Salmos 135

ARC · Chapter 135/150

1Louvae ao Senhor. Louvae o nome do Senhor; louvae-o, servos do Senhor.

2Vós que assistis na casa do Senhor, nos atrios da casa do nosso Deus.

3Louvae ao Senhor, porque o Senhor é bom: cantae louvores ao seu nome, porque é agradavel.

4Porque o Senhor escolheu para si a Jacob, e a Israel para seu proprio thesouro.

5Porque eu conheço que o Senhor é grande e que o nosso Deus está acima de todos os deuses.

6Tudo o que o Senhor quiz fez, nos céus e na terra, nos mares e em todos os abysmos.

7Faz subir os vapores das extremidades da terra; faz os relampagos para a chuva; produz os ventos dos seus thesouros.

8O que feriu os primogenitos do Egypto, desde os homens até ás bestas.

9O que enviou signaes e prodigios no meio de ti, ó Egypto, contra Pharaó e contra os seus servos.

10O que feriu muitas nações, e matou poderosos reis;

11A Sehon, rei dos amorrheos, e a Og, rei de Basan, e a todos os reinos de Canaan.

12E deu a sua terra em herança, em herança a Israel, seu povo.

13O teu nome, ó Senhor, dura perpetuamente; e a tua memoria, ó Senhor, de geração em geração.

14Pois o Senhor julgará o seu povo, e se arrependerá com respeito aos seus servos.

15Os idolos das nações são prata e oiro, obra das mãos dos homens.

16Teem bocca, mas não fallam; teem olhos, e não vêem.

17Teem ouvidos, mas não ouvem, nem ha respiro algum nas suas boccas.

18Similhantes a elles se tornem os que os fazem, e todos os que confiam n'elles.

19Casa d'Israel, bemdizei ao Senhor; casa d'Aarão bemdizei ao Senhor.

20Casa de Levi, bemdizei ao Senhor: vós, os que temeis ao Senhor, louvae ao Senhor.

21Bemdito seja o Senhor desde Sião, que habita em Jerusalem. Louvae ao Senhor.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A hymn of praise that celebrates God's greatness above all gods, recalling the plagues of Egypt, the defeat of Canaanite kings, and repeating the critique that the idols of the nations have mouths, eyes, and ears that do not work.

Explanation

This psalm functions as a collection of themes already seen in other psalms (the plagues of Egypt from Psalms 78 and 105, the critique of idols from Psalm 115), gathered here as a grand concluding hymn celebrating God's sovereignty over nature, history, and the false gods of neighboring nations. The specific mention of kings Sihon and Og (v. 11), defeated during Israel's journey to Canaan (Numbers 21), reinforces the concrete historical memory of God's faithfulness. The application for today is that periodically reviewing and retelling God's great acts in history (whether personal or biblical) strengthens faith in a practical way.

Fun facts

  • The critique of idols (v. 15-18) repeats almost word for word the text of Psalm 115:4-8, showing how certain theological arguments were deliberately repeated as teaching refrains.
  • Sihon and Og (v. 11) were two Amorite kings defeated by Israel on the way to Canaan, described in detail in Numbers 21:21-35, and frequently mentioned together in historical psalms as an example of divine victory.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Salmos 135:1The threefold call to praise is directed specifically at the “servants of the Lord,” likely the temple staff who worked there in continuous service.
  2. Salmos 135:2The verse locates physically who is being called: people standing in the courts of the temple, on duty, not just any audience scattered about.
  3. Salmos 135:3The reason for praise comes doubled: God is good, and praising His name is described as “pleasant” — the very act of praising treated as enjoyable, not a heavy obligation.
  4. Salmos 135:4Calling Israel God’s own “peculiar treasure” is an image of personal possession and affection, something kept with special care. It is not that other nations did not matter, but this is the name used here for this particular bond.
  5. Salmos 135:5“I know” marks a personal declaration, not a repetition of someone else’s tradition: the psalmist states on his own account that his God stands above all other gods.
  6. Salmos 135:6It is a complete claim of divine freedom: whatever God wanted, He did, in any domain — heavens, earth, seas, and the depths — with no territorial limit.
  7. Salmos 135:7Vapors, lightnings, and winds are described as coming out of “treasuries” kept by God, an image that treats weather phenomena as resources stored and released by His decision.
  8. Salmos 135:8It recalls the last plague of Egypt, but with a detail: its reach included both people and animals, a punishment that spared not even the livestock.
  9. Salmos 135:9It is unusual: the psalm addresses Egypt directly, as if speaking to the nation itself, recalling the signs sent against Pharaoh and his servants.
  10. Salmos 135:10After Egypt, the psalm widens its scope: many other nations and powerful kings were also defeated throughout the history it recounts.
  11. Salmos 135:11Sihon and Og were real kings defeated during Israel’s journey toward the promised land, recounted in Numbers 21. Naming them specifically serves as concrete historical proof within the list of deeds the psalm celebrates.
  12. Salmos 135:12Repeating “an heritage” twice in the same sentence reinforces that giving the land to Israel was no accident: it was a formal, deliberate grant.
  13. Salmos 135:13After recounting the history, the psalm returns to praise: God’s name and His memory are described as something that spans generations without fading.
  14. Salmos 135:14The verse joins two actions that seem opposite: God judges His people, but also has compassion on His servants — correction and mercy side by side.
  15. Salmos 135:15It is the same mockery of idols found in Psalm 115. Statues with carved mouths, eyes, and ears that do not actually work are used to contrast with a God who truly acts and answers.
  16. Salmos 135:16The same mockery of idols seen in Psalm 115 begins here: mouths that do not speak, eyes that do not see, a carved body with no real function.
  17. Salmos 135:17The list continues with ears that do not hear, and the final detail is even stronger: there is not even breath inside these statues, however lifelike they may appear.
  18. Salmos 135:18The warning is direct: whoever trusts in lifeless idols ends up becoming like them — just as incapable of acting or responding as the very statue they worship.
  19. Salmos 135:19The call-by-groups format returns, as in other psalms: Israel and the house of Aaron are summoned, each in turn, to bless God.
  20. Salmos 135:20The list of groups called includes the house of Levi, distinct from the house of Aaron, along with all who fear the Lord — a summons that reaches beyond the priests.
  21. Salmos 135:21The psalm ends anchoring the blessing specifically in Zion, where God dwells — the whole cosmic and national history recounted before returns, in the end, to this single geographic place.

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