Psalm 145[a]
Praise of the Divine Majesty
1 [b]Praise. Of David.
I will extol you, my God and King;
I will bless your name[c] forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.[d]
3 [e]Great is the Lord and worthy of the highest praise;
no one can even begin to comprehend his greatness.[f]
4 Each generation will praise your works[g] to the next
and proclaim your mighty deeds.
5 People will proclaim the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will speak of the power of your awesome deeds,
and I will relate your greatness.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and sing joyfully of your saving justice.
8 [h]The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.[i]
9 The Lord is good to all,
showing compassion to every creature.
10 All your creatures praise you,[j] O Lord,
and all your saints bless you.
11 They relate the glory of your kingdom
and tell of all your power.[k]
12 They make known to all people your mighty deeds
and the glorious majesty of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will last forever,
and your dominion will endure throughout all generations.[l]
[m]The Lord is faithful in all his promises
and kind[n] in all his deeds.
14 The Lord supports all those who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.[o]
15 The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food at the right time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.[p]
17 [q]The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and merciful in everything he does.[r]
18 The Lord is near to all who call out to him,
to all who call out to him sincerely.[s]
19 He satisfies the desires of all who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.[t]
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but he will completely destroy all the wicked.[u]
21 May my mouth declare the praise of the Lord,
and may every creature[v] bless his holy name
forever and ever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 145:1 This psalm is a hymn to God, the Great King. It is not original, for the psalmist strings together his verses in the order of the alphabet and takes the passages from several other psalms. The cantors of Israel were not reluctant to dip into the common treasury of sacred chant to celebrate God’s praise with the same words and phrases. But the repetition of certain terms also enables one to express the ardor of a conviction. By means of the words kingdom, power, majesty, name, works, mighty deeds, righteousness, faithfulness, compassion, love, and truth, the psalm exalts above all the God of the covenant. It then proclaims his benevolence that is manifested in the help, subsistence, and salvation accorded in some manner to all who invoke him. Thus, the cantor acknowledges God’s presence in the world, in history, and in life.
We can pray this psalm to bless, praise, and extol the heavenly Father in his perfections and prodigious works. But we can also recite it in honor of Christ, who shares fully in the perfections (see Col 1:15, 19; Heb 1:3) and works of his Father (see Jn 5:19). - Psalm 145:1 The psalmist calls for praise of God, the Great King. This praise is to be given unceasingly and forever.
- Psalm 145:1 See Pss 30:2; 44:5; 71:14. Bless your name: see note on Ps 5:12.
- Psalm 145:2 See Pss 34:2; 68:20; 71:14; 146:2. This verse has been incorporated into the Te Deum, the great prayer of Christian praise to the Trinity.
- Psalm 145:3 The psalmist specifies the reason for praising God: his mighty deeds, which reveal his greatness and goodness. The same two themes are combined in Pss 86:10, 17; 135:3, 5.
- Psalm 145:3 See Pss 48:2; 96:3f; Job 36:26.
- Psalm 145:4 See Pss 71:17; 78:4; Isa 38:19. Salvation history is transmitted from generation to generation by the proclamation of God’s mighty deeds and wonderful works (see Ps 22:31f). Your works: of creation, providence, and redemption.
- Psalm 145:8 Now the psalmist moves to praise God because of his divine attributes, e.g., compassion and love. These attributes lead all his works, including the saints, to give him thanks for the expressions of his glory, power, and kingdom.
- Psalm 145:8 See Pss 86:15; 103:8, 13; Ex 34:6f; Num 14:18; Wis 1:13f; Isa 63:7.
- Psalm 145:10 All your creatures praise you: see note on Ps 65:14. Saints: see notes on Pss 4:4; 34:10.
- Psalm 145:11 See 93:1; 1 Chr 29:11.
- Psalm 145:13 Text cited in Dan 3:100; 4:31, and applied to Christ the King. See Ps 102:13; Tob 13:6ff; Dan 7:14; 1 Tim 1:17; Rev 11:15.
- Psalm 145:13 The psalmist calls for praise of God because of the Lord’s faithfulness to the covenant. The first two lines (v. 13c) are not in the Hebrew; they are in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint.
- Psalm 145:13 Kind: see note on Ps 6:5.
- Psalm 145:14 See Pss 94:18; 146:8.
- Psalm 145:16 See Ps 104:27f; Mt 6:25-34.
- Psalm 145:17 The psalmist calls upon all creatures to praise God for his righteous acts—acts of restoration, redemption, and vindication.
- Psalm 145:17 See Deut 32:4.
- Psalm 145:18 See Deut 4:7; Isa 55:6; 58:9; Jer 29:13.
- Psalm 145:19 See Pss 20:4; 34:18; 85:10.
- Psalm 145:20 See Pss 34:18; 91:14; 104:35; 139:19; Jdg 5:31.
- Psalm 145:21 Every creature: literally, “all flesh.”