Psalm 138:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;

NIV: Of David. I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

NASB: I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing Your praises before the gods.

CSB: Of David. I will give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings.

NLT: I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.

KJV: A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

NKJV: {A Psalm of David.} I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You.

Psalm 138:1–3 expresses David's public praise of God, for His salvation and consistent love. This steady care is from the Hebrew word hesed. The first verse uses the term elōhim', which can refer to God, fictional gods, spiritual beings, or important people. Any or all of these can apply in this case. The term translated "temple" or "sanctuary" is also used in reference to the tabernacle (1 Samuel 1:24).

David publicly praises God for His faithfulness and salvation. Someday, all rulers of every nation will acknowledge the Lord. They will recognize His goodness and mercy. Despite troubles, David is confident in the Lord's plan. God has a purpose for David's life, so he is content to pray for aid and rest in God's loyal love.

This section (Psalms 138—145) of songs are attributed to David. Psalm 108 shares basic themes with the beginning verses of this entry. The later parts of this psalm echo David's thoughts (Psalm 23:4) in Psalm 23. No specific moment is tied to this psalm; David may have written it while thinking about Israel's many neighboring enemies (2 Samuel 5:6; 8:1–2). The first verse uses the word elōhim', which can refer to the Lord God (Genesis 1:1), to deities in general (Deuteronomy 5:7), to spiritual beings (Psalm 8:5), or to important people (Genesis 23:6).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 6/20/2025 7:22:48 PM