two reasons given for this universal praise are carefully chosen. First, “his merciful kindness is great toward us,” and second, “the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.” The first phrase translates the magnificent Hebrew word “chesed,” often rendered as lovingkindness, steadfast love, or covenant mercy. This word carries layers of meaning that no single English word fully captures.
It speaks of loyalty within a binding relationship, of a love that does not waver when circumstances change, of a commitment that presses through difficulty rather than retreating from it. The word “great” in this verse carries the sense of being overpowering or mighty, suggesting that God's covenant love is not merely warm sentiment but a prevailing, victorious force on behalf of those who belong to Him. Barnes' Notes observes that the call to the nations to praise God is grounded in what God has done specifically for Israel, as though the Gentile world is invited to look at Israel's story and recognise in it the character of the God who is Lord of all.
