Psalms 135:1-21
1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.
2 Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,
3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
5 For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
8 Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
9 Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.
10 Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;
11 Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
12 And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.
13 Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
14 For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.
15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.
19 Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron:
20 Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD.
21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
A Call to Temple-Worship.
ANALYSIS
Stanza I., Psalms 135:1-4, A Charge to the Levites to Lead in the Delightful Duty of Praise. Stanza II., Psalms 135:5-7, A Personal Enforcement of this Dutybased on the Works of Creation. Stanza III., Psalms 135:8-12, The Samebased on Israel's History. Stanza IV., Psalms 135:13-14, Jehovah's Name and Memorial a Guarantee of Future National Blessing. Stanza V., Psalms 135:15-18, Reproach cast on Idols. Stanza VI., Psalms 135:19-21, Four Classes called upon to Bless Jehovah.
(P.R.I.) Praise ye Yah.[780]
[780] See Psalms 105 headline (P.R.I.).
1
Praise ye the name of Jehovah, praise
O ye servants of Jehovah:
2
Who stand[781] in the house of Jehovah,
[781] For this word, see Exp. of Psalms 134.
in the courts of the house of our God.
3
Praise ye Yah for good is Yahweh,[782]
[782] = Jehovah; both spelled thus to shew its relationship to Yah.
make melody to his name for it is full of delight.
4
For Jacob hath Yah chosen for himself,
Israel as his own treasure.[783]
[783] Cp. Exodus 19:5.
5
For I know that great is Jehovah,
and our sovereign Lord is beyond all gods:
6
All that Jehovah pleased hath he done
in the heavens and in the earth,
in the seas and all resounding deeps:
7
Causing vapours to ascend from the end of the earth,
lightnings for the rain hath he made,
Bringing forth wind out of his treasuries.
8
Who smote the firstborn of Egypt
from man unto beast,
9
He sent signs and wonders into thy midst O Egypt
on Pharaoh and on all his servants.
10
Who smote great nations,
and slew mighty kings:
11
Reaching to Sihon king of the Amorites,
and to Og king of Bashan,
and to all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12
And gave their land as an inheritance
an inheritance to Israel his people.
13
Jehovah! thy name is to the ages,
Jehovah! thy memorial[784] is to generation after generation;
[784] Cp. Exodus 3:14-15.
14
For Jehovah will vindicate his people,
and on his servants have compassion.[785]
[785] Cp. Deuteronomy 32:36.
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work[786] of the hands of men:
[786] Some cod. (w. Sep., Vul.): works (pl.)Gn.
16
a mouth have theybut do not speak,
eyes have theybut do not see,
17
ears have theybut do not give ear,
nay there is no breath at all in their mouth.
18
Like them shall become they who make them
every one who trusteth in them.
19
O house of Israel bless ye Jehovah,
O house of Aaron bless ye Jehovah,
20
O house of Levi bless ye Jehovah.
O ye who revere Jehovah bless ye Jehovah.
21
Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion
who inhabiteth Jerusalem.
(Nm.)[787]
[787] See Psalms 136 (beginning).
PARAPHRASE
Hallelujah! Yes, let His people praise Him, as they stand in His Temple courts.
3 Praise the Lord because He is so good; sing to His wonderful name.
4 For the Lord has chosen Israel as His personal possession.
5 I know the greatness of the Lordthat He is greater far than any other god.
6 He does whatever pleases Him throughout all of heaven and earth, and in the deepest seas.
7 He makes mists rise throughout the earth and sends the lightning to bring down the rain; and sends the winds from His treasuries.
8 He destroyed the eldest child in each Egyptian home, along with the firstborn of the flocks.
9 He did great miracles in Egypt before Pharaoh and all his people.
10 He smote great nations, slaying mighty kings
11 Sihon, king of Amorites; and Og, the king of Bashan; and the kings of Canaan
12 And gave their land as an eternal gift to His people Israel.
13 O Jehovah, Your name endures forever; Your fame is known to every generation.
14 For Jehovah will vindicate His people, and have compassion on His servants.
15 The heathen worship idols of gold and silver, made by men
16 Idols with speechless mouths and sightless eyes.
17 And ears that cannot hear; they cannot even breathe.
18 Those who make them become like them! And so do all who trust in them!
19 O Israel, bless Jehovah! High priests of Aaron, bless His name.
20 O Levite priests, bless the Lord Jehovah! Oh bless His name, all of you who trust and reverence Him.
21 All people of Jerusalem,[788] praise the Lord, for He lives here in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
[788] Literally, the Lord be blessed from Zion.
EXPOSITION
With this psalm, we return to the series distinctively named Hallels; and may, from that circumstance, judge with considerable probability as to the bearings of the contents we may find in them. They are pre-eminently Temple psalms, almost certainly composed and not merely adapted for that purpose; and were probably written or collected and edited by King Hezekiah for the re-opening of the Cleansed Temple. How welllet us askdo they answer to such an origin and design? Do they contain any features from which fitness for such an intention can fairly be inferred? Leaving these questions to receive incidental answers, let us look at the psalm now before us.
It is obviously fitted for its purpose. It is, as to contents, manifestly a public psalm, appealing to the whole people. It celebrates their favoured position (Psalms 135:4); extols their covenant God, both as the God of all Creation (Psalms 135:5-7), and as Author of their national Redemption, in bringing them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land (Psalms 135:8-12); it brings up from Mosaic times (Exodus 3:14-15), in its rich significance, the Memorial Name of their covenant God, which it sets forth in its promissory significance (Psalms 135:13-14); it pours reproach upon the idols of the nations, in a manner fitted to impress on Israelites the preciousness of their knowledge of the one Living and True God (Psalms 135:15-18); and then, having previously at the outset, charged the Levites to lead in such delightful worship, it closes by solemnly calling upon the whole people, even including Gentile proselytes, to sustain the house of Aaron and the house of Levi in Jehovah's praise (Psalms 135:19-21). It is, therefore, emphatically a national song. Indeed, it has not a private or personal allusion in itwith one exception. That exception, however, is very observable. It consists of the sudden introduction, at Psalms 135:5, of a personal note, on which probably no one lower than a King would have adventured. Who is this that presumes to sayI know that great is Jehovah? Any godly monarch in Israel, it is true, might thus have made prominent his own individuality. A Jehoshaphat, for example, on the one hand, or a Josiah, on the other, might have thus authenticated Jehovah's praise; or, of course, a Hezekiahno smaller man nor less godly. Indeed, even for Hezekiah, one could almost wish for circumstantial evidence, dating this psalm late enough to clothe the speaker with such a strong assurance as would naturally spring from a-' recent recovery from sickness or a recent rescue from a foreign invader; and it is only when we recall our late conclusions respecting Hezekiah's youth, and the strong presumption thence arising that he experimentally knew Jehovah's power,that we became reconciled to his thus magnificently saying I know. But recalling this, we do feel content to leave it as the greater probability that the good King did, for the occasion named, compose this psalm: the more so, for that we have no knowledge of the poetic and musical accomplishments of either Jehoshaphat or Josiah.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
What is meant by saying some psalms are Hallels?
2.
What indications are in this psalm of its being a public psalm?
3.
This is also a national song. Discuss such indication.
4.
There is an exception to the public and national aspect of this psalm. What is it?