Psalms 135

This psalm calls God’s people to praise the LORD, who is great above every god. It remembers what He did in creation, in the rescue from Egypt and in giving Israel the land. It shows the emptiness of idols and ends by summoning every part of God’s people to bless Him.

Psalms 135:1-2

The psalm opens with a call to worship. Those who serve in the temple, standing in its courts, are told to praise the LORD’s name, meaning all that He has shown Himself to be. Service and praise belong together.

BSA: name (“character, reputation”): Praising His name means praising who He is and what He is known to have done. stand (“firmly, in a strong sense”): These servants are not passing visitors but are steadily at their post before God.

See also: Psalm 134:1.

Psalms 135:3

Two reasons to praise are given: the LORD is good, and His name is lovely. Praise is not a duty only. It is the fitting answer to a God who is truly good and delightful to speak of and sing about.

BSA: lovely (“pleasant, wonderful, a sweet sound”): His name is sweet to the ear and the heart, so singing it is a joy.

Hebrew: נָעִים (na’im, H5273) — “pleasant, sweet.” The word can describe the pleasantness of the thing praised or of the singing itself. Either way, praising God is a happy thing.

Psalms 135:4

God’s goodness is shown in His choice of Israel. He did not choose them because they were great but out of His own love. They are His own treasure, valued and kept close.

BSA: treasured (“valuable, highly prized”): Israel is not merely owned but cherished, like something precious kept safe.

Hebrew: סְגֻלָּה (segullah, H5459) — “private treasure, personal possession.” It describes the treasure a king keeps for himself, apart from his general wealth. God sets His people apart as His own.

See also: Deuteronomy 7:6; Exodus 19:5.

Psalms 135:5

The psalmist speaks from personal conviction: ‘I know.’ The LORD is not just one god among many. He is above all of them. The rest of the psalm gives the evidence for this confidence.

BSA: know (“have come to understand, am aware”): This is knowledge gained through seeing what God has done, not a guess.

Psalms 135:6

God’s rule has no limits. Whatever He wishes, He does, in the sky, on the land and in the deep sea. Nothing in creation can block His purpose. For His people this is a comfort, because the One who rules all is also the One who chose them.

BSA: pleases (“delights, is pleasing to”): God acts from His own delight, not under compulsion.

Hebrew: חָפֵץ (chafetz, H2654) — “delighted in, took pleasure in.” The word is more than ‘wants.’ It carries the sense of glad desire, so God’s sovereign acts flow from what He delights to do.

See also: Psalm 115:3.

Psalms 135:7

The weather shows His power. Clouds, lightning, rain and wind are not random. He raises the clouds, joins lightning to the rain and brings out the wind as from a storeroom. Even storms are under His hand.

BSA: storehouses (“treasuries, repositories”): The wind is pictured as something God keeps in reserve and releases when He chooses.

See also: Jeremiah 10:13.

Psalms 135:8-9

The psalm turns from creation to history. God struck Egypt’s firstborn, people and animals alike, in the last plague. The signs and wonders were aimed at Pharaoh and his officials, who had defied Him and held His people as slaves.

BSA: firstborn (“initial offspring, premier child”): The final plague struck the first and most prized child of every Egyptian household.

See also: Exodus 12:29.

Psalms 135:10-12

God also defeated the kings who stood in Israel’s way, including Sihon and Og east of the Jordan and the kings of Canaan. The land was His gift to Israel as a lasting inheritance. They won it not by their own strength but because He gave it.

BSA: inheritance (“a heritage, a gift”): The land was received as a gift passed on to them, not something they earned.

See also: Numbers 21:21-35; Psalm 136:17-22.

Psalms 135:13

What God did long ago is not a closed chapter. His name, which is His revealed character, lasts forever. Each generation can know the same God, remember the same deeds and trust Him in the same way.

BSA: renown (“memorial, remembrance”): God’s fame is kept alive as His deeds are remembered and told from one generation to the next.

Hebrew: זִכְרְךָ (zikhrekha, H2143) — “your remembrance, your memorial.” The word means how God is recalled and spoken of. It points to a name kept alive in the memory of His people.

See also: Exodus 3:15.

Psalms 135:14

Because His name endures, His people can count on Him. The LORD will defend His people’s cause and show them compassion. His justice protects them, and His tenderness reaches them when they are weak or have failed.

BSA: vindicate (“judge, avenge, bring justice to”): God will set matters right for His people and rule in their favor.

Hebrew: יָדִין (yadin, H1777) — “will judge, will plead the cause of.” The verb ‘judge’ here means a judge who steps in for the wronged, so it fits ‘vindicate’.

See also: Deuteronomy 32:36.

Psalms 135:15-18

Idols are set against the living God. They are only silver and gold shaped by human hands. They have mouths, eyes and ears, but none of them works. People become like what they worship, so trusting what is lifeless leaves us spiritually dead.

BSA: breath (“spirit, life-giving air”): An idol has no life in it, while the true God is the giver of life. like (“similar to, akin to”): Worshipers of idols come to resemble them: blind, deaf and unresponsive to truth.

Hebrew: רוּחַ (ruach, H7307) — “breath, wind, spirit.” The same word is used of God’s Spirit and of the breath of life. An idol has none of it.

See also: Psalm 115:4-8; Isaiah 44:9-20.

Psalms 135:19-20

Now everyone is called to bless the LORD: the whole nation, the priests, the Levites who helped in the temple, and all who fear Him. To fear the LORD means to honor Him with reverent awe. No one is left out.

BSA: bless (“praise, honor, kneel in worship”): To bless God is to honor Him, even bowing before Him in worship.

Hebrew: בָּרְכוּ (barakhu, H1288) — “bless, praise (from the word for ‘knee’).” The word is related to kneeling. Blessing God involves bowing before Him in humble thanks.

See also: Psalm 115:9-13.

Psalms 135:21

The psalm ends where it began, in praise. The LORD is blessed from Zion, because He chose to make His dwelling among His people in Jerusalem. The closing ‘Hallelujah’ frames the whole psalm as praise from start to finish.

BSA: dwells (“resides, abides”): God is not far away. He lives among His people and is present with them.

See also: Psalm 132:13-14.