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
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 136
Commentary on Psalms 136 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
O Give Thanks unto the Lord, for He Is Good
The cry Psalms 135:3, Praise ye Jāh , for good is Jahve , is here followed by a Hodu , the last of the collection, with “for His goodness endureth for ever” repeated twenty-six times as a versus intercalaris . In the liturgical language this Psalm is called par excellence the great Hallel, for according to its broadest compass the great Hallel comprehends Ps 120-136,
(Note: There are three opinions in the Talmud and Midrash concerning the compass of the “Great Hallel,” viz., (1) Ps 136, (2) Ps. 135:4-136:26, (3) Ps 120-136.)
whilst the Hallel which is absolutely so called extends from Psalms 113:1-9 to Ps 118. Down to Psalms 136:18 the song and counter-song organize themselves into hexastichic groups or strophes, which, however, from Psalms 136:19 (and therefore from the point where the dependence on Ps 135, already begun with Psalms 136:17, becomes a borrowing, onwards) pass over into octastichs. In Heidenheim's Psalter the Psalm appears (after Norzi) in two columns (like Deut. 32), which it is true has neither tradition (vid., Ps 18) nor MSS precedent in its favour, but really corresponds to its structure.
Like the preceding Psalm, this Psalm allies itself to the Book of Deuteronomy. Psalms 136:2 and Psalms 136:3 ( God of gods and Lord of lords ) are taken from Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalms 136:12 ( with a strong hand and stretched-out arm ) from Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 5:15, and frequently (cf. Jeremiah 32:21); Psalms 136:16 like Deuteronomy 8:15 (cf. Jeremiah 2:6). With reference to the Deuteronomic colouring of Psalms 136:19-22, vid., on Psalms 135:10-12; also the expression “Israel His servant” recalls Deuteronomy 32:36 (cf. Psalms 135:14; Psalms 90:13), and still more Isaiah 40:1, where the comprehension of Israel under the unity of this notion has its own proper place. In other respects, too, the Psalm is an echo of earlier model passages. Who alone doeth great wonders sounds like Psalms 72:18 (Psalms 86:10); and the adjective “great” that is added to “wonders” shows that the poet found the formula already in existence. In connection with Psalms 136:5 he has Proverbs 3:19 or Jeremiah 10:12 in his mind; תּבוּנה , like חכמה , is the demiurgic wisdom. Psalms 136:6 calls to mind Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 44:24; the expression is “above the waters,” as in Psalms 34:2 “upon the seas,” because the water is partly visible and partly invisible מתּחת לארץ (Exodus 20:4). The plural אורים , luces , instead of מארות , lumina (cf. Ezekiel 32:8, מאורי אור ), is without precedent. It is a controverted point whether אורת in Isaiah 26:19 signifies lights (cf. אורה , Psalms 139:12) or herbs (2 Kings 4:39). The plural ממשׁלות is also rare (occurring only besides in Psalms 114:2): it here denotes the dominion of the moon on the one hand, and (going beyond Genesis 1:16) of the stars on the other. בּלּילה , like בּיּום , is the second member of the stat. construct .
Up to this point it is God the absolute in general, the Creator of all things, to the celebration of whose praise they are summoned; and from this point onwards the God of the history of salvation. In Psalms 136:13 גּזר (instead of בּקע , Psalms 78:13; Exodus 14:21; Nehemiah 9:11) of the dividing of the Red Sea is peculiar; גּזרים (Genesis 15:17, side by side with בּתרים ) are the pieces or parts of a thing that is cut up into pieces. נער is a favourite word taken from Exodus 14:27. With reference to the name of the Egyptian ruler Pharaoh (Herodotus also, ii. 111, calls the Pharaoh of the Exodus the son of Sesostris-Rameses Miumun, not Μενόφθας , as he is properly called, but absolutely Φερῶν ), vid., on Psalms 73:22. After the God to whom the praise is to be ascribed has been introduced with ל by always fresh attributes, the ל before the names of Sihon and of Og is perplexing. The words are taken over, as are the six lines of Psalms 136:17-22 in the main, from Psalms 135:10-12, with only a slight alteration in the expression. In Psalms 136:23 the continued influence of the construction הודוּ ל is at an end. The connection by means of שׁ (cf. Psalms 135:8, Psalms 135:10) therefore has reference to the preceding “for His goodness endureth for ever.” The language here has the stamp of the latest period. It is true זכר with Lamed of the object is used even in the earliest Hebrew, but שׁפל is only authenticated by Ecclesiastes 10:6, and פּרק , to break loose = to rescue (the customary Aramaic word for redemption), by Lamentations 5:8, just as in the closing verse, which recurs to the beginning, “God of heaven” is a name for God belonging to the latest literature, Nehemiah 1:4; Nehemiah 2:4. In Psalms 136:23 the praise changes suddenly to that which has been experienced very recently. The attribute in Psalms 136:25 (cf. Psalms 147:9; Psalms 145:15) leads one to look back to a time in which famine befell them together with slavery.