“I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.”
The opening invocation—'I will sing of loyalty and justice'—announces the psalm's double focus on the covenantal virtues that define both divine character and royal conduct. This prefatory declaration, unique in its pairing of these two theological virtues, establishes the psalm as a royal manifesto concerned with ethical governance. The verb 'I will sing' (zamar) frames these virtues not as abstract principles but as lived practice to be celebrated liturgically. The speaker commits to embodying divine justice in their own rule, implicitly recognizing that human authority reflects and participates in God's justice. This opening aligns with the wisdom tradition's vision of the righteous ruler as an instrument of divine order.
Church Fathers on Psalms 101:1
1. In this Psalm, we ought to seek in the whole body of it what we find in the first verse: “Mercy and judgment will I sing unto You, O Lord” Psalm 100:1. Let no man flatter himself that he will never be punished through God's mercy; for there is judgment also; and let no man who has been changed for the better dread the Lord's judgment, seeing that mercy goes before it. For when men judge, sometimes overcome by mercy, they act against justice; and mercy, but not justice,…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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