EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries
Psalms 149:1-9
Gordon Churchyard
His People
Psalms 149
The 4th *Hallelujah Psalm
Jesus said (to his 12 *disciples), "When the Son of man will sit as king on his *throne, you will also sit on 12 thrones. You will decide what to do with the 12 *tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28). (A disciple is someone that learns from a teacher; Son of man is a name that Jesus called himself; a throne is a special seat that a king sits on; and a tribe is a very large family.)
Psalms 149
v1 *Hallelujah!
Sing a new song to the *LORD.
*Praise him where *his people meet together.
v2 (People of) Israel, be very happy because (God) made you.
Sons of Zion, be very happy because he is your king.
v3 *Praise his name with dancing.
Make music to him with *harp and *tambourine.
v4 (When they do this) his people will give the *LORD pleasure.
He gives help to those who will take it.
He does this so that they can beat (their enemies).
v5 His people will be very happy because he has made them feel important.
They will sing (all night) on their beds because they are so happy.
v6 The *praises of God will always be in their mouths.
Also, *swords with two edges will be in their hands.
v7 - v9 (They must):
• bring (God’s) *vengeance on (foreign) countries;
• *punish people (that do not obey God);
• lock their kings (in prison);
• put their leaders in *chains of iron;
• do whatever (God) decided should happen to them.
This is how (God will make) his people feel important.
*Hallelujah!
The Story of Psalms 149
Bible students do not know who wrote this psalm. And they do not know when they wrote it. Perhaps it was before a war, or after a war which God’s people, the *Jews, won. The war that Christians fight is not with guns and knives. It is a war with *prayer and love instead of guns and knives. Read some of the verses about Christian war in Something to do. You say a *prayer when you speak to God.Some Bible students think that Psalms 149 is not only about a war that the *Jews fought, or even a Christian war. It also makes us look at when Jesus will come back to the earth. Bible students call this "eschatology". It is the study of what happens at the end of the world. That is when God will have vengeance on his enemies. "Vengeance" means "to hurt (or punish) people because they have hurt other people". God has often used some people to *punish other, bad, people. But at the end of time, this is what the Bible tells us. God will use his people to give him help! Read Matthew 19:28 at the top of this psalm. Here it is the 12 *disciples who will give the help. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6:2 says, "The *saints will *judge the world". The word "*judge" means "decide if people are good or bad". If they are bad, it also means "decide how to *punish them". The word "*saints" is how the early Church described all Christians.
But some translations of Psalms 149 also use the word "*saints". They use it in verses 1, 5 and 9 where we have "his people". The *Jews spoke the Hebrew language. The Hebrew word for "his people" or "*saints" is "chesidim". It really means "people that have accepted God’s kind love".
What Psalms 149 means
Verse 1: The word "*hallelujah" means "*praise the *LORD". "*Praise" means "tell someone that they are very great". "*LORD" is a special name for God. It is his *covenant name. A *covenant is when two people (or groups of people) agree. Here, God agrees to love and give help to his people. They agree to love and obey God. "His people" is "chesidim" in Hebrew. It is the people that have accepted God’s kind love. Some Bible students translate it "*saints", some translate it "God’s people".Verse 3: The harp and the tambourine make music. There is more about things that make music in Psalms 150 in this set.
Verse 5: Bible students are not sure what the word "beds" means here. It may be something that people knelt on when they prayed.
Verse 6: A sword is a very long, sharp knife that soldiers use. Here, the sword has two sharp edges.
Verse 8: The chains of iron are something to tie people up with. They are very strong, so people cannot get away from them.
Verse 9: God decided many centuries ago what to do to his enemies. At the end of time, it will happen.
Something to do
Christian war is not with guns and swords. Read the following verses to find what a "*holy war" includes for Christians:1) Hebrews 4:12
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
hallelujah ~ say that the LORD is great. (Jah is Hebrew for LORD.)
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; It is the word "Adonai" in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
lord ~ someone with authority.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
disciples ~ people that Jesus taught.
throne ~ a special seat that a king sits on.
tribe ~ a large group of people from the same family.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; It is the word "Adonai" in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
lord ~ someone with authority.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
praise ~ to say how great someone is; or, words that say how great someone is.'his people ~ when his means God, this is a name for Jews and Christians.
harp ~ a musical instrument.
musical instrument ~ something that makes music when you hit it (cymbals, drum), blow in it (flute, trumpet, horn, shofar) or touch it in a quiet way (harp, lyre). Many of these are in Psalm 150 in Book 5 of The Psalms of David.
tambourine ~ a musical instrument that you hit or shake.
musical instrument ~ something that makes music when you hit it (cymbals, drum), blow in it (flute, trumpet, horn, shofar) or touch it in a quiet way (harp, lyre). Many of these are in Psalm 150 in Book 5 of The Psalms of David.
shake ~ move from one side to another and back again very fast many times.
praise ~ to say how great someone is; or, words that say how great someone is.
sword ~ a long, sharp knife that soldiers use to fight people with.
punish ~ hurt someone because they have not obeyed the rules.'chains of iron ~ used in prisons to stop people getting out.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; a person who has the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; in the Psalms, belief in God.
prayer ~ you say a prayer when you speak to God.
saints ~ people that have received God’s love; his people.
judge ~ a judge says who is right and who is wrong; or, to say who is right and who is wrong.
hallelujah ~ say that the LORD is great. (Jah is Hebrew for LORD.)
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; It is the word "Adonai" in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
lord ~ someone with authority.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin; very, very good; only God is really holy. The land where he lives with his people is also holy. This is because he is there.
sin ~ not obeying God; or what you do when you do not obey God.