Psalms / Chapter 135

Psalms 135

21 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

A grand hymn of praise that draws together threads from across the Hebrew Bible. The psalm opens and closes with Hallelujah, calls on the temple servants to praise the LORD's name, recounts His sovereignty over nature and His mighty acts in the Exodus and conquest, mocks the impotence of idols, and concludes with a cascade of blessings from Zion. It is a mosaic psalm — nearly every line echoes or quotes another biblical text.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Psalm 135 is one of the most heavily allusive psalms in the Psalter. It borrows from Exodus 15 (the Song of the Sea), Deuteronomy 32 (the Song of Moses), Psalm 115 (the idol polemic), Psalm 134 (the blessing from Zion), and Jeremiah 10 (the weather theophany). This is not plagiarism but liturgical art — the psalm weaves Israel's entire theological tradition into a single hymn, creating a tapestry of received language that a worshiping community would recognize line by line. The idol section (vv. 15-18) is nearly identical to Psalm 115:4-8, reinforcing the contrast between the living God who acts in history and the dead gods who cannot move, speak, or see.

Translation Friction

The statement that God 'does whatever He pleases' (v. 6) and the celebration of military conquest (vv. 10-12) present the psalm's God as an unconstrained sovereign who acts unilaterally. The killing of Sihon and Og (vv. 10-11) is celebrated without moral qualification — this is conquest theology in its purest form. Modern readers must reckon with the fact that the psalm praises the same God for making lightning and for destroying nations, holding both in a single breath of worship. The psalm does not apologize for this; it asserts that God's sovereignty over weather and God's sovereignty over history are the same sovereignty.

Connections

Verses 15-18 closely parallel Psalm 115:4-8 (the idol polemic). Verse 7 echoes Jeremiah 10:13 and 51:16 (God's control of weather). Verses 8-12 retell the Exodus and conquest narratives from Exodus 7-12 and Numbers 21. Verse 4 echoes Deuteronomy 7:6 (Israel's election). The opening 'Hallelujah' and closing 'Hallelujah' frame it as a complete liturgical unit. The blessing from Zion in verse 21 connects directly to Psalm 134:3, making Psalm 135 a natural continuation of the Songs of Ascent.

Psalms 135:1

הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֨הּ ׀ הַ֭לְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה הַֽ֝לְל֗וּ עַבְדֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

Hallelujah! Praise the name of the LORD; praise Him, you servants of the LORD,

KJV Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The triple repetition of hallelu ('praise!') in a single verse creates rhythmic urgency. The address to avdei YHWH ('servants of the LORD') connects directly to Psalm 134:1, where the same servants were called to bless — the vocabulary links the two psalms as a liturgical pair.
Psalms 135:2

שֶׁ֣עֹ֭מְדִים בְּבֵ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה בְּ֝חַצְר֗וֹת בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃

you who stand in the house of the LORD, within the courts of the house of our God.

KJV Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'standing' (omdim) is the same posture of service from Psalm 134:1. The specification of 'courts' (chatsrot) — the open-air areas surrounding the temple — indicates that this praise is public, congregational, not confined to the inner sanctuary where only priests could enter.
Psalms 135:3

הַֽלְלוּ־יָ֭הּ כִּי־ט֣וֹב יְהוָ֑ה זַמְּר֥וּ לִ֝שְׁמ֗וֹ כִּ֣י נָעִֽים׃

Hallelujah, for the LORD is good; sing praise to His name, for it is delightful.

KJV Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The pairing of tov ('good') and na'im ('pleasant, delightful') echoes Psalm 133:1 — what was said of brotherly unity is now said of the LORD Himself and of the act of praising Him. The word na'im could modify the name ('His name is delightful') or the act of singing ('singing is delightful'). The ambiguity enriches both readings.
Psalms 135:4

כִּֽי־יַעֲקֹ֗ב בָּחַ֣ר ל֣וֹ יָ֑הּ יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִסְגֻלָּתֽוֹ׃

For Yah has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel as His treasured possession.

KJV For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

סְגֻלָּה segullah
"treasured possession" — valued property, personal treasure, special possession; a monarch's private collection of precious items

A covenant term describing Israel's unique relationship to God. Not merely 'chosen' but specifically treasured — selected for value and kept as personal property. The word elevates election beyond mere selection to active valuation.

Translator Notes

  1. The word segullah appears in Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 26:18, and Malachi 3:17. In each case it describes Israel's unique status as God's personal possession. The word likely derives from Akkadian sikiltum ('possession, property'). We render it 'treasured possession' to capture both the ownership and the value.
Psalms 135:5

כִּ֤י אֲנִ֣י יָ֭דַעְתִּי כִּי־גָד֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה וַ֝אֲדֹנֵ֗ינוּ מִכׇּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃

I know that the LORD is great, and our Lord is above all gods.

KJV For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The shift to first person singular (ani yadati, 'I know') is personal testimony within communal worship. The claim is not monotheism in the philosophical sense but the assertion of incomparability: YHWH is greater than all elohim. The word mi-kol ('above all, more than all') does not necessarily affirm the existence of other gods — it asserts that whatever else might claim divine status, the LORD surpasses it.
Psalms 135:6

כֹּ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־חָפֵ֥ץ יְהוָ֗ה עָ֫שָׂ֥ה בַּשָּׁמַ֥יִם וּבָאָ֑רֶץ בַּ֝יַּמִּ֗ים וְכׇל־תְּהוֹמֽוֹת׃

Whatever the LORD desires, He does — in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all the depths.

KJV Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word tehomot ('depths, deeps') is the plural of tehom, the primordial deep of Genesis 1:2. In ancient Near Eastern cosmology, the deep was a chaotic force that preceded creation. By asserting God's sovereignty over the tehomot, the psalm claims that even the most primordial, chaotic forces are under God's command.
Psalms 135:7

מַעֲלֶ֣ה נְ֭שִׂאִים מִקְצֵ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ בְּרָקִ֥ים לַ֝מָּטָ֗ר עָשָׂ֤ה ׀ מוֹצֵא־ר֗וּחַ מֵאֽוֹצְרוֹתָֽיו׃

He raises clouds from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings wind from His storehouses.

KJV He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word nesi'im can mean 'clouds,' 'vapors,' or 'mists.' The root nasa means 'to lift, carry.' These are the rising vapors that become rain clouds — the first stage of the rain cycle, which the psalm attributes entirely to God's agency. The parallel with Jeremiah 10:13 is so close that one text is almost certainly quoting the other, or both draw from a common liturgical source.
Psalms 135:8

שֶׁ֭הִכָּה בְּכוֹרֵ֣י מִצְרָ֑יִם מֵ֝אָדָ֗ם עַד־בְּהֵמָֽה׃

He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both human and animal.

KJV Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The transition from weather sovereignty (v. 7) to the Exodus plagues (v. 8) is seamless — the same God who controls rain and lightning is the God who struck Egypt. The phrase me-adam ad behemah ('from human to animal') indicates the totality of the plague's reach, echoing Exodus 12:29.
Psalms 135:9

שָׁלַ֤ח אוֹתֹ֣ת וּ֭מֹפְתִים בְּתוֹכֵ֣כִי מִצְרָ֑יִם בְּ֝פַרְעֹ֗ה וּבְכׇל־עֲבָדָֽיו׃

He sent signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt — against Pharaoh and all his servants.

KJV Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase otot u-moftim ('signs and wonders') is the standard Deuteronomic vocabulary for the plagues (Deuteronomy 4:34, 6:22, 7:19). The shift to second person address (betokekhi, 'into your midst') is dramatic — the psalm speaks directly to Egypt as if it were present, a technique that intensifies the rhetorical power of the recitation.
Psalms 135:10

שֶׁ֭הִכָּה גּוֹיִ֣ם רַבִּ֑ים וְ֝הָרַ֗ג מְלָכִ֥ים עֲצוּמִֽים׃

He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings —

KJV Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The narrative shifts from the Exodus to the conquest. The generic 'many nations' and 'mighty kings' prepare for the specific names in the next verse. The verbs hikkah ('struck') and harag ('killed') are blunt and direct — the psalm does not soften the military violence of the conquest narrative.
Psalms 135:11

לְסִיח֤וֹן ׀ מֶ֤לֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִ֗י וּ֭לְעוֹג מֶ֣לֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֑ן וּ֝לְכֹ֗ל מַמְלְכ֥וֹת כְּנָֽעַן׃

Sihon, the Amorite king, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

KJV Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Sihon and Og are the two Transjordanian kings defeated before the crossing of the Jordan (Numbers 21:21-35). Their names became formulaic in Israel's liturgical memory — they appear together in Deuteronomy 1:4, 3:1-11, 4:47, 29:7, 31:4; Joshua 2:10, 9:10, 12:4; Nehemiah 9:22; and Psalms 136:19-20. They represent the first victories of the conquest, the proof that God would give the land.
Psalms 135:12

וְנָתַ֣ן אַרְצָ֣ם נַחֲלָ֑ה נַ֝חֲלָ֗ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל עַמּֽוֹ׃

He gave their land as an inheritance — an inheritance for Israel His people.

KJV And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

נַחֲלָה nachalah
"inheritance" — inheritance, allotted portion, permanent possession, patrimony; land held in trust from God

From nachal ('to take possession, inherit'). In Israelite theology, all land ultimately belongs to God (Leviticus 25:23), and Israel holds its land as a nachalah — a granted inheritance. The term connects the conquest to the patriarchal promises and the covenant framework.

Translator Notes

  1. The word nachalah ('inheritance, allotted portion') is one of the most theologically loaded land terms in the Hebrew Bible. It carries the sense of permanent, divinely granted possession — not earned, not purchased, but allotted by the sovereign. The double use (nachalah nachalah) is emphatic: this land is truly, genuinely, permanently Israel's inheritance.
Psalms 135:13

יְ֭הוָה שִׁמְךָ֣ לְעוֹלָ֑ם יְ֝הוָ֗ה זִכְרְךָ֥ לְדֹר־וָדֹֽר׃

LORD, your name endures forever; LORD, your renown through every generation.

KJV Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'name' (shem) and the 'memorial/renown' (zikhr) are parallel expressions for God's reputation and identity as known by His people. The phrase le-dor va-dor ('generation to generation') is the Hebrew idiom for perpetuity through time — not abstract eternity but ongoing remembrance in each successive generation. This verse echoes Exodus 3:15, where God tells Moses that YHWH is 'my name forever and my memorial to all generations.'
Psalms 135:14

כִּי־יָדִ֣ין יְהוָ֣ה עַמּ֑וֹ וְעַל־עֲ֝בָדָ֗יו יִתְנֶחָֽם׃

For the LORD will bring justice for His people and will have compassion on His servants.

KJV For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse is drawn directly from the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:36. In its original context, it describes God's turning point — after discipline, He vindicates His people and has compassion on them. The psalm uses the quotation to assure worshipers that God's sovereignty (celebrated in vv. 5-12) is exercised on behalf of, not against, His people.
Psalms 135:15

עֲצַבֵּ֣י הַ֭גּוֹיִם כֶּ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֑ב מַ֝עֲשֵׂ֗ה יְדֵ֣י אָדָֽם׃

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

KJV The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word atsabbei ('idols') comes from a root meaning 'to shape, form, fashion' and carries a secondary association with etsev ('pain, grief'). The idols are shaped things that bring grief. The polemic begins with their material: silver and gold — valuable but inert. And their origin: human hands — they are made by the very beings they claim to rule.
Psalms 135:16

פֶּֽה־לָ֭הֶם וְלֹ֣א יְדַבֵּ֑רוּ עֵינַ֥יִם לָ֝הֶ֗ם וְלֹ֣א יִרְאֽוּ׃

They have mouths but cannot speak; they have eyes but cannot see.

KJV They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The idol polemic catalogs the sensory organs that the images possess in form but not in function. This section (vv. 15-18) closely parallels Psalm 115:4-8. The contrast is with the living God of verses 5-14, who speaks, sees, acts, and responds. The idols are the anti-God: shaped like beings but utterly inert.
Psalms 135:17

אָזְנַ֥יִם לָ֝הֶ֗ם וְלֹ֣א יַאֲזִ֑ינוּ אַ֤ף אֵֽין־יֶשׁ־ר֝֗וּחַ בְּפִיהֶֽם׃

They have ears but cannot hear; there is not even breath in their mouths.

KJV They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The climax of the polemic: not only can the idols not speak, see, or hear — they do not even breathe. The word ruach ('breath, wind, spirit') is the most basic sign of life. Its absence confirms that the idols are not merely limited gods but no gods at all — dead objects shaped like living beings.
Psalms 135:18

כְּ֭מוֹהֶם יִהְי֣וּ עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כֹּ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־בֹּטֵ֬חַ בָּהֶֽם׃

Those who make them will become like them — everyone who trusts in them.

KJV They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The principle 'you become like what you worship' is stated here and in Psalm 115:8 as a theological law. Hosea 9:10 expresses the same idea: 'They became detestable like the thing they loved.' The psalm is not merely mocking idolaters but warning Israel: worship shapes the worshiper.
Psalms 135:19

בֵּ֣ית יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל בָּרְכ֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה בֵּ֥ית אַ֝הֲרֹ֗ן בָּרְכ֥וּ אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃

House of Israel, bless the LORD! House of Aaron, bless the LORD!

KJV Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The closing cascade of blessings addresses four groups in descending specificity: all Israel, the priestly house of Aaron, the Levitical house of Levi, and all who fear the LORD. This fourfold call appears also in Psalm 115:9-11 and Psalm 118:2-4, suggesting a fixed liturgical formula. Each group is invited to participate in the same act: blessing the LORD.
Psalms 135:20

בֵּ֣ית הַ֭לֵּוִי בָּרְכ֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה יִרְאֵ֥י יְ֝הוָ֗ה בָּרְכ֥וּ אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃

House of Levi, bless the LORD! You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!

KJV Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The final group, yirei YHWH ('those who fear the LORD'), may include non-Israelite God-fearers — proselytes or sympathizers who worship Israel's God without being ethnically Israelite. This broadens the call beyond tribal boundaries to anyone whose posture before God is one of reverent awe.
Psalms 135:21

בָּר֖וּךְ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ מִצִּיּ֗וֹן שֹׁ֘כֵ֤ן יְֽרוּשָׁלָ֗͏ִם הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃

Blessed be the LORD from Zion, He who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

KJV Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase barukh YHWH mi-Tsiyon ('blessed be the LORD from Zion') echoes Psalm 128:5 and Psalm 134:3, creating a web of cross-references within the Psalms of Ascent and its immediate aftermath. Zion is the source point of blessing — not because the geography is magical but because God has chosen to dwell there.
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