When it is said
Anyone may pray it, at any time.
It praises God, Who heals broken hearts and feeds the animals. It suits a day of sorrow as well as a day of thanks.
Where it comes from
Author by tradition
Who wrote it?
The Hebrew text names no author. The Psalter of the Orthodox Church follows the old Greek translation, and there the heading names the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. The Greek also counts these 11 verses as a whole psalm of their own, numbered 146.
A psalm for praising God
St Athanasius of Alexandria wrote a letter to his friend Marcellinus about praying the psalms, in which he sorts them by what the reader needs. For anyone who wants to praise God and to know how to praise Him, and for what, he names this psalm along with several others.
St Athanasius, Letter to Marcellinus on the Psalms (in Greek)
The Scripture in it
Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and lovely to praise Him! The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. The LORD sustains the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music on the harp to our God, Who covers the sky with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the hills. He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call. He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him, who hope in His loving devotion.
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.