Bible Study Psalms 135
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Psalms 135 · WEB

Praise the Lord, for the Lord Is Good

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Praise Yah! Praise the name of Yahweh! Praise him, you servants of Yahweh,
2you who stand in the house of Yahweh, in the courts of our God's house.
3Praise Yah, for Yahweh is good. Sing praises to his name, for that is pleasant.
4For Yah has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own possession.
5For I know that Yahweh is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
6Whatever Yahweh pleases, that he has done, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
7He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain. He brings the wind out of his treasuries.
8He struck the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and animal.
9He sent signs and wonders into the middle of you, Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his servants.
10He struck many nations, and killed mighty kings:
11Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to Israel, his people.
13Your name, Yahweh, endures forever; your renown, Yahweh, throughout all generations.
14For Yahweh will judge his people, and have compassion on his servants.
15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
16They have mouths, but they can't speak. They have eyes, but they can't see.
17They have ears, but they can't hear; neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them.
19House of Israel, praise Yahweh! House of Aaron, praise Yahweh!
20House of Levi, praise Yahweh! You who fear Yahweh, praise Yahweh!
21Blessed be Yahweh from Zion, who dwells at Jerusalem. Praise Yah!
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Summary

Psalm 135 is a great praise hymn that recycles and combines material from across the Psalter and the Torah — drawing on Psalms 115, 136, Deuteronomy 10, and the exodus narratives. It celebrates God's election of Israel, his sovereignty over creation and history, his judgments against Egypt and the Canaanite kings, and the impotence of idols. The psalm is a mosaic of praise from Israel's treasured traditions, offered through the whole worshiping community.

Themes

  • The election of Israel as the beginning of praise
  • God's absolute sovereignty: he does whatever pleases him
  • God's acts in creation and history as grounds for worship
  • The satire of idol worship — deaf, blind, breathless idols
  • The whole worshiping assembly summoned to praise

Key verses

  • Ps 135:13 — “Your name, Yahweh, endures forever; your renown, Yahweh, throughout all generations.”
  • Ps 135:18 — “Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them.”
  • Ps 135:5-6 — “I know that Yahweh is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever Yahweh pleases, that he has done.”

Context & background

Psalm 135 is a liturgical anthology — it draws on Psalm 115:4-8 (the idol polemic), Psalm 136 (the recitation of history), Deuteronomy 10:21, and Jeremiah 10:12-13 (the weather imagery of v. 7). This kind of psalmic compilation — weaving earlier Scripture into new praise — demonstrates the living nature of Israel's worship tradition. The psalm was likely used in temple liturgy. The call to each house (Israel, Aaron, Levi, those who fear Yahweh) echoes Psalm 115 and suggests a liturgical responsorial pattern where different groups of worshipers joined in sequence. "Whatever Yahweh pleases, that he has done" (v. 6) is the most compressed statement of divine sovereignty in the Psalter.

Cross-references

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What evidence for God's greatness is offered (vv. 5-12)?

  2. Observe

    How does this idol polemic compare with Psalm 115?

  3. Interpret

    What does "whatever Yahweh pleases he does" mean for prayer and providence?

  4. Interpret

    What does weaving earlier Scripture into new worship suggest?

  5. Apply

    What names/reputations are tempted to be trusted more than God's?

  6. Apply

    What is one's place in the assembly of praise?

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