Psalm 138:1-6

Thanksgiving for the LORD'S Favor.

A Psalm of David.

1 ¹I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the ²gods.

2 I will bow down ³toward Your holy temple And ⁴give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have ⁵magnified Your word according to all Your name.

3 On the day I ⁶called, You answered me; You made me bold with ⁷strength in my soul.

4 ⁸All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O LORD, When they have heard the words of Your mouth.

5 And they will ⁹sing of the ways of the LORD, For ¹⁰great is the glory of the LORD.

6 For ¹¹though the LORD is exalted, Yet He ¹²regards the lowly, But the ¹³haughty He knows from afar.

Psalm 138:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 138

\\<>\\. This psalm is generally thought to have been written by David upon his being advanced to the throne; on account of which he praises the Lord, who had supported him under many exercises, and had made good his promise to him, at least in part; and he firmly believed the accomplishment of the rest, that he would perfect what concerned him, Ps 138:8. It seems as if this psalm was composed between his being king over Judah and over all Israel. Though Theodoret understands the psalm as a thanksgiving of the Jews upon their return from Babylon, which David prophesied of. The Syriac version calls it a thanksgiving with a prophecy; as indeed it is a prophecy of the Messiah's kingdom, and of the calling of the Gentiles in the latter day, as appears from Ps 138:4.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 111:1
• 2. Psalms 95:3; Psalms 96:4; Psalms 97:7
• 3. 1 Kings 8:29; Psalms 5:7; Psalms 28:2
• 4. Psalms 140:13
• 5. Isaiah 42:21
• 6. Psalms 118:5
• 7. Psalms 28:7; Psalms 46:1
• 8. Psalms 72:11; Psalms 102:15
• 9. Psalms 145:7
• 10. Psalms 21:5
• 11. Psalms 113:4-7
• 12. Proverbs 3:34; Isaiah 57:15; Luke 1:48; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5
• 13. Psalms 40:4; Psalms 101:5

Footnotes

• [a] Or "faithfulness"
• [b] Or "promise"
• [c] Or "together with"