Psalms 136:1-9

1 Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits.
2 Thank the God of all gods, His love never quits.
3 Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits.
4 Thank the miracle-working God, His love never quits.
5 The God whose skill formed the cosmos, His love never quits.
6 The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations, His love never quits.
7 The God who filled the skies with light, His love never quits.
8 The sun to watch over the day, His love never quits.
9 Moon and stars as guardians of the night, His love never quits.

Psalms 136:1-9 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.

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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.