Psalms 138:4

4 When they hear what you have to say, God, all earth's kings will say "Thank you."

Psalms 138:4 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 138:4

All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord
Or "let [them] confess", or "praise thee" F19; a wish or prayer. Not only the kings known to David, as Kimchi limits it; or that lived in his days, as Hiram and others; but in the latter day, when they shall come to Zion, the church, and be nursing fathers to it, and shall serve and worship the King Messiah, ( Isaiah 49:23 ) ( Isaiah 60:3 Isaiah 60:11 Isaiah 60:16 ) ( Psalms 72:10 Psalms 72:11 ) ;

when they hear the words of thy mouth;
either the promises of it fulfilled not only with respect to David; but the Messiah, and his church and people, in the latter day, even the glorious things spoken thereof: or the doctrines of the Gospel, which are the words of his mouth, and more desirable than thousands of gold and silver; and which, when kings shall hear so as to understand, they will praise the Lord for them; see ( Isaiah 52:15 ) . The Targum is,

``the words of thy praise.''


FOOTNOTES:

F19 (Kwdwy) "confiteantur tibi", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus.

Psalms 138:4 In-Context

2 I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: "Thank you!" Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word.
3 The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength.
4 When they hear what you have to say, God, all earth's kings will say "Thank you."
5 They'll sing of what you've done: "How great the glory of God!"
6 And here's why: God, high above, sees far below; no matter the distance, he knows everything about us.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.