Psalm 145 9

Psalm 145:9 kjv

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Psalm 145:9 nkjv

The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

Psalm 145:9 niv

The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 145:9 esv

The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Psalm 145:9 nlt

The LORD is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation.

Psalm 145 verses

Psalm 145 9 Meaning

Psalm 145:9 declares a foundational truth about the nature of God: His intrinsic goodness and profound compassion extend universally to every part of His creation. It asserts that "The Lord is good to all," signifying that His excellent and benevolent character is not exclusive or partial but encompasses the entirety of existence. Following this, it states, "he has compassion on all he has made," elaborating that this goodness is manifested through deep, tender, and nurturing mercy, applied to everything He has brought into being, regardless of their status or moral standing. This verse underscores God's omnipresent care and benevolent involvement with all His works.

Psalm 145 9 Context

Psalm 145 is a "Tehillah" (song of praise) and is explicitly identified as a psalm of David. It stands out as an alphabetic acrostic, with each verse typically beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, enhancing its structure and memorability as a liturgical hymn. The overall theme of the psalm is the exaltation of Yahweh, praising His greatness, power, majesty, righteous acts, and His eternal reign. Verse 9 is strategically placed after verses that describe God's mighty deeds and the declaration of His majesty, transitioning into His inherent universal goodness and tender care for all creation. It serves as a pivotal verse, expanding the scope of God's praise beyond just His powerful works or His relationship with Israel, emphasizing His compassionate disposition toward everyone and everything He has made. This comprehensive outlook lays the groundwork for later verses (like vv. 15-16) which detail God's provision for all living creatures. Historically, it reflects the Temple worship tradition where God's immeasurable attributes were extolled, asserting a monotheistic view of a benevolent Creator against the capricious and limited deities of surrounding cultures.

Psalm 145 9 Word analysis

• The Lord (יְהוָה, Yahweh):

  • Significance: This is the most sacred and personal name of God, emphasizing His self-existence, eternal nature, and covenant faithfulness. It implies that the universal goodness and compassion proclaimed are not random acts but flow from His very identity as the sovereign and true God.
  • Analysis: Identifies the specific Divine entity whose attributes are being described, grounding the declaration in a relationship-oriented, powerful Creator rather than a generic deity.

• is good (טוֹב, tov):

  • Meaning: Excellent, pleasant, morally perfect, beneficial. It denotes more than just kindness; it suggests an inherent, absolute, and ontological perfection that is the source of all good.
  • Significance: God's goodness is not merely a quality He possesses but who He essentially is. This goodness is foundational and comprehensive, influencing everything He does and all that exists.

• to all (לַכֹּל, lakkol):

  • Meaning: To the whole, to everything, universally. This word is an emphatic inclusion of every single thing.
  • Significance: This is a radical and expansive declaration in its original context, highlighting that God's intrinsic goodness is not restricted to a specific people, nation, or religious group, but extends without limitation to the entirety of creation. It sets a universal scope for His beneficence.

• he has compassion (רַחֲמָיו, raḥamav):

  • Meaning: His tender mercies, affections; derived from rakham, meaning "womb" or "bowels." This conveys a deep, visceral, intimate, empathetic, and nurturing love or pity, often described as a mother's or father's deepest affection. It is an internal movement of tender regard that actively desires to relieve suffering or provide kindness.
  • Significance: This is not a detached benevolence but a profound, personal, and visceral concern. It portrays God's love for His creation as intimately felt and actively expressed, moving Him to act beneficently.

• on all he has made (עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו, al kol ma'asav):

  • Meaning: On all His works, creations, or doings. Ma'aseh refers to something brought into existence, a product of creative activity.
  • Significance: This reiterates and reinforces the universal scope established by "to all." It encompasses the entire spectrum of creation—from the largest galaxies to the smallest organisms, sentient and non-sentient, righteous and unrighteous individuals. It grounds God's goodness and compassion in His role as Creator and Sustainer of everything.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "The Lord is good to all": This phrase establishes God's essential character. His inherent perfection and beneficial nature extend universally, making Him the source of all good things experienced across the entire created order. This is a statement about His being.
  • "he has compassion on all he has made": This complements the first phrase by detailing the expression of God's goodness. His inherent nature of 'good' translates into active, tender-hearted care for everything that has come from His hand. This emphasizes His personal involvement and deep, profound concern for His creation, forming the basis for general provision and common grace.

Psalm 145 9 Bonus section

• The profound assertion of "good to all" and "compassion on all He has made" in Psalm 145:9 is fundamental to understanding God's common grace, distinguishing it from saving grace. Common grace is the general beneficence and restraint of evil that God extends to all humanity, believers and unbelievers alike, while saving grace is specific to redemption through Christ. This verse highlights the former.
• This verse counters anthropocentric views that might suggest God's goodness and compassion are exclusively focused on humanity or a chosen people, emphasizing His active care for the entirety of His created cosmos. It reinforces God's continuous engagement with and sustaining presence within the world He has made.
• The absence of the Nun verse in the Masoretic Text (MT) of Psalm 145 (verse 13b is usually considered the 'Nun' if it's there) might reflect textual variations, but its presence in some ancient versions (like the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls) underscores the emphasis on God's enduring faithfulness through generations. Regardless, verse 9 remains robust in its declaration.
• The pairing of "goodness" and "compassion" describes two inseparable aspects of God's benevolent character, showcasing a God who is both inherently good (His being) and actively merciful (His action).

Psalm 145 9 Commentary

Psalm 145:9 offers a profound declaration of God's universal goodness and compassion. It reveals Yahweh not as a localized or partial deity, but as the infinitely benevolent Creator whose essence is 'tov'—utter excellence and moral perfection—and whose inherent character translates into 'rakhamav'—deep, womb-like tenderness and mercy. This twin declaration confirms that God's nature drives Him to actively and intimately care for every aspect of His creation, animate and inanimate. This common grace is manifested in His ongoing sustenance of the natural world, the provision of life's necessities for all beings, and His patience towards humanity, irrespective of their deservingness. It signifies that all existence rests within the sphere of God's compassionate care, even prior to or apart from any special covenant or redemptive work. For example, the daily sunrise, rainfall, air to breathe, and the foundational moral order found in human conscience are all extensions of this universal goodness and compassion.