Psalms · psalm 145 of 150
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Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise by David in which each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It exalts the Lord as eternal King, great and unsearchable, gracious and merciful, good to all and near to all who call on him. It affirms that he upholds those who fall, gives food to every living thing and watches over those who love him, and it ends with all flesh praising his holy name.
Psalm 145 is the only psalm whose title carries the word praise (Hebrew tehillah), and it opens the final collection of praise in the Psalter, which culminates in Psalms 146 to 150. It is an acrostic: each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, though in the traditional Hebrew text the line for the letter nun is missing, and appears in the ancient Greek translation and in a Dead Sea manuscript. Jewish tradition recommends reciting it three times a day.
Verses 1 to 3 begin with David's vow: I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever, every day. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Verses 4 to 7 speak of passing it on: one generation shall commend your works to another; they will speak of the glorious splendor of his majesty, his wondrous works, his mighty deeds and his abundant goodness.
Verse 8 is the heart of the psalm and takes up a very old confession of Israel: the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Verses 9 and 10 widen the view: he is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All his works shall give thanks to him and his saints shall bless him. Verses 11 to 13 speak of his kingdom: the glory of his kingdom and his power will be made known to the children of man, for his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion endures throughout all generations.
Verses 14 to 16 describe his care: he upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down; the eyes of all look to him, and he gives them their food in due time, opens his hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing. Verses 17 to 20 describe him as righteous and kind, near to all who call on him in truth, fulfilling the desire of those who fear him, hearing their cry and saving them, preserving all who love him and destroying the wicked. Verse 21 closes with the psalmist's purpose: my mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Great is the Lord and worthy of praise, and his greatness has no limit that can be measured. Praise acknowledges that God is more than we can grasp.
The Lord is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and rich in steadfast love, and his goodness reaches everyone and everything he has made. This character is the root of all the psalm's praise.
The Lord's kingdom is everlasting and his dominion endures through all generations. Human kingdoms pass, but his reign remains.
The eyes of all look to the Lord, and he gives them their food in due time, opens his hand and satisfies every living thing. God is the daily provider for all his creation.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: My God and King. — Psalm 145:1
Answer: That he is greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable. — Psalm 145:3
Answer: It praises them and tells them to the next generation. — Psalm 145:4
Answer: Gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. — Psalm 145:8
Answer: Those who are falling and those who are bowed down. — Psalm 145:14
Answer: All who call on him in truth. — Psalm 145:18
Psalm 145 is a model of complete praise: God's greatness, goodness, care and nearness. In a small group you can read the psalm in turns, verse by verse, and then ask which of the descriptions of God we need to remember this week. You can also decide to whom we will tell God's works, in order to fulfill verse 4.
The psalm reminds us that God cares for the everyday: food, the one who falls, the one who is bowed down. Christians see Christ as the eternal King who lifts the fallen and teaches us to ask for daily bread. We can begin or end the day by saying, I will bless you every day, and teach this psalm to children, who learn to praise by watching adults do it.
Psalm 145 ends with the promise that all flesh will bless the Lord's name forever. Psalms 146 to 150 form a closing of praise: they begin with the call to praise the Lord and not to trust in princes.
An acrostic is a poem in which each line begins with a letter of the alphabet in order. In Psalm 145 the traditional Hebrew text lacks the verse for the letter nun, between verses 13 and 14. Some ancient manuscripts, such as the Greek and one from the Dead Sea, do have it, so some Bibles include it in a note.
Because Jewish tradition regards it as a summary of praise, and also because of the verse saying the Lord opens his hand and satisfies every living thing. The Talmud says that whoever recites it three times a day is assured a place in the world to come. It is a devotional custom, not a biblical rule.
In the psalm it is the Lord, the God of Israel, whose kingdom covers all creation and all generations. Christians recognize Jesus as King of that everlasting kingdom, and the New Testament takes up this hope in speaking of his reign without end.