6 To him that stretched out H7554 the earth H776 above the waters: H4325 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever. H5769
For he hath founded H3245 it upon the seas, H3220 and established H3559 it upon the floods. H5104
And God H430 said, H559 Let the waters H4325 under the heaven H8064 be gathered together H6960 unto H413 one H259 place, H4725 and let the dry H3004 land appear: H7200 and it was so.
He hath made H6213 the earth H776 by his power, H3581 he hath established H3559 the world H8398 by his wisdom, H2451 and hath stretched out H5186 the heavens H8064 by his discretion. H8394
Who coverest H5844 thyself with light H216 as with a garment: H8008 who stretchest out H5186 the heavens H8064 like a curtain: H3407 Who layeth the beams H7136 of his chambers H5944 in the waters: H4325 who maketh H7760 the clouds H5645 his chariot: H7398 who walketh H1980 upon the wings H3671 of the wind: H7307
It is he that sitteth H3427 upon the circle H2329 of the earth, H776 and the inhabitants H3427 thereof are as grasshoppers; H2284 that stretcheth out H5186 the heavens H8064 as a curtain, H1852 and spreadeth them out H4969 as a tent H168 to dwell in: H3427
Thus saith H559 God H410 the LORD, H3068 he that created H1254 the heavens, H8064 and stretched them out; H5186 he that spread forth H7554 the earth, H776 and that which cometh out H6631 of it; he that giveth H5414 breath H5397 unto the people H5971 upon it, and spirit H7307 to them that walk H1980 therein:
The burden H4853 of the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 for Israel, H3478 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 which stretcheth H5186 forth the heavens, H8064 and layeth the foundation H3245 of the earth, H776 and formeth H3335 the spirit H7307 of man H120 within H7130 him.
For G1063 this G5124 they G846 willingly G2309 are ignorant of, G2990 that G3754 by the word G3056 of God G2316 the heavens G3772 were G2258 of old, G1597 and G2532 the earth G1093 standing out G4921 of G1537 the water G5204 and G2532 in G1223 the water: G5204 Whereby G1223 G3739 the world G2889 that then was, G5119 being overflowed G2626 with water, G5204 perished: G622 But G1161 the heavens G3772 and G2532 the earth, G1093 which are now, G3568 by the same G846 word G3056 are G1526 kept in store, G2343 reserved G5083 unto fire G4442 against G1519 the day G2250 of judgment G2920 and G2532 perdition G684 of ungodly G765 men. G444
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.