Psalms 145:4-20

4 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works.^[a]

6 They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you.

11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,

12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.^[b]

14 The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.

18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

Psalms 145:4-20 Meaning and Commentary

David's [Psalm] of praise. This psalm is rendered by Ainsworth "a hymn of David"; and the whole book of Psalms is from hence called "the Book of Hymns"; see Ephesians 5:19; It seems to have been a psalm David took great delight in, and it may be that he often repeated and sung it, as it was made by him with great care and contrivance, in a very curious manner, as well as he was assisted in it by divine inspiration; for it is wrote in an alphabetical order, each verse: beginning with the letter of the alphabet in course, and goes through the whole, excepting one letter; and very probably it was composed in this form that it might be the more easily committed to memory, and retained in it. The Jews have a very high opinion of it; their Rabbins say, that whoever says this psalm thrice every day may be sure of being a child of the world to come. This is mentioned by Arama and Kimchi; and which the latter explains thus, not he that says it any way, but with his mouth, and with his heart, and with his tongue. It seems to have been written by David after the Lord had granted him all his requests put up in the preceding psalms, and had given him rest from all his enemies; and when he turned his prayers into praises; for this psalm is wholly praise from one end to the other; and so are all the five following ones; they begin and end with "hallelujah": nor is there a single petition in them, as I remember; so that it may in some sense be said, "here the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended." It no doubt, as Cocceius observes, belongs to the Messiah and his kingdom, which is everlasting, Psalm 145:13.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 22:30; Isaiah 38:19
• 2. S Deuteronomy 11:19
• 3. S Psalms 71:16
• 4. Psalms 96:6; Psalms 148:13
• 5. S Psalms 75:1; Psalms 119:27
• 6. Psalms 78:4
• 7. S Psalms 66:3
• 8. S Deuteronomy 32:3
• 9. Psalms 75:1; Psalms 106:22
• 10. S Exodus 18:9; S Psalms 27:13; Isaiah 63:7
• 11. S Psalms 5:11; S Psalms 101:1
• 12. S Psalms 138:5; Psalms 51:14
• 13. S Psalms 86:15; Psalms 103:8
• 14. S Psalms 86:5; Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18
• 15. S 1 Chronicles 16:34; S Psalms 136:1; Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18; Psalms 100:5
• 16. Psalms 103:13-14
• 17. S Psalms 8:6; S Psalms 103:22; S Psalms 139:14; Psalms 19:1
• 18. Psalms 30:4; Psalms 148:14; Psalms 149:9
• 19. Psalms 115:17-18; Psalms 68:26
• 20. ver 12-13; S Exodus 15:2; Matthew 6:33
• 21. Psalms 21:13
• 22. S Psalms 75:1; Psalms 105:1
• 23. ver 11; Psalms 103:19; Isa 2:10,19,21
• 24. S Exodus 15:18; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2 Peter 1:11; Revelation 11:15
• 25. S Deuteronomy 7:9; S 1 Corinthians 1:9
• 26. S Joshua 23:14
• 27. S Psalms 37:17; Psalms 37:24
• 28. S 1 Samuel 2:8; Psalms 146:8
• 29. S Psalms 38:6
• 30. S Genesis 1:30; S Job 28:5; S Psalms 37:25; S Matthew 6:26; Psalms 104:27; Psalms 136:25
• 31. S Psalms 90:14; S Psalms 104:28
• 32. S Exodus 9:27; S Ezra 9:15
• 33. ver 13
• 34. S Numbers 23:21; S Psalms 46:1; Philippians 4:5; Deuteronomy 4:7
• 35. Psalms 18:6; Psalms 80:18; John 4:24
• 36. S Psalms 20:4; Psalms 37:4
• 37. S Job 22:28
• 38. S Psalms 31:22; S Psalms 40:1; Proverbs 15:29
• 39. S 1 Samuel 10:19; Psalms 7:10; Psalms 34:18
• 40. S Psalms 1:6
• 41. Psalms 31:23; Psalms 91:14; Psalms 97:10
• 42. S Psalms 94:23; Psalms 9:5

Footnotes

• [a]. Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text "On the glorious splendor of your majesty" / "and on your wonderful works I will meditate"
• [b]. One manuscript of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text do not have the last two lines of verse 13.