I. (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 with the repeated words “I will” (two times in vv. 1–2). The expression “forever and ever” (vv. 1–2) repeats at the end (v. 21).

Verse 1 addresses God as “my . . . King.” For the different nuances of God’s kingship, cf. Section Overview of Psalm 93. Here the reference to “my King” clarifies that the focus is on God’s acknowledged kingship over his people, which the members of the congregation personally grasp—he is my King, not just our King.

In 145:3 God’s “greatness is unsearchable.” That is, it goes past the capacity of the human mind to describe or comprehend fully. 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.

II. (145:4–7) Each Generation Shall Tell Your Praise to the Next. This section directs the praise on God’s great deeds that have protected his people (with a corporate focus) and fostered the conditions in which they can flourish in true piety: that is what his “works,” “mighty acts,” “wondrous works,” and “awesome deeds” refer to in the Psalms. These actions express God’s “abundant goodness” (cf. comment on 100:1–5 [at v. 5]) and his “righteousness,” his faithfulness to keep his promises (cf. comments on 31:1–2; 143:1–2; observe the parallel with “goodness,” 145:7; and “kind,” v. 17).

Verse 4 says, “One generation shall commend your works to another.” This is the biblical pattern for households (cf. Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:1–9; Ps. 78:4), and the Passover makes this a recurring ritual (Ex. 12:26–27; 13:8). On how this practice is itself portrayed as a result of God’s generosity cf. comments on 100:1–5 [at v. 5]; 103:15–19.

III. (145:8–9) Theme: God’s Goodness. These two verses fill out the idea of God’s “goodness” and “righteousness” (v. 7) and state the theme of the entire psalm.

Verse 8 is based on Exodus 34:6, the heartbeat of the Hebrew Bible. The Lord is “slow to anger,” that is, “wrath is only the background of His nature, which He reluctantly and only after long waiting lets loose against those who spurn His great mercy.”790

“The Lord is good to all” (Ps. 145:9; cf. v. 7); 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.”

IV. (145:10–13a) God’s Kingdom Is Everlasting. This section celebrates the wonder of being part of God’s “kingdom” (vv. 11, 12, 13). This refers to God’s acknowledged kingship (cf. comment on 145:1–3), as seen from the mention of the “saints” (the faithful among his people; cf. 37:28) and his “mighty deeds,” which God has done to further his purposes for his people (cf. comment on 145:4–7). God’s people are invited here to see his kingship as a gift of his goodness, not a burden. Through that kingdom—and the grateful embrace of it on the part of Israel—the Lord will make his mighty deeds known to all the “children of man,” including those outside Israel.

That kingdom is an “everlasting kingdom” (v. 13). These words are similar to Nebuchadnezzar’s confession (Dan. 4:34), although Nebuchadnezzar is there acknowledging God’s universal rule. (Later, in Dan. 7:14, 27, the reference is to God’s kingship over his people administered through the Davidic Messiah.) The “glorious splendor” of the kingdom matches the “glorious splendor” of the Lord’s majesty (Ps. 145:5); the kingdom partakes of God’s own character.

V. (145:13b–20) God Provides Generously for His Creatures. Building on verses 8–9, this section develops the notion of God’s kindness to all his creatures (vv. 15–17), which is especially received by his chosen people, Israel (vv. 18–20), particularly those members “who call on him in truth” (the same people who “fear” him and “love” him).791

The text of verse 13b presents difficulties. It is absent from the standard Hebrew text, but the LXX includes it. Further, a manuscript discovered in Qumran (11QPsa) also supports inclusion. The case for inclusion begins by recognizing that the word rendered “faithful” (Hb. neʾeman) supplies the n segment that would otherwise be missing, and the idea of the verse is known elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible (Deut. 7:9; Ps. 93:5; Isa. 49:7). The second line is the same as the second line of Psalm 145:17. However, no acrostic of David “perfectly” represents the Hebrew alphabet; all have missing or misplaced letters (Psalms 9–10; 25; 34; 37).792 Further, the Qumran manuscript is itself an additive one; after each verse it adds the refrain “Blessed be the Lord and blessed be his name forever and ever.”793 The LXX and Dead Sea Scrolls evidence may witness to an earlier text, but they may just as easily witness to an early editor who “helpfully” added what he thought to be a missing verse.794 What we have today as the standard text of the psalm (including v. 13b) was in place no later than the time Jerome was making his Latin version from the Hebrew (c. AD 400).795 The evidence is finely balanced, and the ESV is wise to include the square brackets due to the uncertainty. The sentiment of verse 13b, of course, is fully in line with the psalm and with the Bible as a whole.

The terms “All who are falling” and “All who are bowed down” (v. 14) would, in view of verses 18–20, apply to the faithful (cf. 37:24); though they might fall (whether economically or morally), they will not be overthrown, and the Lord offers them renewal and restoration.

God’s enduring kindness and provision for all his creatures (145:15–17) is the theme of Psalm 104 (cf. 147:8–9). That he is “kind” (145:17; Hb. khasid) means that he shows “kindness” (khesed, also rendered “steadfast love”; v. 8). The Lord’s righteousness is paralleled to his kindness (cf. v. 7); his reliable keeping of his promises is a reason for the faithful to rejoice and find pleasure.

The English of verse 20 brings out the mirror pattern of the Hebrew: verb (“preserves”), then object (“all who love him”), followed by 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,” shomer; “destroy,” yashmid). This mirror pattern serves to highlight the content of the verse in order to ensure that the singers grasp deeply that true faith is the key to the full enjoyment of the goodness of God celebrated in this psalm.

VI. (145:21) Let All Flesh Bless His Name Forever. With several echoes of the opening section (“praise,” vv. 2–3; “bless his holy name,” v. 1; “forever and ever,” vv. 1–2) the psalm closes with the only fitting response to such a meditation on God’s goodness: anticipation of praising God forever and ever (and the faithful soul looks for this in all its fullness) and to wish that every creature might join in this glad song and sing it to all eternity.796 Joseph Addison’s (1672–1719) poem can serve to combine verses 3, 21:

    Through all eternity to thee

    A joyful song I’ll raise

    For, oh! eternity’s too short

    To utter all thy praise.797