Psalms 145: Great Is the Lord
An alphabetic hymn extolling God's greatness, goodness, and gracious kingdom, promising that every generation will declare his mighty acts.
Psalms 145 (WEB)
1 I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you. I will extol your name forever and ever.
3 Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised! His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation will commend your works to another, and will declare your mighty acts.
5 Of the glorious majesty of your honor, of your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts. I will declare your greatness.
7 They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.
8 Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
9 Yahweh is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All your works will give thanks to you, Yahweh. Your saints will extol you.
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk about your power;
12 to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahweh is faithful in all his words, and loving in all his deeds.
14 Yahweh upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait for you. You give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 Yahweh is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works.
18 Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him. He also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20 Yahweh preserves all those who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh. Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Psalms 145 (KJV)
1 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Psalms 145 (ASV)
1 I will extol thee, my God, O King; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee; And I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 Of the glorious majesty of thine honor, And of thy wondrous works, will I meditate.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts; And I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness, And shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 Jehovah is gracious, and merciful; Slow to anger, and of great lovingkindness.
9 Jehovah is good to all; And his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; And thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, And talk of thy power;
12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, And the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 Jehovah upholdeth all that fall, And raiseth up all those that are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait for thee; And thou givest them their food in due season.
16 Thou openest thy hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, And gracious in all his works.
18 Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him; He also will hear their cry and will save them.
20 Jehovah preserveth all them that love him; But all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of Jehovah; And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Summary
Psalm 145 is the only psalm titled a "praise" and the last of the psalms attributed to David, an alphabetic acrostic that exalts God as King. David resolves to extol God's name forever and ever, declaring that one generation will commend his works to another. He celebrates the unsearchable greatness of Yahweh, his glorious majesty and awesome acts, but balances might with mercy: Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness, good to all, with tender mercies over all his works. The psalm dwells on God's kingdom—an everlasting kingdom whose dominion endures through all generations—and on his faithfulness in all his words and love in all his deeds. He upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down; the eyes of all wait for him, and he opens his hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing. God is near to all who call on him in truth, fulfilling the desire of those who fear him, hearing their cry, and saving them. The psalm ends as it began, with David's mouth speaking the praise of Yahweh and a call for all flesh to bless his holy name forever. This vision of a generous, near, and everlasting King finds its fullest expression in Christ, whose kingdom has no end and whose open hand feeds the world.
Voices
- David — The psalmist-king who vows to extol God forever and calls all flesh to bless his holy name.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The great and gracious King whose unsearchable greatness is matched by tender mercy and whose kingdom endures forever.
- Every generation — The successive generations who commend God's works to one another and declare his mighty acts.
Key Verse
Psalm 145:8 (WEB)
Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Lessons Learned
- God's greatness is unsearchable, yet he is also gracious, merciful, and slow to anger.
- Praise is meant to be passed on, as one generation commends God's works to the next.
- God's kingdom is everlasting; no other rule will outlast or overthrow it.
- He is near to all who call on him in truth, upholding the falling and satisfying every living thing.
- God's greatness is beyond measure. "Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised! His greatness is unsearchable" (Psalm 145:3, WEB)—we never reach the end of his glory.
- Might and mercy meet in God. "Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness" (Psalm 145:8, WEB)—his power is wrapped in kindness.
- His kingdom never ends. "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom" (Psalm 145:13, WEB)—God's reign outlasts every empire and every age.
- God is near to those who call. "Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Psalm 145:18, WEB)—greatness does not make him distant.
- How does the psalm hold together God's unsearchable greatness and his tender mercies?
- What does it mean that "one generation will commend your works to another," and how do we do that?
- Why is it good news that God's kingdom is everlasting when earthly kingdoms rise and fall?
- What does it mean to call on God "in truth," and how is that different from calling on him otherwise?
- Which attribute of God in this psalm do you most need to dwell on this week, and why?
- The psalm refuses to choose between God's majesty and his mercy. The same unsearchable God is gracious and slow to anger. Discuss how holding both keeps our worship from becoming either flippant or fearful.
- Passing on praise means parents, mentors, and the church telling the next generation what God has done. Worship is generational discipleship. Encourage members to consider how they are commending God's works to those after them.
- Every human power eventually collapses, but God's reign endures through all generations. This gives stability and hope amid political and personal upheaval. Discuss how an everlasting kingdom reframes our anxieties about the present.
- Calling on God "in truth" means sincere, honest dependence rather than empty or self-serving words. God draws near to genuine faith. Explore how authenticity in prayer matters more than eloquence or performance.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Invite members to choose one attribute—greatness, mercy, nearness, faithfulness—and to meditate and pray on it. As leader, point to how all of them shine fully in Christ the King.