Psalm 136 1

Psalm 136:1 kjv

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 136:1 nkjv

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 136:1 niv

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1 esv

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1 nlt

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
? His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 136 verses

Psalm 136 1 Meaning

Psalm 136:1 is a call to worship, urging all to express profound gratitude to YHWH, the LORD, for His inherent, perfect goodness. The verse then immediately grounds this command in the eternal and unchanging nature of His steadfast love, or mercy (hesed), which is the enduring quality of His being. It establishes the foundational truth for the entire psalm: God is inherently good, and His active, loyal love never fails.

Psalm 136 1 Context

Psalm 136 stands as a liturgical psalm, part of a collection often used in public worship or during the great pilgrimage festivals such as Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The chapter functions as a litany, with a leader reciting the initial phrase of each verse, and the congregation or choir responding with the refrain, "for his mercy endureth for ever." Verse 1 sets the tone, acting as the comprehensive thesis for the entire psalm. The following verses proceed to enumerate various acts of God—from creation to the Exodus, to sustaining Israel in the wilderness, and conquering their enemies—all presented as evidences of His unwavering goodness and eternal hesed. Historically, such antiphonal singing served to imprint these foundational truths deep within the memory and hearts of the Israelite community, reaffirming their identity as a people sustained solely by the faithful character of YHWH. The repeated refrain served as a constant reminder of the reliability of God's covenant relationship in contrast to the capricious deities of surrounding cultures.

Psalm 136 1 Word analysis

• "O give thanks" (Hebrew: Hodu - הוֹדוּ): This is an imperative command derived from the root yadah (יָדָה), meaning "to cast, to throw." In the context of worship, it means "to acknowledge," "to confess," or "to praise" by holding out the hand or throwing it in reverence. It implies a public declaration of praise and gratitude, acknowledging God's worth and beneficence, not merely a private feeling of gratefulness.
• "unto the LORD" (Hebrew: l'Yahweh - לַיהוה): This specifies the object of thanks. "LORD" (Yahweh, YHWH) is the personal covenant name of God, revealing His self-existence and His commitment to His people. Giving thanks to YHWH is distinct from generic deity worship; it acknowledges the one true God who acts specifically and powerfully in history.
• "for he is good" (Hebrew: ki tov - כִּי־טוֹב): The conjunction ki means "for" or "because," giving the reason for thanksgiving. Tov (טוֹב) describes God's goodness as not just moral righteousness, but comprehensive benefaction—He is inherently perfect, kind, gracious, and the source of all that is good. His goodness is the active demonstration of His benevolent character in His creation and His dealings with humanity.
• "for his mercy endureth for ever" (Hebrew: ki l'olam chasdo - כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ): This is the core refrain of the psalm.
  • "mercy" (chasdo): This is the highly significant Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד). Hesed is much richer than "mercy"; it encapsulates "steadfast love," "lovingkindness," "loyal love," or "covenant faithfulness." It denotes an active, committed, and persistent loyalty born out of a covenant relationship. It's not just pity, but an unbreakable, active commitment to uphold a relationship or a promise.
  • "endureth for ever" (l'olam - לְעוֹלָם): This adverbial phrase means "to eternity," "forever," "for all time," "perpetually." It emphasizes the eternal, unchanging, and unwavering nature of God's hesed. This permanence ensures that His lovingkindness is not temporary or conditional upon human merit, but is part of His very essence.
• "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good": This phrase group links gratitude directly to God's inherent nature. We thank God because of who He is—perfectly good. This goodness isn't merely an attribute but the very wellspring of all His actions.
• "for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever": This juxtaposes God's essential goodness with the enduring quality of His hesed. His goodness is perfectly and eternally expressed through His steadfast, covenantal love. One reason for His goodness is the perpetual nature of His lovingkindness.

Psalm 136 1 Bonus section

The structure of Psalm 136, with its consistent refrain, points to its purpose as a responsive liturgy, a shared declaration of faith that bound the community together. This structure reinforced the truth that God's eternal hesed undergirds all of His actions, from the grand acts of creation to the specific deliverance of His people. The constant repetition of the refrain in ancient worship settings would have imprinted this central theological truth deeply into the minds and hearts of the worshippers. The focus on YHWH, the covenant God of Israel, with His eternal hesed, stands in direct polemical contrast to the transient and unreliable nature of the pagan deities worshipped by surrounding nations. The psalm essentially asks: why give thanks to anything or anyone else when only YHWH's goodness and hesed are truly everlasting? This foundational verse calls for an intentional, active, and unending posture of gratitude rooted in the absolute reliability of God’s nature.

Psalm 136 1 Commentary

Psalm 136:1 is an emphatic theological declaration, commanding an expression of thanks rooted in the immutable character of God. The instruction to "give thanks" (Hodu) is not merely an emotional response but an act of worshipful acknowledgment, publicly affirming God's sovereignty and His beneficent hand in all of life. The core of this command rests upon two intertwined attributes: God "is good" and "his mercy endures for ever." His goodness (tov) signifies His inherent moral perfection, His abundant generosity, and His unfailing beneficence in creation and providence. This is not a detached, abstract goodness, but an active, benevolent nature. This goodness is perfectly manifested and sustained through His hesed—His covenantal, steadfast love that is both fiercely loyal and eternally compassionate.

The double "for" (ki) signifies a profound, causational link: we are to give thanks because He is good, and a major expression and assurance of this goodness is the everlasting nature of His loyal love. This recurring refrain of l'olam chasdo—"his mercy endures forever"—is the heartbeat of the entire psalm, providing constant comfort and assurance. It affirms that God's faithful love is not subject to human failing or temporal change; it is eternally committed. This message was profoundly relevant to ancient Israel, reminding them that despite their historical shortcomings, God’s commitment to His covenant remained steadfast. For believers today, it remains a pillar of hope and trust, emphasizing that God’s love in Christ is an unwavering foundation. It encourages a life of perpetual thanksgiving, secure in the knowledge that God's goodness and love are unfailing anchors for every generation. For example, in moments of overwhelming challenge, remembering that God's love endures forever reminds us that His faithfulness extends beyond our current trials. When contemplating God's provisions, whether big or small, recognizing "He is good" leads naturally to thanks for His steadfast care.