Psalms 145 - Printer Friendly

Like Psalm 119, this is an acrostic: structured around the Hebrew alphabet. In Psalm 145, each line begins with a successive letter, aleph through taw. Unlike Psalm 119, this song skips the letter nun. Later manuscripts include words sometimes bracketed at the end of verse 13. However, these seem to have been added later to complete the pattern.

David promises to praise the Lord forever; God's glory is indescribable. Each generation will tell the next about all the Lord has done for Israel (Psalm 78:1–4). This includes reminding others of God's mercy and loyal love (Psalm 145:1–9).

These mighty works will inspire others to praise God. Seeing the miracles which the Lord has performed will lead mankind to appreciate His power. This brings glory to God and suggests the majestic nature of His kingdom. Mankind can also observe the way God cares for the poor and disadvantaged. Rather than turning such people away, He provides salvation for everyone who seeks Him in reverent faith (Psalm 145:10–20).

David closes the psalm with a summary of the entire passage: his intent to forever worship the Lord, and to encourage every living thing to do the same (Psalm 145:21).

Psalm 145:1–7 is David's promise to praise the Lord every day because the Lord is great. Generation after generation will speak of the Lord's miraculous deeds and majesty. David will meditate on the reality of who God is and on His wondrous works. The generations will speak about the Lord's powerful deeds and sing about His righteousness.

Psalm 145:8–13 refers to the Lord's character and kingdom. Because the Lord is gracious, merciful, and good to all, his people will praise Him. Because His kingdom is eternally glorious, His people will speak of its glory and tell the entire world of His power.

David intends to praise the Lord now and forever. Generation after generation will celebrate the amazing things God has done. The psalm praises the Lord for his love and mercy towards mankind. Those who reach out to Him seeking salvation can find it. Because of these attributes, David declares his intent to worship God, calling on every other person to join him.

This psalm is an acrostic: each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Only the letter nun is skipped. This song strongly magnifies the concept of praising God. Themes mentioned here are found in the other psalms, but they are concentrated in this specific song. Paul used a concept from this psalm when he preached at the Areopagus (Acts 17:27).

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.