Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Psalms » Chapter 136

Psalms 136:1-26 King James Version (KJV)

1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

4 To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

7 To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:

11 And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:

12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.

13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.

16 To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:

20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:

22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalms 136:1-26 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 O give thanks H3034 unto the LORD; H3068 for he is good: H2896 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

2 O give thanks H3034 unto the God H430 of gods: H430 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

3 O give thanks H3034 to the Lord H113 of lords: H113 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

4 To him who alone doeth H6213 great H1419 wonders: H6381 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

5 To him that by wisdom H8394 made H6213 the heavens: H8064 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

6 To him that stretched out H7554 the earth H776 above the waters: H4325 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

7 To him that made H6213 great H1419 lights: H216 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

8 The sun H8121 to rule H4475 by day: H3117 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

9 The moon H3394 and stars H3556 to rule H4475 by night: H3915 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

10 To him that smote H5221 Egypt H4714 in their firstborn: H1060 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

11 And brought out H3318 Israel H3478 from among H8432 them: for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

12 With a strong H2389 hand, H3027 and with a stretched out H5186 arm: H2220 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

13 To him which divided H1504 the Red H5488 sea H3220 into parts: H1506 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

14 And made Israel H3478 to pass through H5674 the midst H8432 of it: for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

15 But overthrew H5287 Pharaoh H6547 and his host H2428 in the Red H5488 sea: H3220 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

16 To him which led H3212 his people H5971 through the wilderness: H4057 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

17 To him which smote H5221 great H1419 kings: H4428 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

18 And slew H2026 famous H117 kings: H4428 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

19 Sihon H5511 king H4428 of the Amorites: H567 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

20 And Og H5747 the king H4428 of Bashan: H1316 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

21 And gave H5414 their land H776 for an heritage: H5159 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

22 Even an heritage H5159 unto Israel H3478 his servant: H5650 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

23 Who remembered H2142 us in our low estate: H8216 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769

24 And hath redeemed H6561 us from our enemies: H6862 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

25 Who giveth H5414 food H3899 to all flesh: H1320 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

26 O give thanks H3034 unto the God H410 of heaven: H8064 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769

Psalms 136:1-26 American Standard (ASV)

1 Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever.

2 Oh give thanks unto the God of gods; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever.

3 Oh give thanks unto the Lord of lords; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

4 To him who alone doeth great wonders; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

5 To him that by understanding made the heavens; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

6 To him that spread forth the earth above the waters; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

7 To him that made great lights; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

8 The sun to rule by day; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

9 The moon and stars to rule by night; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

10 To him that smote Egypt in their first-born; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

11 And brought out Israel from among them; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

12 With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

13 To him that divided the Red Sea in sunder; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

16 To him that led his people through the wilderness; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

17 To him that smote great kings; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

18 And slew famous kings; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

19 Sihon king of the Amorites; For his lovingkindness `endureth' forever;

20 And Og king of Bashan; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

21 And gave their land for a heritage; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

22 Even a heritage unto Israel his servant; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

23 Who remembered us in our low estate; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;

24 And hath delivered us from our adversaries; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever:

25 Who giveth food to all flesh; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever.

26 Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever.

Psalms 136:1-26 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Give ye thanks to Jehovah, For good, for to the age `is' His kindness.

2 Give ye thanks to the God of gods, For to the age `is' His kindness.

3 Give ye thanks to the Lord of lords, For to the age `is' His kindness.

4 To Him doing great wonders by Himself alone, For to the age `is' His kindness.

5 To Him making the heavens by understanding, For to the age `is' His kindness.

6 To Him spreading the earth over the waters, For to the age `is' His kindness.

7 To Him making great lights, For to the age `is' His kindness.

8 The sun to rule by day, For to the age `is' His kindness.

9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For to the age `is' His kindness.

10 To Him smiting Egypt in their first-born, For to the age `is' His kindness.

11 And bringing forth Israel from their midst, For to the age `is' His kindness.

12 By a strong hand, and a stretched-out-arm, For to the age `is' His kindness.

13 To Him cutting the sea of Suph into parts, For to the age `is' His kindness,

14 And caused Israel to pass through its midst, For to the age `is' His kindness,

15 And shook out Pharaoh and his force in the sea of Suph, For to the age `is' His kindness.

16 To Him leading His people in a wilderness, For to the age `is' His kindness.

17 To Him smiting great kings, For to the age `is' His kindness.

18 Yea, He doth slay honourable kings, For to the age `is' His kindness.

19 Even Sihon king of the Amorite, For to the age `is' His kindness.

20 And Og king of Bashan, For to the age `is' His kindness.

21 And He gave their land for inheritance, For to the age `is' His kindness.

22 An inheritance to Israel His servant, For to the age `is' His kindness.

23 Who in our lowliness hath remembered us, For to the age `is' His kindness.

24 And He delivereth us from our adversaries, For to the age `is' His kindness.

25 Giving food to all flesh, For to the age `is' His kindness.

26 Give ye thanks to the God of the heavens, For to the age `is' His kindness!

Psalms 136:1-26 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

1 Give ye thanks unto Jehovah, for he is good; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:

2 Give thanks unto the God of gods, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

3 Give thanks unto the Lord of lords, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.

4 To him who alone doeth great wonders, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:

5 To him that by understanding made the heavens, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

7 To him that made great lights, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

8 The sun for rule over the day, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,

9 The moon and stars for rule over the night, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:

10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,

11 And brought out Israel from among them, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,

12 With a powerful hand and with a stretched-out arm, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

13 To him that divided the Red sea into parts, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,

15 And overturned Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

16 To him that led his people through the wilderness, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

17 To him that smote great kings, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,

18 And slew famous kings, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

19 Sihon king of the Amorites, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,

20 And Og king of Bashan, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

21 And gave their land for an inheritance, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,

22 An inheritance unto Israel his servant, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:

23 Who hath remembered us in our low estate, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;

24 And hath delivered us from our oppressors, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:

25 Who giveth food to all flesh, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.

26 Give ye thanks unto the ùGod of the heavens; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.

Psalms 136:1-26 World English Bible (WEB)

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good; For his loving kindness endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods; For his loving kindness endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords; For his loving kindness endures forever:

4 To him who alone does great wonders; For his loving kindness endures forever:

5 To him who by understanding made the heavens; For his loving kindness endures forever:

6 To him who spread out the earth above the waters; For his loving kindness endures forever:

7 To him who made the great lights; For his loving kindness endures forever:

8 The sun to rule by day; For his loving kindness endures forever;

9 The moon and stars to rule by night; For his loving kindness endures forever:

10 To him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn; For his loving kindness endures forever;

11 And brought out Israel from among them; For his loving kindness endures forever;

12 With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm; For his loving kindness endures forever:

13 To him who divided the Red Sea apart; For his loving kindness endures forever;

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it; For his loving kindness endures forever;

15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea; For his loving kindness endures forever:

16 To him who led his people through the wilderness; For his loving kindness endures forever:

17 To him who struck great kings; For his loving kindness endures forever;

18 And killed mighty kings; For his loving kindness endures forever:

19 Sihon king of the Amorites; For his loving kindness endures forever;

20 Og king of Bashan; For his loving kindness endures forever;

21 And gave their land as an inheritance; For his loving kindness endures forever;

22 Even a heritage to Israel his servant; For his loving kindness endures forever:

23 Who remembered us in our low estate; For his loving kindness endures forever;

24 And has delivered us from our adversaries; For his loving kindness endures forever:

25 Who gives food to every creature; For his loving kindness endures forever.

26 Oh give thanks to the God of heaven; For his loving kindness endures forever.

Psalms 136:1-26 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

2 O give praise to the God of gods: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

3 O give praise to the Lord of lords: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

4 To him who only does great wonders: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

5 To him who by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

6 To him by whom the earth was stretched out over the waters: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

7 To him who made great lights: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

8 The sun to have rule by day: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

9 The moon and the stars to have rule by night: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

10 To him who put to death the first-fruits of Egypt: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:

11 And took out Israel from among them: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:

12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

13 To him who made a way through the Red Sea: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:

14 And let Israel go through it: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:

15 By him Pharaoh and his army were overturned in the Red Sea: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

16 To him who took his people through the waste land: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

17 To him who overcame great kings: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:

18 And put noble kings to death: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:

19 Sihon, king of the Amorites: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:

20 And Og, king of Bashan: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:

21 And gave their land to his people for a heritage: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

22 Even a heritage for his servant Israel: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

23 Who kept us in mind when we were in trouble: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

24 And has taken us out of the hands of our haters: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

25 Who gives food to all flesh: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

26 O give praise to the God of heaven: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 136

Commentary on Psalms 136 Matthew Henry Commentary

John Gill   Keil & Delitzsch   Robert Jamieson: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible  

Psalm 136

The scope of this psalm is the same with that of the foregoing psalm, but there is something very singular in the composition of it; for the latter half of each verse is the same, repeated throughout the psalm, "for his mercy endureth for ever,' and yet no vain repetition. It is allowed that such burdens, or "keepings,' as we call them, add very much to the beauty of a song, and help to make it moving and affecting; nor can any verse contain more weighty matter, or more worthy to be thus repeated, than this, that God's mercy endureth for ever; and the repetition of it here twenty-six times intimates,

  • 1. That God's mercies to his people are thus repeated and drawn, as it were, with a continuando from the beginning to the end, with a progress and advance in infinitum.
  • 2. That in every particular favour we ought to take notice of the mercy of God, and to take favour we ought to take notice of the mercy of God, and to take notice of it as enduring still, the same now that it has been, and enduring for ever, the same always that it is.
  • 3. That the everlasting continuance of the mercy of God is very much his honour and that which he glories in, and very much the saints' comfort and that which they glory in. It is that which therefore our hearts should be full of and greatly affected with, so that the most frequent mention of it, instead of cloying us, should raise us the more, because it will be the subject of our praise to all eternity. This most excellent sentence, that God's mercy endureth for ever, is magnified above all the truths concerning God, not only by the repetition of it here, but by the signal tokens of divine acceptance with which God owned the singing of it, both in Solomon's time (2 Chr. 5:13, when they sang these words, "for his mercy endureth for ever,' the house was filled with a cloud) and in Jehoshaphat's time (when they sang these words, God gave them victory, 2 Chr. 20:21, 22), which should make us love to sing, "His mercies sure do still endure, eternally.' We must praise God,
    • I. As great and good in himself (v. 1-3).
    • II. As the Creator of the world (v. 5-9).
    • III. As Israel's God and Saviour (v. 10-22).
    • IV. As our Redeemer (v. 23, 24).
    • V. As the great benefactor of the whole creation, and God over all, blessed for evermore (v. 25, 26).

Psa 136:1-9

The duty we are here again and again called to is to give thanks, to offer the sacrifice of praise continually, not the fruits of our ground or cattle, but the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name, Heb. 13:15. We are never so earnestly called upon to pray and repent as to give thanks; for it is the will of God that we should abound most in the most pleasant exercises of religion, in that which is the work of heaven. Now here observe,

  • 1. Whom we must give thanks to-to him that we receive all good from, to the Lord, Jehovah, Israel's God (v. 1), the God of gods, the God whom angels adore, from whom magistrates derive their power, and by whom all pretended deities are and shall be conquered (v. 2), to the Lord of lords, the Sovereign of all sovereigns, the stay and supporter of all supports; v. 3. In all our adorations we must have an eye to God's excellency as transcendent, and to his power and dominion as incontestably and uncontrollably supreme.
  • 2. What we must give thanks for, not as the Pharisee that made all his thanksgivings terminate in his own praise (God, I thank thee, that I am so and so), but directing them all to God's glory.
    • (1.) We must give thanks to God for his goodness and mercy (v. 1): Give thanks to the Lord, not only because he does good, but because he is good (all the streams must be traced up to the fountain), not only because he is merciful to us, but because his mercy endures for ever, and will be drawn out to those that shall come after us. We must give thanks to God, not only for that mercy which is now handed out to us here on earth, but for that which shall endure for ever in the glories and joys of heaven.
    • (2.) We must give God thanks for the instances of his power and wisdom. In general (v. 4), he along does great wonders. The contrivance is wonderful, the design being laid by infinite wisdom; the performance is wonderful, being put in execution by infinite power. He alone does marvellous things; none besides can do such things, and he does them without the assistance or advice of any other. More particularly,
      • [1.] He made the heavens, and stretched them out, and in them we not only see his wisdom and power, but we taste his mercy in their benign influences; as long as the heavens endure the mercy of God endures in them, v. 5.
      • [2.] He raised the earth out of the waters when he caused the dry land to appear, that it might be fit to be a habitation for man, and therein also his mercy to man still endures (v. 6); for the earth hath he given to the children of men, and all its products.
      • [3.] Having made both heaven and earth, he settled a correspondence between them, notwithstanding their distance, by making the sun, moon, and stars, which he placed in the firmament of heaven, to shed their light and influences upon this earth, v. 7-9. These are called the great lights because they appear so to us, for otherwise astronomers could tell us that the moon is less than many of the stars, but, being nearer to the earth, it seems much greater. They are said to rule, not only because they govern the seasons of the year, but because they are useful to the world, and benefactors are the best rulers, Lu. 22:25. But the empire is divided, one rules by day, the other by night (at least, the stars), and yet all are subject to God's direction and disposal. Those rulers, therefore, which the Gentiles idolized, are the world's servants and God's subjects. Sun, stand thou still, and thou moon.

Psa 136:10-22

The great things God for Israel, when he first formed them into a people, and set up his kingdom among them, are here mentioned, as often elsewhere in the psalms, as instances both of the power of God and of the particular kindness he had for Israel. See Ps. 135:8, etc.

  • 1. He brought them out of Egypt, v. 10-12. That was a mercy which endured long to them, and our redemption by Christ, which was typified by that, does indeed endure for ever, for it is an eternal redemption. Of all the plagues of Egypt, none is mentioned but the death of the first-born, because that was the conquering plague; by that God, who in all the plagues distinguished the Israelites from the Egyptians, brought them at last from among them, not by a wile, but with a strong hand and an arm stretched out to reach far and do great things. These miracles of mercy, as they proved Moses's commission to give law to Israel, so they laid Israel under lasting obligations to obey that law, Ex. 20:2.
  • 2. He forced them a way through the Red Sea, which obstructed them at their first setting out. By the power he has to control the common course of nature he divided the sea into two parts, between which he opened a path, and made Israel to pass between the parts, now that they were to enter into covenant with him; see Jer. 34:18. He not only divided the sea, but gave his people courage to go through it when it was divided, which was an instance of God's power over men's hearts, as the former of his power over the waters. And, to make it a miracle of justice as well as mercy, the same Red Sea that was a lane to the Israelites was a grave to their pursuers. There he shook off Pharaoh and his host.
  • 3. He conducted them through a vast howling wilderness (v. 16); there he led them and fed them. Their camp was victualled and fortified by a constant series of miracles for forty years; though they loitered and wandered there, they were not lost. And in this the mercy of God, and the constancy of that mercy, were the more observable because they often provoked him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert.
  • 4. He destroyed kings before them, to make room for them (v. 17, 18), not deposed and banished them, but smote and slew them, in which appeared his wrath against them, but his mercy, his never-failing mercy, to Israel. And that which magnified it was that they were great kings and famous kings, yet God subdued them as easily as if they had been the least, and weakest, and meanest, of the children of men. They were wicked kings, and then their grandeur and lustre would not secure them from the justice of God. The more great and famous they were the more did God's mercy to Israel appear in giving such kings for them. Sihon and Og are particularly mentioned, because they were the first two that were conquered on the other side Jordan, v. 19, 20. It is good to enter into the detail of God's favours and not to view them in the gross, and in each instance to observe, and own, that God's mercy endureth for ever.
  • 5. He put them in possession of a good land, v. 21, 22. He whose the earth is, and the fulness thereof, the world and those that dwell therein, took land from one people and gave it to another, as pleased him. The iniquity of the Amorites was now full, and therefore it was taken from them. Israel was his servant, and, though they had been provoking in the wilderness, yet he intended to have some service out of them, for to them pertained the service of God. As he said to the Egyptians, Let my people go, so to the Canaanites, Let my people in, that they may serve me. In this God's mercy to them endureth for ever, because it was a figure of the heavenly Canaan, the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Psa 136:23-26

God's everlasting mercy is here celebrated,

  • 1. In the redemption of his church, v. 23, 24. In the many redemptions wrought for the Jewish church out of the hands of their oppressors (when, in the years of their servitude, their estate was very low, God remembered them, and raised them up saviours, the judges, and David, at length, by whom God gave them rest from all their enemies), but especially in the great redemption of the universal church, of which these were types, we have a great deal of reason to say, "He remembered us, the children of men, in our low estate, in our lost estate, for his mercy endureth for ever; he sent his Son to redeem us from sin, and death, and hell, and all our spiritual enemies, for his mercy endureth for ever; he was sent to redeem us, and not the angels that sinned, for his mercy endureth for ever.'
  • 2. In the provision he makes for all the creatures (v. 25): He gives food to all flesh. It is an instance of the mercy of God's providence that wherever he has given life he gives food agreeable and sufficient; and he is a good housekeeper that provides for so large a family.
  • 3. In all his glories, and all his gifts (v. 26): Give thanks to the God of heaven. This denotes him to be a glorious God, and the glory of his mercy is to be taken notice of in our praises. The riches of his glory are displayed in the vessels of his mercy, Rom. 9:23. It also denotes him to be the great benefactor, for every good and perfect gift is from above, from the Father of lights, the God of heaven; and we should trace every stream to the fountain. This and that particular mercy may perhaps endure but a while, but the mercy that is in God endures for ever; it is an inexhaustible fountain.