Psalm 144 is a royal psalm of trust: “Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war. My mercy, and my refuge… my protector.” In wonder it asks, “Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him?” and ends with a picture of a blessed people: “Happy is that people whose God is the Lord.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 143. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 144 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war.
My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me.
Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?
Man is like to vanity: his days pass away like a shadow.
Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend: touch the mountains and they shall smoke.
Send forth lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: shoot out thy arrows, and thou shalt trouble them.
Put forth thy hand from on high, take me out, and deliver me from many waters: from the hand of strange children:
Whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity.
To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle: on the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises to thee.
Who givest salvation to kings: who hast redeemed thy servant David from the malicious sword:
Deliver me, And rescue me out of the hand of strange children; whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity:
Whose sons are as new plants in their youth: Their daughters decked out, adorned round about after the similitude of a temple:
Their storehouses full, flowing out of this into that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding in their goings forth:
Their oxen fat. There is no breach of wall, nor passage, nor crying out in their streets.
They have called the people happy, that hath these things: but happy is that people whose God is the Lord.
Psalm 144 or Psalm 143?
The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 143 is Psalm 144 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Benedictus Dominus Deus meus. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- God trains the king: strength for every battle, including spiritual battles.
- What is man? “Man is like to vanity: his days pass away like a shadow”; yet God cares for us (compare Psalm 8).
- God comes down: “Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend,” fulfilled in the Incarnation.
- A new song: “To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle.”
- A blessed people: sons like young plants, daughters like temple columns, full barns and peace.
How the Church uses Psalm 144
- At Evening Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. See Vespers.
- For strength in trials. See psalms for strength.
A prayer with Psalm 144
Written for this page:
Blessed be the Lord, my rock, my refuge and my deliverer.
Lord, what am I, that you care for me? My days pass like a shadow.
Bow down your heavens and come to save us, as you came in Christ.
Bless our families and our land; happy the people whose God is the Lord. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Where is “Lord, what is man that you care for him?” in Psalm 144?
Psalm 144:3 (143:3 in the Douay-Rheims: “Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him?”), echoing Psalm 8.
What is Psalm 144 about?
A king’s praise of God who gives him strength, and a prayer for victory and blessing on the people.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 143 (144), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.