May 8, 2019 (Wednesday)
Psalm 135 is a song of praise for God’s wonderful works in nature and in history. He is greater than all so-called gods. He controls nature. His name endures forever. Let His people praise Him! The Psalm has no title. It is mainly made up of selections from other Scriptures.*
It is a song full of life, vigor, variety, and devotion.
Let Everyone Praise the Lord – Psalm 135
Psalm 135
New International Version (NIV)
I. PRAISE THE LORD ALL HIS SERVANTS (1-2)
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who minister in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God. **
II. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GOODNESS (3)
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
III. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS ELECTIVE LOVE (4)
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
IV. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GREATNESS (5-7)
5 I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
V. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS JUDGMENTS (8-12)
8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
9 He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings–
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan–
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
VI. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS UNCHANGING CHARACTER (13)
13 Your name, Lord, endures forever,
your renown, Lord, through all generations.
VII. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE (14)
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
VIII. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS DENUNCIATION OF IDOLS (15-18)
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
IX. PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU PEOPLE (19-21)
19 All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20 house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21 Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
Compare three translations side by side. Click here.
* Psalm 135 has been called a mosaic. At the outset, its first two verses (Ps 135:1-2) are taken from Ps 134:1-3; while the latter part of Ps 135:2 and the commencement of Ps 135:3 put us in mind of Ps 116:19; and Ps 135:4 suggests Deut 7:6. Does not Ps 135:5 remind us of Ps 95:3? As for Ps 135:7, it is almost identical with Jer 10:13, which may have been taken from it. The passage contained in Ps 135:13 is to be found in Ex 3:15, and Ps 135:14 in De 32:36. The closing verses, Ps 135:8-12, are in Psalms 136. From Ps 135:15 to the end the strain is a repetition of Ps 115:1-18 This process of tracing the expressions to other sources might be pushed further without straining the quotations; the whole Psalm is a compound of many choice extracts, and yet it has all the continuity and freshness of an original poem. (Spurgeon).
** Those who serve in the Temple: Priests and Levites. Click here for a brief description of these two people.
Compare the Cambridge Bible Commentary on Psalm 135.
Let Everyone Praise the Lord – Psalm 135
Compare the Cambridge Bible Commentary on Psalm 135.