Psalm 118
Psalm 118 is the 118th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever." The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and in its Latin translation in the Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 117 in a slightly different numbering system. In Latin, it is known as "Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus quoniam in saeculum misericordia  eius". Its themes are thanksgiving to God and reliance on God rather than on human strength. The psalm is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. Text. Hebrew Bible version. Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 118: Theme and structure. This psalm is centered on God, in a movement that expresses gratitude, admiration, joy and praise. In the King James Version, the Lord is mentioned in almost every verse. The psalm is one of the so-called Egyptian Hallel. Notable verses. Verse 14. These words are parallelled in the Song of Moses  () and are used by the prophet Isaiah in . Uses. Judaism. This psalm 118 is the last in the series of the "Egyptian hallel". It is read on the days of recitation of the hallel. The last ten verses are even read twice. New Testament. Parts of this Psalm were quoted by Jesus and writers of the New Testament. Catholic Church. This psalm was chosen by St Benedict towards 530, as the third psalm during the solemn office of the Sunday laudes (Rule of Saint Benedict, chapter XI10). Psalm 118 (117) is now read in the liturgy of the Hours every  Sunday of the first and third weeks, at the office of Sext. Psalm 118 is also closely associated with Easter in the Catholic Church, and it is typically sung at the Easter Vigil and the morning Mass on Easter Sunday. The gradual for Easter is based on verse 24, . As a result, many compositions are based on this textual fragment. Anglicanism. An extract from verse 23 is inscribed on several English coins, with the text of the Vulgate: "a Domino factum est istud hoc est mirabile in oculis nostris". Upon her accession to the throne, Elizabeth I of England is  said to have pronounced this same verse, also in Latin, as quoted in the New Testament: "A Domino factum est illud et est mirabile in oculis nostris". Urban Legend. There is an extremely widespread urban legend which claims that Psalm 118 is the central chapter of the entire bible. This is neither relevant nor true. It is not relevant, because the chapters and verses of the bible are an addition made to the bible in the 13th century (chapters) and 16th century (verses). It is not true for various reasons: The same urban legend identifies Psalm 118 verse 8 as  the central verse of the entire bible. For all the reasons stated above, and others, this is also not true. Music. The hymn in German "Nun saget Dank und lobt den Herren" is a paraphrase of Psalm 118. It was set to music by various composers.