Psalms 136:1-6

Thanks for the LORD'S Goodness to Israel.

1 ¹Give thanks to the LORD, for ²He is good, For ³His lovingkindness is everlasting.

2 Give thanks to the ⁴God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

3 Give thanks to the ⁵Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

4 To Him who ⁶alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

5 To Him who ⁷made the heavens ⁸with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

6 To Him who ⁹spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

Psalms 136:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 136

This psalm was very probably composed by David, and given to the Levites to sing every day, 1Ch 16:41. Solomon his son followed his example, and made use of them in singing at the dedication of the temple, 2Ch 7:3,6; as Jehoshaphat seems to have done when he went out to war against his enemies, 2Ch 20:21. The subject of it is much the same with the preceding psalm; its composition is very singular; the half of every verse: in it is, "for his mercy endureth for ever"; this is the burden of the song; and the design of it is to show, that all blessings of every kind flow from the grace, goodness, and mercy of God, which is constant and perpetual; and to impress a sense of it upon the minds of men: the inscription of the Syriac version is,

``it is said of Moses and Israel praising the Lord for those who were delivered; and concerning the deliverance of souls out of hell from Pharaoh, the devil, by Christ our Saviour, the Redeemer of them.''

R. Obadiah says it is an exhortation to the children of God in the days of the Messiah to praise the Lord.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalms 106:1; Psalms 107:1; Psalms 118:1; Jeremiah 33:11
• 2. 2 Chronicles 5:13; 2 Chronicles 7:3; Ezra 3:11; Psalms 100:5
• 3. 1 Chronicles 16:41; 2 Chronicles 20:21; Psalms 118:1-4
• 4. Deuteronomy 10:17
• 5. Deuteronomy 10:17
• 6. Deuteronomy 6:22; Job 9:10; Psalms 72:18
• 7. Genesis 1:1
• 8. Psalms 104:24; Proverbs 3:19; Jeremiah 10:12; Jeremiah 51:15
• 9. Gen 1:2, 6, 9; Psalms 24:2; Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 44:24; Jeremiah 10:12

Footnotes

• [a]. I.e. wonderful acts
• [b]. Lit "with understanding"