Psalms 136

1 Alleluia. Acknowledge ye to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy is [into] without end. (Alleluia. Give ye thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his love is forever.)

2 Acknowledge ye to the God of gods. (Give ye thanks to the God of gods.)

3 Acknowledge ye to the Lord of lords. (Give ye thanks to the Lord of lords.)

4 Which alone maketh great marvels. (Who alone doeth marvellous deeds, or great miracles.)

5 Which made heavens by understanding. (Who made the heavens by his wisdom.)

6 Which made steadfast [the] earth on waters. (Who made the earth firm upon the waters.)

7 Which made great lights. (Who made the great lights.)

8 The sun into the power of the day. (The sun to have power over the day.)

9 The moon and the stars into power of the night. (The moon and the stars to have power over the night.)

10 Which smote Egypt with the first engendered things of them. (Who struck down the first-born of the Egyptians.)

11 Which led out Israel from the midst of them. (Who led out Israel from their midst.)

12 In a mighty hand, and in an high arm. (Yea, with a mighty hand, and a powerful arm.)

13 Which parted the Red Sea into partings. (Who divided the Red Sea, or the Sea of Reeds, in two.)

14 And led out Israel through the midst thereof.

15 And he cast adown Pharaoh and his power, or virtue, in the Red Sea. (And he threw down Pharaoh, and his host, or his army, into the Red Sea, or the Sea of Reeds.)

16 Which led over his people through desert. (Who led his people through the wilderness.)

17 Which smote great kings. (Who struck down great kings.)

18 And killed strong kings.

19 Sihon, the king of Amorites.

20 And Og, the king of Bashan.

21 And he gave the land of them to be heritage. (And he gave their land for an inheritance to his people.)

22 Heritage to Israel, his servant. (Yea, for an inheritance to his servant Israel.)

23 For in our lowness he had mind on us. (For he remembered us in our defeat./For he remembered us when we were brought down so very low.)

24 And he again-bought us from our enemies. (And he redeemed us, or he rescued us, from our enemies.)

25 Which giveth meat to each flesh. (Who giveth food to all his creatures.)

26 Acknowledge ye to the God of heaven. Acknowledge ye to the Lord of lords; for his mercy is [into] without end. (Give ye thanks to the God of heaven. Give ye thanks to the Lord of lords; for his love is forever.)

Psalms 136 Commentary

Chapter 136

God to be praised as the Creator of the world. (1-9) As Israel's God and Saviour. (10-22) For his blessings to all. (23-26)

Verses 1-9 Forgetful as we are, things must be often repeated to us. By "mercy" we understand the Lord's disposition to save those whom sin has rendered miserable and vile, and all the provision he has made for the redemption of sinners by Jesus Christ. The counsels of this mercy have been from everlasting, and the effects of it will endure for ever, to all who are interested in it. The Lord continues equally ready to show mercy to all who seek for it, and this is the source of all our hope and comfort.

Verses 10-22 The great things God did for Israel, when he brought them out of Egypt, were mercies which endured long to them; and our redemption by Christ, which was typified thereby, endures for ever. It is good to enter into the history of God's favours, and in each to observe, and own, that his mercy endureth for ever. He put them in possession of a good land; it was a figure of the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verses 23-26 God's everlasting mercy is here praised for the redemption of his church; in all his glories, and all his gifts. Blessed be God, who has provided and made known to us salvation through his Son. May we know and feel his redeeming power, that we may serve him in righteousness all our days. May He who giveth food to all flesh, feed our souls unto eternal life, and enliven our affections by his grace, that we may give thanks and praise to his holy name, for his mercy endureth for ever. Let us trace up all the favours we receive to this true source, and offer praise continually.

Chapter Summary

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.