Psalms 135

KJV · Chapter 135/150

1Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.

2Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God,

3Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

4For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

5For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

6Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

7He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.

8Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.

9Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.

10Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;

11Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:

12And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.

13Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.

14For the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.

15The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

16They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

17They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.

18They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.

19Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: bless the Lord, O house of Aaron:

20Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.

21Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.

📖 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.

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