Psalm 136

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loving kindness endures forever.

³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loving kindness endures forever;

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders, for his loving kindness endures forever;

⁵ to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his loving kindness endures forever;

⁶ to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his loving kindness endures forever;

⁷ to him who made the great lights, for his loving kindness endures forever;

⁸ the sun to rule by day, for his loving kindness endures forever;

⁹ the moon and stars to rule by night, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁰ to him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹¹ and brought out Israel from among them, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹² with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea apart, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁴ and made Israel to pass through the middle of it, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁵ but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁷ to him who struck great kings, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁸ and killed mighty kings, for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites, for his loving kindness endures forever;

²⁰ Og king of Bashan, for his loving kindness endures forever;

²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance, for his loving kindness endures forever;

²² even a heritage to Israel his servant, for his loving kindness endures forever;

²³ who remembered us in our low estate, for his loving kindness endures forever;

²⁴ and has delivered us from our adversaries, for his loving kindness endures forever;

²⁵ who gives food to every creature, for his loving kindness endures forever.

²⁶ Oh give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loving kindness endures forever.

Around Psalm 136

Book context

PsalmsEditorial draft

Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers used in Israel’s worship, written by several people over a long period. Headings name David most often, along with Asaph, the sons of Korah and others. The collection falls into five books, each ending with a short blessing of the LORD (41:13, 72:19, 89:52, 106:48), and it closes with a call for everything that has breath to praise the LORD (150:6). The psalms hold praise, lament, thanksgiving, confession and trust, so readers find words for nearly every season of life.

Why we say this

HisFullGlory editorial · broad consensus · not yet reviewed by a theological reader

From the text itself

Sources

Notes summarise their sources in our own words. Where Christians or scholars disagree, the note says so. Notes are not original-language evidence and do not replace the text.

AI explanation

About Psalms as a whole · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this book is about

“How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?” A prayer can begin like that, and in the Psalms it does. Four times the poet asks how long, and then, in the same short song, comes the turn: “But I trust in your loving kindness.”

That honesty runs through the whole book. Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers, and it holds praise, thanksgiving, lament, confession, songs for the king, and reflections on wisdom and on God's law. It is arranged in five books and moves, on the whole, from many laments at the start to pure praise at the end.

Joy, fear, anger, guilt and doubt are all spoken to God directly.

Background

The psalms were written and gathered over several centuries. Their headings link about half of them with David and others with Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and Moses. They were sung in the worship of the temple and later in synagogues and churches.

How Christians read it

Jews and Christians have prayed the Psalms daily for well over two thousand years. The New Testament quotes them more than any other book and reads many as speaking of Christ, among them Psalms 2, 22 and 110. The psalms that call for judgment on enemies are hard to read. Many understand them as handing vengeance over to God instead of taking it oneself.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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