Psalm 150:2 kjv
Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Psalm 150:2 nkjv
Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Psalm 150:2 niv
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Psalm 150:2 esv
Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Psalm 150:2 nlt
Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
Psalm 150 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 15:6 | Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power; Your right hand... shattered. | God's powerful deliverance. |
| Deut 3:24 | For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and acts? | Uniqueness of God's deeds. |
| 1 Chr 29:11 | Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory... | Attributes of God's greatness. |
| Neh 9:32 | You are God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God... | God's attributes warranting praise. |
| Ps 48:1 | Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised... | Command to praise His greatness. |
| Ps 66:3 | How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power... | Acknowledging mighty deeds. |
| Ps 77:14 | You are the God who works wonders; You have made known your strength... | God's working of wonders. |
| Ps 90:2 | Before the mountains were born... from everlasting to everlasting, You are. | God's eternal greatness. |
| Ps 95:1-3 | Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise... For the Lord | Joyful praise for His being. |
| Ps 96:4 | For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared. | Magnitude of His worth. |
| Ps 99:4 | The King in His might loves justice... | Praise for God's righteous might. |
| Ps 106:2 | Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or declare all His praise? | Rhetorical question highlighting His deeds. |
| Ps 145:3 | Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearch. | God's incomprehensible greatness. |
| Ps 145:4 | One generation shall commend your works to another, and declare your acts. | Transgenerational declaration of His deeds. |
| Isa 6:3 | Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! | Praise for God's inherent holiness and glory. |
| Isa 12:4-5 | Proclaim His name, make known His deeds... sing praises to the Lord... | Call to praise and declare His works. |
| Isa 40:28 | The Lord is the everlasting God... His understanding is unsearchable. | God's limitless being and wisdom. |
| Jer 32:17 | You who made the heavens and the earth by Your great power... | God's creative mighty acts. |
| Rom 11:33 | Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! | Paul's exclamation of God's vastness. |
| Eph 3:20 | To Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask... | God's immeasurable power to act. |
| Rev 4:11 | Worthy are You, our Lord... for You created all things... | Heavenly worship of God as Creator. |
| Rev 15:3-4 | Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God Almighty!... | Future praise for His deeds and righteousness. |
| Jude 1:25 | To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ... glory, majesty... | Adoration for God's essential attributes. |
Psalm 150 verses
Psalm 150 2 Meaning
Psalm 150:2 commands believers to praise the Lord for two profound reasons: for His "mighty acts" (what He has done in history and creation), and for His "excellent greatness" (who He inherently is, His boundless nature and majesty). This verse calls for a form of worship that is rooted in both God's powerful deeds and His intrinsic, infinite worth, implying that praise should be proportional to His immeasurable character.
Psalm 150 2 Context
Psalm 150 serves as the glorious doxological conclusion to the entire Psalter. It is a triumphant, unreserved, and universal call to praise God, using the term "Hallelujah" (Praise the Lord) throughout. Following a sequence of Psalms (145-149) that progressively broaden the scope of praise to include all creation, Psalm 150 brings this theme to its ultimate culmination. Within this crescendo of worship, verse 2 particularizes why God should be praised: first for His active intervention and power ("mighty acts"), and then for His inherent and awe-inspiring nature ("excellent greatness"). Historically, such comprehensive praise for Yahweh stood in direct contrast to the limited powers and domains of pagan deities worshipped in the ancient Near East, affirming His absolute supremacy as Creator and Sustainer. It was likely intended for communal worship in the Temple, inviting every individual to participate in this vibrant acclamation of God's unmatched majesty and works.
Psalm 150 2 Word analysis
Praise him (הַלְלוּהוּ - hallelu-hu):
- An imperative command, indicating an absolute necessity and joyous obligation to extol God.
- Derived from the Hebrew root hillel, meaning "to shine, to boast, to glorify, to praise." It implies a public and exuberant declaration of worth.
- The suffix "-hu" means "him," clearly directing the praise towards God alone. This repetition underscores the primary object and the fervent nature of the command.
for his mighty acts (בִּגְבוּרוֹתָיו - bigvurôṯāw):
- The prefix "בְּ" (bĕ) means "for" or "on account of," indicating the reason for praise.
- Gevurot (plural of gevurah) means "strength," "power," or "mighty deeds." It specifically refers to God's powerful interventions in human history and the natural world.
- These acts include His creation of the cosmos (Gen 1-2, Ps 33:6-9), His deliverance of Israel from Egypt (Ex 15, Ps 106), His sustenance of creation (Ps 104), His victories in battle, His judgments, and ultimately, His redemptive acts in Christ (Phil 2:9-11). It's praise based on concrete evidence of His power.
Praise him (וְהַלְלוּהוּ - v'hallelu-hu):
- The conjunction "וְ" (vĕ) means "and," linking this second reason for praise.
- This reiteration emphasizes the dual and comprehensive nature of the praise. It's not one or the other, but both; praise is for His actions and His character.
according to his excellent greatness (כְּרֹ֣ב גֻּדְלֽוֹ - kərov gudlō):
- The prefix "כְּ" (kĕ) means "according to," "in proportion to," or "corresponding to." This signifies that the praise should be commensurate with, and reflect the boundless nature of, God's inherent greatness.
- Rov (רֹב) means "abundance," "multitude," "muchness," implying a vast, overwhelming quantity.
- Godel (גֹּדֶל) means "greatness," "magnitude," "majesty," or "grandness." It refers to God's intrinsic being, His supreme and incomparable nature, His infinite glory, wisdom, and power as a fundamental attribute.
- Combined, "his excellent greatness" conveys God's boundless, overwhelming, and unsearchable majesty and inherent worth, which goes beyond His discernible actions to His very essence.
Words-group Analysis:
- "Praise him for his mighty acts": This calls for worship based on the observable, historical, and tangible manifestations of God's power and intervention in the world and in human lives. It is concrete, experiential praise.
- "Praise him according to his excellent greatness": This calls for worship that stems from an acknowledgment of God's inherent, majestic, and infinite character, recognizing His supreme and unrivaled nature. It is worship acknowledging His immeasurable being.
- The combination of "mighty acts" and "excellent greatness": This structure covers both the immanence of God (His active involvement in the world) and the transcendence of God (His surpassing majesty and being beyond creation). True praise acknowledges both aspects of His revelation. The praise for "mighty acts" flows from gratitude for what He does, while the praise for "excellent greatness" flows from awe of who He is. The proportional aspect implies that since His greatness is infinite, so should our praise be unending.
Psalm 150 2 Bonus section
The pairing of God's "mighty acts" and "excellent greatness" in this verse is a common theological duality found throughout the Psalms and the prophetic literature. It reminds us that God's character defines His actions, and His actions reveal His character. Therefore, our praise must always encompass both aspects for a complete picture of worship. This verse provides an important foundation for New Covenant worship as well, as believers are called to praise God for His "mighty acts" demonstrated in Christ's incarnation, atoning death, and glorious resurrection, all of which stem from His "excellent greatness" as the Divine Son. Furthermore, the imperative "praise him" suggests that praise is not merely an optional emotion but a fundamental, non-negotiable response of humanity to the God who acts and who is eternally great.
Psalm 150 2 Commentary
Psalm 150:2 encapsulates the holistic nature of biblical praise by calling us to worship God based on both His revealed works and His inherent being. "Mighty acts" (גְּבוּרוֹת - gevurot) invites us to reflect on God's historical interventions, His power in creation, His covenant faithfulness, and His redemptive plan, which culminates in the finished work of Jesus Christ. This foundation grounds our praise in tangible evidence of God's power and love. Simultaneously, "excellent greatness" (גֹּדֶל - godel combined with רֹב - rov for "abundance") demands that our praise is proportionate to God's limitless, incomprehensible majesty, sovereignty, and intrinsic worth. This recognizes that even beyond His specific deeds, God is inherently worthy of all adoration simply because of Who He is. The instruction to praise "according to" His greatness suggests that no praise can truly measure up to His infinite worth, yet it impels us to strive for the highest possible expression of devotion, overflowing from a deep understanding of His unbounded nature. This comprehensive call to praise teaches us to not limit our worship to what God has done for us, but to always extend it to who He eternally is, encouraging both experiential gratitude and reverent awe.