Psalms 145 · ESV Study Bible

Great Is the LORD

PSALM 145 [†] j I will extol you, my God and k King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless you

l and praise your name forever and ever.

3[†] m Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,

and his n greatness is unsearchable.

4[†] o One generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

5 On p the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

6 They shall speak of q the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

7 They shall pour forth the fame of your r abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8[^][†] The LORD is s gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9[†] The LORD is t good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10[†] u All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,

and all your v saints shall bless you!

11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

12 to w make known to the children of man your [2] x mighty deeds,

and y the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 z Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The LORD is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.] [3]

14[†] The LORD a upholds all who are falling

and b raises up all who are bowed down.

15[†] The eyes of all c look to you,

and you give them their food in due season.

16 You d open your hand;

you e satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The LORD is f righteous in all his ways

and g kind in all his works.

18 The LORD is h near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him i in truth.

19 He j fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also k hears their cry and saves them.

20[†] The LORD l preserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21[†] My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,

and m let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

PSALM—NOTE ON Psalm 145. This is the last of the psalms of David, and it introduces the hymns of praise that finish the Psalms. This hymn (or “song of praise,” see title) specifically praises the Lord for his goodness and generosity toward his creatures, especially to his people (both corporate and individual). One remarkable feature of this psalm is the way it uses so many different words for “praising”: “extol” (v. 1: to tell how great God is); “bless” (vv. 1, 2, 10, 21: to speak well of God for his generosity); “praise” (vv. 2, 3, 21: to glorify God for his magnificent qualities); “commend” (v. 4: to speak highly of God); cf. “declare” (synonyms in vv. 4, 6), “meditate” (v. 5), “speak” (v. 6), “pour forth” (v. 7), “sing aloud” (v. 7), and “give thanks” (v. 10). The author has exploited all the vocabulary he can muster to describe this great activity, praising God for his greatness and goodness. Further, there are repeated terms for the enduring nature of this praise: “forever and ever” (vv. 1, 2, 21); the “generations” (vv. 4, 13); and “everlasting” (v. 13). As the esv footnote explains, this psalm follows an acrostic pattern (see Psalms 9–10; 25; 34; 37 for the other Davidic acrostics). Like the other acrostics from David, this one (at least in most Hb. manuscripts) is “imperfect,” in this case lacking the n-verse (between 145:13–14). The esv includes the “missing” verse (v. 13b), but in square brackets due to its uncertainty (see esv footnote there). The Septuagint and Dead Sea Scroll evidence may witness to an earlier text, but they may just as easily witness to an early editor “helpfully” adding what he thought was a missing verse; the evidence is finely balanced. The sentiment of v. 13b, of course, is fully in line with the psalm and with the Bible as a whole.

PSALM—NOTE ON 145:20 The English brings out the mirror pattern of the Hebrew: verb (preserves), then object (all who love him); object (all the wicked), then verb (he will destroy). The verbs and objects are the opposites of each other; and the two verbs even sound alike (“preserves,” Hb. shomer; “destroy,” Hb. hishmid). True faith is the key to the full enjoyment of the goodness of God celebrated in this psalm.

PSALM—NOTE ON 145:1 my God and King. For the different nuances of God’s kingship, see note on Psalm 93. Here it is God’s acknowledged kingship over his people, which the members of the congregation personally grasp—he is “my king,” not just “our king.” forever and ever. Repeated in 145:2, 21.

PSALM—NOTE ON 145:14 In view of vv. 18–20, all who are falling (and who are bowed down) would apply to the faithful (cf. 37:24).

PSALM—NOTE ON 145:3 his greatness is unsearchable. That is, past the capacity of the human mind to fully describe or comprehend. It will take many worshipers, and a long duration (forever and ever, vv. 1, 2, 21), even to begin to do justice to what the Lord deserves.

PSALM—NOTE ON 145:15–17 God’s enduring kindness and provision for all his creatures is the theme of Psalm 104; cf. 147:8–9.

PSALM—NOTE ON 145:9 good to all. God’s covenanted grace came to Israel in a special way, but it was never meant to be for them alone; Israel was to be the vehicle by which God’s goodness and mercy became evident in all that he has made.

PSALM—NOTE ON 145:1–3 O God, I Will Ever Bless Your Name. The psalm opens by stating its theme of joy and celebration. Each member of the congregation pledges himself to this (I will).