1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
8 The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
9 The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.
1 Praise H1984 ye the LORD. H3050 Praise H1984 the LORD, H3068 O my soul. H5315
2 While I live H2416 will I praise H1984 the LORD: H3068 I will sing praises H2167 unto my God H430 while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust H982 in princes, H5081 nor in the son H1121 of man, H120 in whom there is no help. H8668
4 His breath H7307 goeth forth, H3318 he returneth H7725 to his earth; H127 in that very day H3117 his thoughts H6250 perish. H6
5 Happy H835 is he that hath the God H410 of Jacob H3290 for his help, H5828 whose hope H7664 is in the LORD H3068 his God: H430
6 Which made H6213 heaven, H8064 and earth, H776 the sea, H3220 and all that therein is: which keepeth H8104 truth H571 for ever: H5769
7 Which executeth H6213 judgment H4941 for the oppressed: H6231 which giveth H5414 food H3899 to the hungry. H7457 The LORD H3068 looseth H5425 the prisoners: H631
8 The LORD H3068 openeth H6491 the eyes of the blind: H5787 the LORD H3068 raiseth H2210 them that are bowed down: H3721 the LORD H3068 loveth H157 the righteous: H6662
9 The LORD H3068 preserveth H8104 the strangers; H1616 he relieveth H5749 the fatherless H3490 and widow: H490 but the way H1870 of the wicked H7563 he turneth upside down. H5791
10 The LORD H3068 shall reign H4427 for ever, H5769 even thy God, H430 O Zion, H6726 unto all H1755 generations. H1755 Praise H1984 ye the LORD. H3050
1 Praise ye Jehovah. Praise Jehovah, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise Jehovah: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in Jehovah his God:
6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that in them is; Who keepeth truth for ever;
7 Who executeth justice for the oppressed; Who giveth food to the hungry. Jehovah looseth the prisoners;
8 Jehovah openeth `the eyes of' the blind; Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down; Jehovah loveth the righteous;
9 Jehovah preserveth the sojourners; He upholdeth the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 Jehovah will reign for ever, Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye Jehovah.
1 Praise ye Jah! Praise, O my soul, Jehovah.
2 I praise Jehovah during my life, I sing praise to my God while I exist.
3 Trust not in princes -- in a son of man, For he hath no deliverance.
4 His spirit goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, In that day have his thoughts perished.
5 O the happiness of him Who hath the God of Jacob for his help, His hope `is' on Jehovah his God,
6 Making the heavens and earth, The sea and all that `is' in them, Who is keeping truth to the age,
7 Doing judgment for the oppressed, Giving bread to the hungry.
8 Jehovah is loosing the prisoners, Jehovah is opening (the eyes of) the blind, Jehovah is raising the bowed down, Jehovah is loving the righteous,
9 Jehovah is preserving the strangers, The fatherless and widow He causeth to stand, And the way of the wicked He turneth upside down.
10 Jehovah doth reign to the age, Thy God, O Zion, to generation and generation, Praise ye Jah!
1 Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah, O my soul.
2 As long as I live will I praise Jehovah; I will sing psalms unto my God while I have my being.
3 Put not confidence in nobles, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his purposes perish.
5 Blessed is he who hath the ùGod of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Jehovah his God,
6 Who made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is therein; who keepeth truth for ever;
7 Who executeth judgment for the oppressed, who giveth bread to the hungry. Jehovah looseth the prisoners;
8 Jehovah openeth [the eyes of] the blind; Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down; Jehovah loveth the righteous;
9 Jehovah preserveth the strangers; he lifteth up the fatherless and the widow; but the way of the wicked doth he subvert.
10 Jehovah will reign for ever, [even] thy God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Halleluiah!
1 Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh, my soul.
2 While I live, I will praise Yahweh. I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
3 Don't put your trust in princes, Each a son of man in whom there is no help.
4 His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in Yahweh, his God:
6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever;
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh frees the prisoners.
8 Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind. Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down. Yahweh loves the righteous.
9 Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, But the way of the wicked he turns upside down.
10 Yahweh will reign forever; Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise Yah!
1 Let the Lord be praised. Give praise to the Lord, O my soul.
2 While I have breath I will give praise to the Lord: I will make melody to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your faith in rulers, or in the son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 Man's breath goes out, he is turned back again to dust; in that day all his purposes come to an end.
5 Happy is the man who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all things in them; who keeps faith for ever:
7 Who gives their rights to those who are crushed down; and gives food to those who are in need of it: the Lord makes the prisoners free;
8 The Lord makes open the eyes of the blind; the Lord is the lifter up of those who are bent down; the Lord is a lover of the upright;
9 The Lord takes care of those who are in a strange land; he gives help to the widow and to the child who has no father; but he sends destruction on the way of sinners.
10 The Lord will be King for ever; your God, O Zion, will be King through all generations. Praise be to the Lord.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 146
Commentary on Psalms 146 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Hallelujah to God the One True Helper
The Psalter now draws to a close with five Hallelujah Psalms. This first closing Hallelujah has many points of coincidence with the foregoing alphabetical hymn (compare אחללה in Psalms 146:2 with Psalms 145:2; שׂברו in Psalms 146:5 with Psalms 145:15; “who giveth bread to the hungry” in Psalms 146:7 with Psalms 145:15.; “who maketh the blind to see” in Psalms 146:8 with Psalms 145:14; “Jahve reigneth, etc.,” in Psalms 146:10 with Psalms 145:13) - the same range of thought betrays one author. In the lxx Psalms 146:1 (according to its enumeration four Psalms, viz., Psalms 145:1, Psalms 147 being split up into two) have the inscription Ἀλληλούια. Ἀγγαίου καὶ Ζαχαρίου , which is repeated four times. These Psalms appear to have formed a separate Hallel, which is referred back to these prophets, in the old liturgy of the second Temple. Later on they became, together with Psalms 149:1, an integral part of the daily morning prayer, and in fact of the פסוקי דזמרה , i.e., of the mosaic-work of Psalms and other poetical pieces that was incorporated in the morning prayer, and are called eve in Shabbath 118 b Hallel ,
(Note: Rashi, however, understands only Psalms 148:1-14 and Psalms 150:1-6 by פסוקי דזמרה in that passage.)
but expressly distinguished from the Hallel to be recited at the Passover and other feasts, which is called “the Egyptian Hallel.” In distinction from this, Krochmal calls these five Psalms the Greek Hallel. But there is nothing to oblige us to come down beyond the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. The agreement between 1 Macc. 2:63 ( ἔστρεψεν εἰς τὸν χοῦν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ διαλογισμὸς αὐτοῦ ἀπώλετο ) and Psalms 146:4 of our Psalm, which Hitzig has turned to good account, does not decide anything concerning the age of the Psalm, but only shows that it was in existence at the time of the author of the First Book of Maccabees, - a point in favour of which we were not in need of any proof. But there was just as much ground for dissuading against putting confidence in princes in the time of the Persians as in that of the Grecian domination.
Instead of “bless,” as in Psalms 103:1; Psalms 104:1, the poet of this Psalm says “praise.” When he attunes his sole to the praise of God, he puts himself personally into this mood of mind, and therefore goes on to say “I will praise.” He will, however, not only praise God in the song which he is beginning, but כּחיּי (vid., on Psalms 63:5), fillling up his life with it, or בּעודי (prop. “in my yet-being,” with the suffix of the noun, whereas עודנּי with the verbal suffix is “I still am”), so that his continued life is also a constant continued praising, viz., (and this is in the mind of the poet here, even at the commencment of the Psalm) of the God and Kings who, as being the Almighty, Eternal, and unchangeably Faithful One, is the true ground of confidence. The warning against putting trust in princes calls to mind Psalms 118:8. The clause: the son of man, who has no help that he could afford, is to be understood according to Ps 60:13. The following לאדמתו shows that the poet by expression בּן־אדם combines the thoughts of Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 3:19. If his breath goes forth, he says, basing the untrustworthiness and feebleness of the son of Adam upon the inevitable final destiny of the son of Adam taken out of the ground, then he returns to his earth, i.e., the earth of his first beginning; cf. the more exact expression אל־עפרם , after which the εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ of the lxx is exchanged for εἰς τὸν χοῦν αὐτοῦ in 1 Macc. 2:63: On the hypothetical relation of the first future clause to the second, cf. Psalms 139:8-10, Psalms 139:18; Ew. §357, b . In that day, the inevitable day of death, the projects or plans of man are at once and forever at an end. The ἅπ. λεγ . עשׁתּנת describes these with the collateral notion of the subtleness and magnitude.
Man's help is of no avail; blessed is he (this is the last of the twenty-five אשׁרי of the Psalter), on the contrary, who has the God of Jacob ( שׁאל like שׁיהוה in Psalms 144:15) as Him in whom is his succour ( בּעזרו with Beth essentiae , vid., on Psalms 35:2) - he, whose confidence ( שׂבר as in Psalms 119:116) rests on Jahve, whom he can by faith call his God. Men often are not able to give help although they might be willing to do so: He, however, is the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens, the earth, and the sea, and of all living things that fill these three (cf. Nehemiah 9:6). Men easily change their mind and do not keep their word: He, however, is He who keepeth truth or faithfulness, inasmuch as He unchangeably adheres to the fulfilling of His promises. שׁמר אמת is in form equivalent substantially to שׁמר חסד and שׁמר הבּרית . And that which He is able to do as being the Almighty, and cannot as being the Truthful One leave undone, is also really His mode of active manifestation made evident in practical proofs: He obtains right for the oppressed, gives bread to the hungry, and consequently proves Himself to be the succour of those who suffer wrong without doing wrong, and as the provider for those who look for their daily bread from His gracious hand. With השּׁמר , the only determinate participle, the faithfulness of God to His promises is made especially prominent.
The five lines beginning with Jahve belong together. Each consists of three words, which in the main is also the favourite measure of the lines in the Book of Job. The expression is as brief as possible. התּיר is transferred from the yoke and chains to the person himself who is bound, and פּקח is transferred from the eyes of the blind to the person himself. The five lines celebrate the God of the five-divisioned Tôra, which furnishes abundant examples for these celebrations, and is directed with most considerate tenderness towards the strangers, orphans, and widows in particular. The orphan and the widow, says the sixth line, doth He recover, strengthen (with reference to עודד see Psalms 20:9; Psalms 31:12). Valde gratus mihi est hic Psalmus , Bakius observes, ob Trifolium illud Dei: Advenas, Pupillos, et Viduas, versu uno luculentissime depictum, id quod in toto Psalterio nullibi fit . Whilst Jahve, however, makes the manifold sorrows of His saints to have a blessed issue, He bends ( יאוּת ) the way of the wicked, so that it leads into error and ends in the abyss (Psalms 1:6). This judicial manifestation of Jahve has only one line devoted to it. For He rules in love and in wrath, but delights most of all to rule in love. Jahve is, however, the God of Zion. The eternal duration of His kingdom is also the guarantee for its future glorious completion, for the victory of love. Hallelujah!