1Acclaim the LORD, for He is good,
for His kindness is forever.
2Acclaim the greatest God,
for His kindness is forever.
3Acclaim the greatest Master,
for His kindness is forever.
4Who alone performs great wonders,
for His kindness is forever.
5Who makes the heavens in wisdom,
for His kindness is forever.
6Who stamps firm the earth on the waters,
for His kindness is forever.
7Who makes the great lights,
for His kindness is forever.
8The sun for dominion of day,
for His kindness is forever.
9The moon and stars for dominion of night,
for His kindness is forever.
10Who strikes Egypt in its firstborn,
for His kindness is forever.
11And brings out Israel from their midst,
for His kindness is forever.
12With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for His kindness is forever.
13Who split the Reed Sea into parts,
for His kindness is forever.
14And made Israel pass through its midst,
for His kindness is forever.
15And shook Pharaoh and his force into the Reed Sea,
for His kindness is forever.
16 Who led His people in the wilderness,
for His kindness is forever.
17Who struck down great kings,
for His kindness is forever.
18And killed mighty kings,
for His kindness is forever.
19Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for His kindness is forever.
20And Og, king of Bashan,
for His kindness is forever.
21And gave their land as an estate,
for His kindness is forever.
22An estate for Israel His servant,
for His kindness is forever.
23 Who recalled us when we were low,
for His kindness is forever.
24And delivered us from our foes,
for His kindness is forever.
25 Who gives bread to all flesh,
for His kindness is forever.
26Acclaim the God of the heavens,
PSALM 136 NOTES
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1. Acclaim the LORD. With the initial verb of “acclaim” or “thanks,” this text announces itself as a thanksgiving psalm. It takes the form of acclaiming God as creator of heaven and earth, then moving rapidly through God’s intervention in history in the Exodus story and in the conquest of Canaan. Because of the emphasis on the Exodus, some scholars have proposed that this was used in a Temple rite on Passover, but that link is not certain because in any case the liberation from Egyptian bondage was thought of as the central instance of God’s benevolence in history to Israel.
for His kindness is forever. This repeated refrain clearly must have been an antiphonal response in the liturgy, perhaps by the whole community of worshippers, to the lines of the chorus. As elsewhere, “kindness” also implies steadfast faithfulness.
2. the greatest God. The literal Hebrew formulation, “the God of Gods,” might mean that the God of Israel is more powerful than all the other supposed gods. But the idiomatic pattern “x of xs” (as in “Song of Songs”) is also a form of superlative, so it probably means “the greatest God.” The same is true of the greatest “Master” in the next verse.
6. stamps firm the earth. The verb raqaʿ means to “pound” or “stamp flat,” and is cognate with raqiʿa, the term used for the vault of the heavens in Genesis 1. There is, then, a solid slab or “firmament” that is the sky, and another one below that is the earth. Beneath the earth is the great deep—hence the earth is “on the waters.” As is evident in the Flood story, there are waters above the heavens and waters below the earth (see Genesis 7:11).
7. makes the great lights. This verse and the next are a virtual citation of Genesis 1:16, though a variant form of the word for “lights” (ʾorim instead of meʾorot) is used here.
12. a strong hand and an outstretched arm. The phrase is quoted from Deuteronomy 4:34, 5:15, and 26:8.
13. split. A different verb is used here from the one in Exodus 14, but the meaning is essentially the same.
15. shook. This unusual and vivid verb also appears in Exodus 14.
23. recalled us when we were low. The reference is vague but must allude to some point in Israelite history after the conquest of the land, when the nation was at the mercy of its enemies. (See the next verse, “And delivered us from our foes.”) Because this psalm is probably post-exilic, it could refer to the Babylonian captivity. But in keeping with the overall aim of thanksgiving, national tribulations are no more than glanced at here.
25. Who gives bread to all flesh. As elsewhere, “bread” indicates all kinds of food. In an apt gesture of closure, the celebration of God’s enduring kindness, having begun with His acts as creator, concludes by moving beyond the national perspective to God’s providence to all living creatures.