Psalm 92:5 kjv
O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
Psalm 92:5 nkjv
O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.
Psalm 92:5 niv
How great are your works, LORD, how profound your thoughts!
Psalm 92:5 esv
How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
Psalm 92:5 nlt
O LORD, what great works you do!
And how deep are your thoughts.
Psalm 92 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 104:24 | O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all... | God's manifold works made in wisdom. |
| Ps 145:3 | Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. | Declares the unsearchable greatness of God. |
| Job 37:14 | Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. | Exhortation to contemplate God's wondrous works. |
| Jer 32:17 | 'Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power... | God's great power in creation. |
| Isa 40:28 | ...The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. His understanding is unsearchable. | God's unsearchable understanding. |
| Isa 55:8-9 | "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. | God's thoughts are vastly superior to human thoughts. |
| Rom 11:33-34 | Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! | God's unsearchable judgments and unfathomable ways. |
| 1 Cor 2:10-11 | For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God... | The Spirit reveals the deep things of God. |
| Job 11:7 | "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?" | Human inability to fully comprehend God's depths. |
| Ps 33:11 | The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. | God's eternal counsel and plans. |
| Ps 139:17-18 | How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! | Acknowledgment of the vastness of God's thoughts. |
| Eph 3:10 | ...to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known... | God's manifold wisdom revealed through the church. |
| Prov 19:21 | Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. | God's purpose ultimately prevails over human plans. |
| Jer 29:11 | For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for evil... | God's benevolent and purposeful plans. |
| Dan 2:20-22 | ...wisdom and might belong to Him... He reveals deep and hidden things... | God as the revealer of deep and hidden things. |
| Ps 73:16-17 | When I thought how to understand this, it was too arduous for me, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end. | Human struggle to understand divine ways, then divine revelation. |
| Ps 36:6 | Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep... | God's judgments compared to the great deep. |
| Col 2:3 | in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. | Christ embodying all treasures of divine wisdom. |
| Deut 29:29 | The secret things belong to the Lord our God... | Distinction between revealed and secret divine things. |
| Rom 8:28 | And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good... | God's overarching purpose in all circumstances. |
Psalm 92 verses
Psalm 92 5 Meaning
Psalm 92:5 expresses profound wonder and adoration for God. It declares the immeasurable greatness of God's actions, evident in all creation and providential dealings. Concurrently, it affirms the infinite depth and unfathomable wisdom of His divine purposes, intentions, and plans, which lie beyond the full grasp of human comprehension. This verse invites awe at God's powerful work and His underlying perfect, complex, and unsearchable counsel.
Psalm 92 5 Context
Psalm 92 is designated as "A Song for the Sabbath Day," indicating its intended use for worship and reflection on God's character and works, particularly on the day of rest. The preceding verses (1-4) describe the goodness of giving thanks to the Lord, singing praises, and proclaiming His steadfast love and faithfulness, celebrating the delight in His works. Verse 5 flows naturally from this, as the psalmist beholds the greatness of God's works and contemplates the depth of the divine thoughts that bring them into being. It transitions the psalm from general praise into an explicit recognition of God's wise sovereignty, especially in the context of the temporary prosperity of the wicked contrasted with the enduring flourishing of the righteous later in the psalm (v. 6-15). The profoundness of God's thoughts serves to explain why, from a human perspective, His dealings can seem mysterious, particularly when it appears evil triumphs; this verse anchors trust in God's ultimate wise and just design.
Psalm 92 5 Word analysis
- How great: Hebrew: מַה-גָּדְלוּ (mah-gad'lu). An emphatic exclamation, not a question. It signifies an awe-filled declaration of the immensity, magnificence, and splendor of something. Here, it denotes an incomparable, unparalleled grandeur, beyond human capacity to fully articulate.
- are Your works: Hebrew: מַעֲשֶׂיךָ (ma'aseykha). This term refers to God's deeds, actions, and accomplishments. It encompasses creation (Ps 8:3, Ps 19:1), providence (sustaining creation and life), the unfolding of history, salvation (Ps 44:1), judgment (Ps 9:16), and all forms of divine intervention. It includes everything God has brought into existence and everything He actively performs.
- O Lord!: Hebrew: יְהוָה (Yahweh). The personal, covenantal name of God, revealing Him as the eternally existent, faithful, and redemptive God of Israel. Using this name adds intimacy and trust to the declaration of His greatness.
- Your thoughts: Hebrew: מַחְשְׁבֹתֶיךָ (machsh'voteykha). Refers to God's intentions, purposes, plans, designs, counsel, and deep meditations. Unlike fleeting human thoughts, these are deliberate, profound, and foundational to all His actions. They represent the underlying wisdom and reasoning behind His works.
- are very deep: Hebrew: מְאֹד עָמְקוּ (me'od am'ku). "Me'od" means "very" or "exceedingly," intensifying "am'ku" which means "they are deep" or "they have become profound/unfathomable." This signifies an inscrutable depth that human intellect cannot fully plumb or grasp. It implies that God's plans are intricate, wise, and beyond superficial understanding, reflecting divine mystery and infinite wisdom.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "How great are Your works, O Lord!": This phrase functions as a direct address and an exuberant exclamation of praise. It marvels at the tangible results of God's activity in the world, recognizing His power and majesty displayed through them. The direct address to "Yahweh" personalizes this praise, acknowledging Him as the singular orchestrator of such grandeur.
- "Your thoughts are very deep": This second part explains why God's works are so great and profound. The depth of His works stems from the infinite wisdom and incomprehensible nature of His underlying intentions and plans. It suggests a divine intelligence that is far superior to any created mind, reassuring the believer that there is always a profound, wise, and purposeful design behind everything God does, even if it is not immediately discernible.
Psalm 92 5 Bonus section
This verse embodies the concept of divine aseity and transcendence. God's "works" being great points to His creative and governing power (transcendence over creation), while His "thoughts" being "very deep" emphasizes His distinct and profound mind (aseity, His self-existence and independent wisdom). It contrasts sharply with pagan deities imagined with human limitations in thought or power. Furthermore, this declaration is intrinsically linked to worship; true praise springs from an understanding, however partial, of God's infinite wisdom and mighty acts. It cultivates both intellectual appreciation and spiritual reverence. The unsearchable nature of God's thoughts is not a barrier to relationship, but an invitation to awe and trust, acknowledging that the Creator's ways will always surpass human logic, ensuring a perpetual source of wonder and dependence.
Psalm 92 5 Commentary
Psalm 92:5 serves as a core affirmation of God's supremacy in both deed and intellect. It elevates the worshiper's gaze from merely observing God's acts to comprehending the profound wisdom that orchestrates them. The greatness of God's "works" is a manifest reality, observable in creation's intricacy, history's unfolding, and individual lives. Yet, the psalmist penetrates deeper, declaring that these magnificent actions stem from "thoughts" that are "very deep." This implies that God's purposes are not simple, transparent, or fully discernible by human reason alone. They are layered, complex, eternal, and perfectly aligned with His character, though often mysterious to us. The verse underscores God's omniscient wisdom and sovereign planning, reassuring that even when God's ways seem unfathomable or unjust (as might be the struggle addressed elsewhere in this Psalm regarding the wicked's prosperity), they are ultimately rooted in an incomprehensible, perfect wisdom. It invites humble adoration and trusting submission to a God whose mind is infinitely vast and whose plans are flawlessly executed.
Examples for practical usage:
- In creation's wonder: When beholding a complex ecosystem or the vastness of the cosmos, one can echo, "How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep."
- In life's perplexities: When faced with difficult circumstances or apparent injustices, trusting that God's ultimate plan, though unseen, is profoundly wise: "Even in this trial, Lord, Your thoughts are very deep, and Your works are great."
- In understanding scripture: Recognizing that theological truths often have depths beyond immediate understanding, requiring reverence and humility, acknowledging, "Lord, Your thoughts revealed in Your Word are truly deep."