Psalm 145
Psalm 145 is David's psalm of praise to God as king, written as a Hebrew alphabet acrostic. It declares "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised," calls him "gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy," and says he is near to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145 (KJV)
Every day will I bless thee v. 1-7
1I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
Gracious and full of compassion; an everlasting kingdom v. 8-13
8The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
The LORD upholdeth all that fall v. 14-21
14The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
21My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
What Psalm 145 means
David opens by speaking to God as my God, O king, and promises to bless his name every day and for ever and ever. His greatness is unsearchable: no one will ever reach the end of it, which is why each generation keeps telling the next.
Verse 8 echoes the words God proclaimed about himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6. The LORD is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy, and verse 9 adds that his tender mercies are over all his works.
Verses 10-13 turn to God's kingdom. His saints speak of its glory so that all people will know his mighty acts. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
The last section shows the King caring for ordinary need. He upholds all that fall and raises those bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon him for their meat in due season, and he opens his hand to satisfy every living thing. He is near to all that call upon him in truth.
The word all appears again and again in this psalm: all his works, all that fall, all them that call upon him. The psalm ends where it began, in praise, and widens it: let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Background and context
The superscription calls it David's Psalm of praise. It is the last psalm in the book to carry David's name, and it leads into the five Hallelujah psalms (146-150) that close the Psalter.
In Hebrew, Psalm 145 is an acrostic: each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The standard Hebrew text has no line for the letter nun, which is why the psalm has 21 verses instead of 22. One Dead Sea Scrolls copy and the ancient Greek translation include a nun line.
Key verses
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:3 · KJV
The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Psalm 145:8 · KJV
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Psalm 145:18 · KJV
Cross references
- Exodus 34:6 God proclaims himself merciful and gracious, longsuffering, the source of verse 8And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
- Psalm 103:8 The same confession: merciful and gracious, slow to angerThe LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
- Daniel 4:3 His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, as in verse 13How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
- Psalm 104:27 All wait upon God for their meat in due season, like verse 15These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
- Psalm 146:8 The LORD raiseth them that are bowed down, as in verse 14The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
- Romans 10:13 Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be savedFor whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- Matthew 6:26 The Father feeds the fowls of the air, his open hand to every living thingBehold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
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Common questions
Is Psalm 145 an acrostic?
Yes. In Hebrew each verse starts with the next letter of the alphabet. The letter nun has no verse in the standard Hebrew text, which is why the psalm has 21 verses.
Who wrote Psalm 145?
Its superscription calls it David's Psalm of praise. It is the last psalm in the book with David's name on it.
What does Psalm 145 teach about God?
That he is a great and eternal king who is also gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and near to those who call on him. Verse 9 says "The LORD is good to all."
What is the key verse of Psalm 145?
Many choose verse 3, "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable," or verse 18, which says the LORD is nigh to all that call upon him.
Large Print Bible Crossword
Verses of Joy & Praise — 50 Scripture Crossword Puzzles for Adults & Seniors
Psalm 145 is pure praise, and the large-print crossword book is built from verses of joy and praise like these.
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