Psalm 146:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.

NIV: When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

NASB: His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; On that very day his plans perish.

CSB: When his breath leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die.

NLT: When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.

KJV: His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

NKJV: His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.

Psalm 146:1–4 is the psalmist's promise to worship God so long as he has life in his body. This faith inspires his advice to others: trust God above all others, not other men. Sinful men will make mistakes, and die (Romans 3:10, 23, 26). The next verses explain that the Lord is the only One who created everything and the only one who will rule forever.

In Hebrew, the phrase halelu-yāh is an expression of praise and worship to God. That term both begins and ends this psalm. In between, the psalmist notes that only God is truly reliable. Limited men are not a source of salvation. The Lord, however, created all things and acts with power towards those who are in need. Only God will rule eternally, making Him the only One truly worthy of praise.

This psalm is among those which uses the Hebrew phrase halelu-yāh, which literally means "praise the Lord!" This term both begins and ends the final psalms in this book (Psalm 147—150). The psalmist emphasizes that God alone is worthy of absolute trust (Psalm 118:8–9). Fallen, imperfect men cannot provide eternal salvation because they sin and die themselves (Romans 3:10, 26). Here, God is repeatedly referred to using the name YHWH, or Yahweh, typically rendered as "LLord" in English (Exodus 3:15). Zion is another name for the city of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Kings 8:1).

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 4/4/2025 12:21:31 AM