Psalms 146:1-6

1 alleluia Aggei et Zacchariae laudate Dominum quoniam bonum psalmus Deo nostro sit iucunda * decoraque; laudatio

2 aedificans Hierusalem Dominus dispersiones Israhel congregabit

3 qui sanat contritos corde et alligat contritiones illorum

4 qui numerat multitudinem stellarum et omnibus eis nomina vocans

5 magnus Dominus noster et magna virtus eius et sapientiae eius non est numerus

6 suscipiens mansuetos Dominus humilians autem peccatores usque ad terram

Psalms 146:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 146

This psalm is entitled by the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions, "hallelujah", of Haggai and Zechariah; and by Apollinarius, the common hymn of them: and the Syriac inscription is still more expressive,

``it was said by Haggai and Zechariah, prophets, who came up with the captivity out of Babylon.''

Theodoret says this title was in some Greek copies in his time; but was not in the Septuagint, in the Hexapla: nor is it in any other Greek interpreters, nor in the Hebrew text, nor in the Targum; though some Jewish commentators, as R. Obadiah, take it to be an exhortation to the captives in Babylon to praise the Lord: and Kimchi interprets it of their present captivity and deliverance from it; and observes, that the psalmist seeing, by the Holy Spirit, the gathering of the captives, said this with respect to Israel; and so refers it to the times of the Messiah, as does also Jarchi, especially the Ps 146:10; and which, though they make it to serve an hypothesis of their own, concerning their vainly expected Messiah; yet it is most true, that the psalm is concerning the Messiah and his kingdom, to whom all the characters and descriptions given agree.