Psalms 145:1-6

Context

Psalm 145¹

A psalm of praise, by David.

145:1 I will extol you, my God, O king!

I will praise your name continually!²

145:2 Every day I will praise you!

I will praise your name continually!³

145:3 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise!

No one can fathom his greatness!⁴

145:4 One generation will praise your deeds to another,

and tell about your mighty acts!⁵

145:5 I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,

and your amazing deeds!⁶

145:6 They will proclaim⁷ the power of your awesome acts!

I will declare your great deeds!

[145:1] ¹sn Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.

[145:1] ²tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”

[145:2] ³tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”

[145:3] ⁴tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”

[145:4] ⁵tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.”

[145:5] ⁶tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”

[145:6] ⁷tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as an imperfect, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they proclaim.”