The first part of the psalm proclaims the good fortune of those who keep the Law of God (vv. 1-3); the second describes the failure met with by those who go the opposite way (vv. 4-6). The words "Blessed is the man who..." or "Happy the man whom..." (v.1) occur up to twenty-six times in the psalms, pointing out what a person needs to do to find happiness. Our Lord Jesus Christ will definitively proclaim who the happy or blessed man is -- he who belongs to the Kingdom of heaven (cf. Matthew 5:1-11; Luke 6:20-23).

Psalm 1 is a prayer inviting the reader to read the whole book; "in the Psalms we encounter the sentiments of praise, gratitude, and veneration, which the Chosen People is called to show towards God's law, together with an exhortation to know it, and translate it into life" (John Paul II, Veritatis splendor, 44).

This psalm arrangement is used in the Mass liturgy for the following:
• 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
• Optional Memorial Mass for St Bruno, priest, 6 October.