Psalms · psalm 136 of 150
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Psalm 136 is a hymn of thanksgiving in 26 verses, each with the same refrain about the Lord's everlasting steadfast love. It gives thanks for the creation of the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars, and for the exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea, the guidance through the wilderness and the conquest of Canaan. It concludes with the Lord's care for his humbled people and for every living creature.
Psalm 136 has been known in Jewish tradition as the great Hallel and was sung at Israel's festivals. Its most striking feature is that every verse ends with the same refrain, which a choir or the people answered to what a soloist sang. In this way it teaches that every work of God, large or small, springs from his faithful love, the Hebrew hesed, that is, his loyal covenant love.
Verses 1 to 3 begin with three calls to give thanks to the Lord, because he is good, to the God of gods and the Lord of lords. Verse 4 calls him the one who alone does great wonders. Then verses 5 to 9 go through creation: he made the heavens by understanding, spread out the earth above the waters, and made the great lights, the sun to rule the day, and the moon and stars to rule the night.
Verses 10 to 15 tell of the exodus: he struck down Egypt in their firstborn, brought Israel out from among them with a strong hand and outstretched arm, divided the Red Sea in two, made Israel pass through the midst of it and overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the sea. Verse 16 recalls that he led his people through the wilderness.
Verses 17 to 22 sing of the conquest: he struck down great kings and killed mighty kings, Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, and gave their land as a heritage to Israel his servant. Verses 23 to 26 turn to what is near: he remembered us in our low estate, rescued us from our foes and gives food to all flesh. The psalm ends as it begins, calling us to give thanks to the God of heaven.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The psalm calls us to give thanks to the Lord because he is good and his steadfast love does not end. Gratitude springs from God's character, not only from his gifts.
The Lord made the heavens with understanding, spread out the earth above the waters and set the sun, moon and stars to rule the day and night. Creation is the work of his wisdom and faithful love.
The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt with a strong hand, divided the sea and overthrew Pharaoh in the waters. The exodus is the great act of rescue remembered again and again in the Bible.
The Lord remembered his people in their humiliation and rescued them from their enemies. His steadfast love reaches even low and desperate situations.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: That his steadfast love endures forever. — Psalm 136:1
Answer: He spread it out above the waters. — Psalm 136:6
Answer: The sun rules the day, and the moon and stars rule the night. — Psalm 136:8-9
Answer: The Lord struck down its firstborn and brought Israel out from among them. — Psalm 136:10-11
Answer: He divided it in two and made Israel pass through the midst of it. — Psalm 136:13-14
Answer: He gives food to all flesh. — Psalm 136:25
Psalm 136 teaches us to give thanks by walking through the history of what God has done, and to repeat it in community. A small group can write its own psalm: each person names something God has done, and everyone answers with the same refrain. Repeating is not boring but engraves truth on the heart.
It also reminds us that God's steadfast love is constant, in great works and in daily bread. For Christians, the greatest rescue is Christ's work on the cross, and gratitude can join the great and the small: creation, salvation and the bread of each day. Whoever learns to give thanks learns to see God in everything.
Psalm 136 ends with a final call to give thanks to the God of heaven. Psalm 137, by contrast, is a song of grief: in exile, by the rivers of Babylon, the people remember Zion and weep.
Because it was a liturgical song, in which one voice sang each act of God and the people answered with the same refrain. The repetition teaches that every act of God, from creation to conquest, has the same root: his faithful covenant love. It also helps with memorizing and singing together.
The Hebrew word hesed means loyal love, covenant faithfulness or firm kindness. Translations render it as mercy, lovingkindness or steadfast love. It says that God does not tire or change in his commitment to his people, which is why it does not end.
Because for Israel entering the promised land was part of God's faithfulness to his promises to the patriarchs. The psalm does not celebrate violence itself but that God kept what he promised. Christians read it in light of Christ, whose kingdom does not spread by the sword.