concept
Psalm 102 (103), verse 1
Psalm 102
also: Благослови, душе моя, Господа, Bless the Lord, O my soul
The opening verse of the Church Slavonic Psalm 102 (103 in Hebrew/KJV numbering), "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name," the fixed opening psalm (predначинательный) of Orthodox Vespers. In this letter Chekhov corrects Khlopov's garbled misquotation of it, put in the mouth of the sexton Iona at the close of his story.
Reading notes
- To N. A. Khlopov, 13 February 1888. Moscow. §9 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let it rejoice..." No such prayer exists.
Chekhov corrects a garbled quotation of the opening of Psalm 102 (103 in Hebrew/KJV numbering), "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name," a verse used liturgically as the opening psalm of Orthodox Vespers -- appropriate to a sexton's part in the service, which is presumably why Khlopov reached for it, but misremembered.