135 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant!1
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 who struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown,2 O Lord, throughout all ages.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!
Section Overview
This hymn calls God’s people to praise him for his majestic power he has displayed in his deeds on behalf of Israel; it focuses especially on the events covered in Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua.
Many phrases in this psalm closely resemble phrases found elsewhere in the OT, as the ESV cross-references show. This could mean that the author of the psalm used those other texts as his sources; it could also mean that this psalm and some of those other texts used phrases and ideas from a common stock.
Each of Psalms 135–137 lacks a title, and this group of psalms is sandwiched between the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120–134) and a set of Davidic psalms (Psalms 138–145); each psalm in the final portion of the Psalter (146–150) begins with “Hallelujah!” While Psalms 135–136 celebrate God’s great deeds, Psalm 137 mourns the disaster that fell upon Jerusalem and led to the Babylonian exile.
The structure of the psalm is discerned from changes in subject matter. The opening section invites the people of Israel (or the temple attendants) to praise the Lord in gathered worship (135:1–4); the next exalts the Lord for his supremacy over his creation (vv. 5–7). Then the psalm recounts God’s great deeds in the exodus and conquest (vv. 8–12) and comes back to the Lord’s supremacy (vv. 13–14). The final two sections, reminiscent of Psalm 115, contrast the Lord with idols (135:15–18) and renew the call to all Israel to bless the Lord (vv. 19–21).
Section Outline
I. Praise the Lord Who Has Chosen Israel (135:1–4)
II. Praise Him Because He Is Great (135:5–7)
III. The Lord Delivered His People from Egypt and Brought Them to Canaan (135:8–12)
IV. The Lord’s Name Will Endure Forever (135:13–14)
V. The Idols of the Nations Are Worthless (135:15–18)
VI. Let Everyone in Israel Bless the Lord (135:19–21)
Words in section I are echoed in section IV (“name,” vv. 1, 3, 13; “servants,” vv. 1, 14) and again in section VI (replacing “praise” with “bless”). The powerless idols of section V stand in stark contrast to the all-powerful Lord in section II.
Response
The psalm names no author, nor does it state whether the “house of the Lord” (v. 2) is the first or second temple. The psalm serves the needs of God’s people at all times in order to renew their faith and gratitude. Each generation that sings this would strengthen its faith in and loyalty to the Lord and deepen its gratitude toward him for its privileges. Especially in the exilic and postexilic period the people of Judah came into increasing contact with Gentiles—typically as those wielding social power and, therefore, intimidating to the faithful (and tempting them to assimilate). The faithful would need this strength; they would further need an increasing compassion for the Gentiles, who suffer from worshiping lifeless idols.
Christians—Jews and Gentiles who place their faith in Jesus—have been ingrafted into this story. And many live under oppressive governments and need this reminder that the true God is supreme even over these hostile powers and over any demonic powers that would seek to harm them. Indeed, the ideal Christian stance is one of compassion for those who are deceived into unbelief by such displays of power.Psalm 135
Psalm 136