Psalms 111

This psalm is a song of praise for what God has done. It looks at His works, His faithfulness to His covenant, and His rescue of His people. It ends by saying that reverence for the LORD is where wisdom starts.

Psalms 111:1

The psalmist begins with praise and promises to thank God with his whole heart. He does it both among the upright few and in the full assembly. Thanks given to God is not meant to be kept private.

BSA: heart (“innermost being, mind, will, and emotions”): Thanks is to come from the whole inner person, not from the lips alone. Hallelujah (“praise the Lord”): The opening word is a call for everyone to praise the LORD.

Hebrew: הַלְלוּ יָהּ (halelu yah, H1984) — “praise the LORD.” It is a command to many people, and it ends with the short form of God’s covenant name. Praise is meant to be shared.

See also: Psalm 9:1.

Psalms 111:2

God’s works are great, and those who love them do not glance at them and move on. They study them and look into them. Delight in God leads people to think carefully about what He has done.

BSA: pondered (“studied, sought out”): People who love God’s works look into them with care. delight (“take pleasure, have joy”): Joy in God is what drives the search.

See also: Psalm 92:5.

Psalms 111:3

What God does is full of glory and beauty. His righteousness never fades. His actions are not only powerful but always right, and that rightness lasts for all time.

BSA: righteousness (“justice, virtue, morality”): God’s goodness is a settled quality of His character, not only an occasional act. endures (“stands, remains, lasts”): It holds firm when everything else passes away.

Psalms 111:4

God has made sure His wonders are not forgotten. Israel kept them in mind through feasts and retelling, especially the Exodus. Behind these deeds is a God who is gracious and compassionate.

BSA: remembered (“kept in mind, commemorated”): God’s saving acts are meant to be marked and passed on, not left behind. compassionate (“merciful, full of sympathy”): His mighty deeds come from a tender heart.

See also: Exodus 34:6.

Psalms 111:5

God supplies food to those who revere Him. This recalls how He fed Israel in the wilderness. His care also rests on His covenant, which He never forgets.

BSA: fear (“are in awe of”): This is reverent trust, not terror. remembers (“keeps in mind, recalls”): God keeps His promises in mind and acts on them.

See also: Exodus 16:4; Matthew 6:31-33.

Psalms 111:6

God showed His strength by giving Israel the land that other nations had held. The gift was proof that His power was real and that He had kept His word to Abraham’s descendants.

BSA: inheritance (“heritage”): The land was received as a gift from God, not won by Israel’s own strength.

See also: Genesis 15:18.

Psalms 111:7-8

Everything God does is true and just, and His commands can be relied on. They stand firm for all time because they rest on truth and uprightness. You can build your life on them.

BSA: trustworthy (“faithful, reliable”): God’s commands will bear the weight of a whole life. upheld (“sustained, supported”): They are held up by God Himself and do not fall.

Hebrew: נֶאֱמָנִים (ne’emanim, H539) — “trustworthy, firm, faithful.” It comes from the same root as ‘amen’. It pictures something firm enough that you can say yes to it and lean on it.

See also: Psalm 19:7-9.

Psalms 111:9

God sent redemption to His people, a rescue from bondage that began with the Exodus. He also fixed His covenant forever. His name is holy and awesome, and it is a name to be revered.

BSA: redemption (“salvation, rescue from bondage”): God buys His people out of slavery and sets them free. holy (“set apart, sacred”): God stands apart from everything else and is wholly pure.

Hebrew: פְּדוּת (peduth, H6304) — “redemption, ransom.” The word is about paying to set someone free. Christians see its fullest meaning in what Christ did.

See also: Exodus 6:6; Luke 1:68.

Psalms 111:10

Wisdom begins with reverence for the LORD. This means taking Him seriously and bowing before Him. Those who live by His commands gain real understanding. The psalm ends where it began, with praise that never ends.

BSA: beginning (“first, starting point”): Reverence for God is the foundation on which wisdom is built. follow (“obey, keep”): Understanding grows by putting God’s commands into practice.

See also: Proverbs 9:10; Job 28:28.