Psalms / Chapter 145

Psalms 145

21 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

A tehillah (praise-song) of David — the only psalm in the Psalter given this title, from which the entire Hebrew collection gets its name (Tehillim, 'Praises'). This is an acrostic psalm: each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph to tav. David extols the LORD's greatness, mighty deeds, splendor, and faithfulness across generations. The psalm declares that the LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love. God sustains all who fall, opens his hand to satisfy every living thing, is near to all who call on him in truth, and guards all who love him. The psalm closes with a vow of perpetual praise and a call for all flesh to bless God's holy name forever.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Psalm 145 is the last psalm ascribed to David and the only one given the heading tehillah ('praise') — a singular form of the word that names the entire book. This is David's final word in the Psalter, and it is pure, unqualified praise. The acrostic structure (aleph through tav) is a literary statement: praise covers the entire alphabet, from first letter to last, leaving nothing out. The Masoretic Text is missing the nun line (which would fall between verses 13 and 14), but the Dead Sea Scrolls (11QPsa) preserve it: 'The LORD is faithful in all his words and gracious in all his deeds.' Jewish liturgical tradition has made this psalm central to daily worship — it is recited three times daily in traditional services, and the Talmud (Berakhot 4b) states that anyone who recites Psalm 145 three times a day is assured a place in the world to come.

Translation Friction

The missing nun verse in the Masoretic Text is the psalm's most discussed textual issue. The Dead Sea Scroll 11QPsa supplies: ne'eman YHVH be-kol devarav ve-chasid be-kol ma'asav ('the LORD is faithful in all his words and gracious in all his deeds'). Whether this line was accidentally dropped by a scribe or deliberately omitted is debated. The acrostic structure makes the omission conspicuous. Our rendering includes the nun line following the Dead Sea Scrolls evidence, marked with a note. The psalm's theology is relentlessly positive — there is no lament, no enemy, no suffering. Some scholars see this as the psalm's weakness; others see it as its purpose: after 144 psalms of mixed experience, David's final word is undiluted praise.

Connections

The declaration in verse 8 — 'The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love' — is a direct quotation of the LORD's self-revelation at Sinai (Exodus 34:6-7), the most quoted verse within the Hebrew Bible itself. The feeding imagery in verse 15-16 ('the eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time') is echoed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:26). The promise that God is near to all who call on him (v. 18) is cited by Paul in Romans 10:12-13. As the last Davidic psalm, it serves as a bridge to the five Halleluyah psalms (146-150) that close the Psalter.

Psalms 145:1

תְּהִלָּ֗ה לְדָ֫וִ֥ד אֲרוֹמִמְךָ֣ אֱלוֹהַ֣י הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַאֲבָרְכָ֥ה שִׁ֝מְךָ֗ לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃

A praise of David. I will exalt you, my God, the King, and I will bless your name forever and always.

KJV I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The heading tehillah ('praise') is unique in the Psalter — no other psalm carries this title, yet the entire collection is called Tehillim ('Praises') after this word. The aleph-verse begins with aromimkha ('I will exalt you, I will lift you high'), establishing the psalm's singular purpose: elevation of God. The address Elohai ha-Melekh ('my God, the King') combines personal devotion with royal theology.
Psalms 145:2

בְּכׇל־י֥וֹם אֲבָרְכֶ֑ךָּ וַאֲהַלְלָ֥ה שִׁ֝מְךָ֗ לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃

Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and always.

KJV Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The bet-verse. The phrase be-khol yom ('every day, in all days') commits the psalmist to daily, uninterrupted praise. The doubled temporal markers — 'every day' and 'forever and always' (le-olam va-ed) — stretch praise from the immediate present into eternity.
Psalms 145:3

גָּ֘ד֤וֹל יְהוָ֣ה וּמְהֻלָּ֣ל מְאֹ֑ד וְ֝לִגְדֻלָּת֗וֹ אֵ֣ין חֵֽקֶר׃

Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond searching out.

KJV Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The gimel-verse. The adjective gadol ('great') and the noun gedullatah ('his greatness') create a wordplay rooted in the same consonants. The phrase ein cheqer ('there is no searching out, no investigation that can reach the end') declares that God's greatness exceeds the capacity of human comprehension. Praise is the only adequate response to what cannot be fully understood.
Psalms 145:4

דּ֣וֹר לְ֭דוֹר יְשַׁבַּ֣ח מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ וּגְב֖וּרֹתֶ֣יךָ יַגִּֽידוּ׃

One generation will commend your works to the next, and they will declare your mighty acts.

KJV One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The dalet-verse. The phrase dor le-dor ('generation to generation') establishes praise as an inheritance — each generation passes on the testimony of God's deeds to the next. The verb yeshabbach ('will commend, will praise') and yaggidu ('they will declare, recount') describe an active tradition of telling.
Psalms 145:5

הֲ֘דַ֤ר כְּב֣וֹד הוֹדֶ֣ךָ וְדִבְרֵ֖י נִפְלְאוֹתֶ֣יךָ אָשִֽׂיחָה׃

The splendor of your glorious majesty and the accounts of your wonders — I will meditate on them.

KJV I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The he-verse. The phrase hadar kevod hodekha ('the splendor of the glory of your majesty') piles three words for magnificence: hadar ('splendor, ornament'), kavod ('glory, weight, honor'), and hod ('majesty, splendor'). The psalmist's response is sichah ('meditation, musing, reflection') — the wonders of God are not merely recited but pondered.
Psalms 145:6

וֶעֱז֣וּז נוֹרְאוֹתֶ֣יךָ יֹאמֵ֑רוּ וּגְדֻלָּתְךָ֥ אֲסַפְּרֶֽנָּה׃

They will speak of the power of your awe-inspiring deeds, and I will recount your greatness.

KJV And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The vav-verse. The word ezuz ('strength, fierceness, power') combined with norotekha ('your awesome/fearsome deeds') describes actions that evoke both terror and reverence. The shift from 'they will speak' to 'I will recount' moves between communal testimony and personal declaration.
Psalms 145:7

זֵ֣כֶר רַב־טוּבְךָ֣ יַבִּ֑יעוּ וְצִדְקָתְךָ֥ יְרַנֵּֽנוּ׃

They will pour out the memory of your abundant goodness and will sing aloud of your righteousness.

KJV They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The zayin-verse. The verb yabbi'u ('they will pour out, bubble forth, gush') pictures speech as an overflowing spring — the memory of God's goodness cannot be contained. The rav tuvkha ('your abundant goodness, your great goodness') is paired with tsidqatkha ('your righteousness'), connecting God's generosity with his justice.
Psalms 145:8

חַנּ֣וּן וְרַח֣וּם יְהוָ֑ה אֶ֥רֶךְ אַ֝פַּ֗יִם וּגְדׇל־חָֽסֶד׃

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love.

KJV The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

חֶסֶד chesed
"faithful love" — faithful love, loyal kindness, covenant devotion, steadfast love, mercy

In the Sinai formula, chesed is the climactic attribute — it is what God is great in. The word describes love that is bound by commitment, not by fluctuating emotion. God's chesed is the reason the psalm can declare him slow to anger: his default orientation is loyal devotion.

Translator Notes

  1. This four-part formula appears in Exodus 34:6, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Nahum 1:3, Nehemiah 9:17, and several psalms. It is the most internally quoted verse in the Hebrew Bible — the theological center from which Israel's understanding of God radiates. The psalmist is not innovating but repeating the foundational creed.
Psalms 145:9

טוֹב־יְהוָ֥ה לַכֹּ֑ל וְ֝רַחֲמָ֗יו עַל־כׇּל־מַעֲשָֽׂיו׃

The LORD is good to all, and his compassion extends over everything he has made.

KJV The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The tet-verse. The scope is universal: la-kol ('to all') and al kol ma'asav ('over all his works'). God's goodness is not restricted to Israel but covers the entire creation. The rachamav ('his compassion, his tender mercies') — from the same womb-root as rachum in verse 8 — rests on everything God has made. This is one of the Hebrew Bible's most expansive statements of divine benevolence.
Psalms 145:10

יוֹד֣וּךָ יְ֭הוָה כׇּל־מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ וַ֝חֲסִידֶ֗יךָ יְבָרְכֽוּכָה׃

All your works will give thanks to you, LORD, and your faithful ones will bless you.

KJV All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The yod-verse. The parallel moves from kol ma'asekha ('all your works' — the entire creation) to chasidekha ('your faithful ones, your devoted ones') — from the broadest circle of praise to the inner circle. The chasidim are those who embody chesed in their own lives, the people marked by covenant loyalty.
Psalms 145:11

כְּב֣וֹד מַלְכוּתְךָ֣ יֹאמֵ֑רוּ וּגְבוּרָתְךָ֥ יְדַבֵּֽרוּ׃

They will speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,

KJV They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The kaf-verse. The kevod malkhutekha ('glory of your kingdom') introduces the theme of divine kingship that dominates this section. The faithful ones are not passive recipients of blessing but active heralds — they speak (yomeru) and tell (yedabberu) of God's royal power.
Psalms 145:12

לְהוֹדִ֤יעַ ׀ לִבְנֵ֣י הָ֭אָדָם גְּבוּרֹתָ֑יו וּ֝כְב֗וֹד הֲדַ֣ר מַלְכוּתֽוֹ׃

making known to all people his mighty acts and the glorious splendor of his kingdom.

KJV To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The lamed-verse. The purpose of the faithful ones' testimony is lehodia ('to make known') — the knowledge of God's kingdom is not for insiders only but is directed outward to bene ha-adam ('the children of humanity'). The kevod hadar malkhuto ('the glory of the splendor of his kingdom') again piles up magnificence — three words for the weight and beauty of God's reign.
Psalms 145:13

מַלְכוּתְךָ֗ מַלְכ֣וּת כׇּל־עֹלָמִ֑ים וּ֝מֶמְשַׁלְתְּךָ֗ בְּכׇל־דּ֥וֹר וָדֹֽר׃

Your kingdom is a kingdom of all ages, and your dominion endures through every generation.

KJV Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Dead Sea Scroll 11QPsa includes a nun-line after this verse that is absent from the Masoretic Text: ne'eman YHVH be-khol devarav ve-chasid be-khol ma'asav ('The LORD is faithful in all his words and gracious in all his deeds'). The acrostic pattern requires a nun-line, and its absence in MT is likely a scribal omission. We note its existence without inserting it into the verse numbering.
Psalms 145:14

סוֹמֵ֣ךְ יְ֭הוָה לְכׇל־הַנֹּפְלִ֑ים וְ֝זוֹקֵ֗ף לְכׇל־הַכְּפוּפִֽים׃

The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

KJV The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The samekh-verse. The verb somekh ('upholds, supports, sustains') pictures God as a hand under the one who is falling — not preventing the fall but catching the fallen. The parallel zoqef ('raises up, straightens') reverses the posture of the kefufim ('the bowed down, the bent over'). Together the two verbs describe God's consistent action toward the weak: he catches and he straightens.
Psalms 145:15

עֵינֵי־כֹ֭ל אֵלֶ֣יךָ יְשַׂבֵּ֑רוּ וְאַתָּ֤ה נוֹתֵן־לָהֶ֖ם אֶת־אׇכְלָ֣ם בְּעִתּֽוֹ׃

The eyes of all look to you with hope, and you give them their food at the right time.

KJV The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The ayin-verse. The verb yesabberu ('they look with hope, they wait expectantly') pictures all creation turning its eyes upward to God as the source of provision. The phrase be-itto ('in its time, at the right time') indicates that God's provision follows a rhythm — not arbitrary but timed to need. Jesus echoes this verse in Matthew 6:26.
Psalms 145:16

פּוֹתֵ֥חַ אֶת־יָדֶ֑ךָ וּמַשְׂבִּ֖יעַ לְכׇל־חַ֣י רָצֽוֹן׃

You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

KJV Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse is central to Jewish table liturgy — it is recited as part of the blessing after meals (Birkat Hamazon). The image of the open hand has become one of Judaism's defining metaphors for divine provision.
Psalms 145:17

צַדִּ֣יק יְ֭הוָה בְּכׇל־דְּרָכָ֑יו וְ֝חָסִ֗יד בְּכׇל־מַעֲשָֽׂיו׃

The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his works.

KJV The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The tsade-verse. The parallel tsaddiq / chasid ('righteous / faithful, devoted') applies to God the same qualities expected of his people. The word chasid when applied to God means 'loyal, devoted, full of chesed' — everything God does is saturated with covenant faithfulness. The universality — be-khol ('in all') repeated twice — leaves no exception.
Psalms 145:18

קָר֣וֹב יְ֭הוָה לְכׇל־קֹרְאָ֑יו לְכֹ֤ל אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִקְרָאֻ֣הוּ בֶאֱמֶֽת׃

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

KJV The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The qof-verse. The word qarov ('near, close') declares God's accessibility — he is not remote or indifferent. The qualifier be-emet ('in truth, genuinely, with integrity') distinguishes sincere calling from mere ritual invocation. God is near, but nearness responds to authenticity. Paul cites this theology in Romans 10:12-13.
Psalms 145:19

רְצוֹן־יְרֵאָ֥יו יַעֲשֶׂ֑ה וְאֶת־שַׁוְעָתָ֖ם יִשְׁמָ֣ע וְיוֹשִׁיעֵֽם׃

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him. He hears their cry and saves them.

KJV He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The resh-verse. The retson yere'av ('the desire/will of those who fear him') echoes the ratson ('desire') of verse 16, but now applied specifically to those who stand in reverent awe of God. The three verbs — ya'aseh ('he does/fulfills'), yishma ('he hears'), yoshi'em ('he saves them') — form a rapid sequence: God acts, God listens, God delivers.
Psalms 145:20

שׁוֹמֵ֣ר יְ֭הוָה אֶת־כׇּל־אֹהֲבָ֑יו וְאֵ֖ת כׇּל־הָרְשָׁעִ֣ים יַשְׁמִֽיד׃

The LORD guards all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

KJV The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The shin-verse. The verb shomer ('guards, keeps, watches over') promises protection to all who love God — love, not merely fear, is the relationship described. The contrast is stark: the same God who guards those who love him will destroy (yashmid, Hiphil of shamad) all the wicked. The psalm does not soften this; divine love and divine justice are both absolute.
Psalms 145:21

תְּהִלַּ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה יְֽדַבֶּ֫ר־פִּ֥י וִיבָרֵ֣ךְ כׇּל־בָּ֭שָׂר שֵׁ֥ם קׇדְשׁ֗וֹ לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃

My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and always.

KJV My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The inclusio between verse 1 ('I will bless your name forever and always') and verse 21 ('let all flesh bless his holy name forever and always') frames the psalm as a movement from personal to universal praise. David begins alone and ends with all creation. This is the last verse attributed to David in the Psalter; the five Halleluyah psalms that follow (146-150) are anonymous.
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