Bible Commentaries
Psalms 146

Verses 1-2

Psa 146:1-2

Psalms 146

PRAISE THE LORD FOR WHAT HE DOES

We have already reviewed Psalms 113-118, which are called a "Hallel" in the Jewish tradition; and that collection also includes the last five psalms in the Psalter.

Each of these last five psalms begins and ends with the words, "Praise ye the Lord" (KJV), "Praise ye Jehovah" (American Standard Version), "Praise the Lord" (RSV, the Good News Bible), or "Praise the Eternal" (Moffatt). All of these renditions are derived from a single Hebrew word, "Hallelujah". All of these are called "The Hallelujah Psalms."

There is a double emphasis in the psalm: (1) an admonition not to put confidence in men; and (2) an emphasis upon trusting in the Lord. This stress of both negative and positive elements is characteristic of practically all Biblical teaching. Even the Sermon on the Mount carries a heavy charge of both elements.

Nothing is positively known of either the author or the occasion of Psalms 146.

Regarding the date, there seems to be a consensus of opinions placing all of these last five psalms in the post-exilic period. This may very well be true. Writing near the beginning of this century (1907) Briggs stated that, "The psalm has three Aramaisms; it belongs to the late Greek period.” Such a comment was excusable in 1907, a full generation before the Ras Shamra discoveries which absolutely nullified Aramaisms as a criterion for determining date. There always remains the question of whether or not current scholars may be merely repeating the false conclusions of an older generation of "higher" critics.

We follow here the paragraphing suggested by Leupold: (1) A summons to praise God (Psalms 146:1-2); (2) the negative warning, "put no trust in princes" (Psalms 146:3-4); (3) positive counsel to trust in the Lord (Psalms 146:5-9); and (4) the everlasting kingdom of the Lord (Psalms 146:10). On this 10th verse, Delitzsch regarded it as a part of the third paragraph, and we prefer this arrangement.

Regarding the nature of all five of these Hallelujah Psalms, McCaw noted that:

"They have no word of petition or any suggestion of personal need; and there is a minimum of historical allusion. All is focused upon God who alone is worthy to be praised. Each of the five brings to light some particular aspect of the praise of God; and Psalms 146 strikes the characteristic note of individualism. `If I do not praise God, then the praise of God is incomplete.’”

Psalms 146:1-2

A SUMMONS TO PRAISE THE LORD

"Praise ye Jehovah.

Praise Jehovah, O my soul.

While I live will I praise Jehovah:

I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being."

The "Hallelujah" with which the psalm begins is usually understood as an invitation for "congregational praise," but, "Far from being a mere observer of others worshipping, this psalmist determines to share in it personally.”

"While I have any being" (Psalms 146:2). "The idea here is not that he will praise God during his lifetime, but as long as he has an existence. In the future world, forever, he would praise him.” The poet Addison caught something of this meaning in these lines.

"Through every period of my life

Thy goodness I’ll pursue;

And after death, in distant worlds,

The glorious theme renew.

Through all eternity to Thee

A joyful song I’ll raise;

But oh, eternity’s too short

To utter all thy praise!"

- Addison

It is also of interest that Psalms 104:33 b is identical with Psalms 146:2 b here.

E.M. Zerr:

Psalms 146:1. The first 4 words are sometimes rendered "Hallelujah." To praise the Lord with the soul means to praise him with one’s whole being.

Psalms 146:2. While I live is equivalent in thought to "faithful unto death."

Verses 1-6

Psa 146:1-6

Psalms 147

PRAISING GOD FOR ISRAEL’S RETURN TO JERUSALEM

The scholars are somewhat perplexed about the unity of this psalm. The Septuagint (LXX) makes a separate psalm out of Psalms 147:12-20; Yates found, "Three psalms (Psalms 147:1-6; Psalms 147:7-11; and Psalms 147:12-20) compressed into one, “ as did also Briggs and Ballard. However, as Allen, a very recent scholar pointed out, "There are patterns running through the psalm which point to its unity.” This writer finds no difficulty whatever in receiving the psalm, as it stands, as a perfect unity. Delitzsch pointed out that there is a progression in the psalm throughout, "Both in respect of the building of the walls (Psalms 147:2; Psalms 147:13), and in respect of the circumstances of the weather.” This falls little short of being a guarantee that the psalm is a unity.

The author, of course, is unknown; but the occasion has been quite reasonably supposed to have been, "The autumn feast of Tabernacles, in view of the reference to the harvest (Psalms 147:14), and to the Law (Psalms 147:19).” Delitzsch also supported this view, accepting the interpretation of Psalms 147:13 as a reference to, "The dedication of the walls in the times of Nehemiah.” He also stated, "That the composition of this psalm in the times of Nehemiah is acknowledged by the most diverse parties.”

Rawlinson gave the year 445 B.C. as the "time when the walls and gates of Jerusalem were built following the exile.” If we are correct in associating this psalm with the time of building the walls and gates, then the date of 397 B.C., as alleged by Ballard, is in error by about half a century.

"The threefold summons to praise or thanksgiving (Psalms 147:1; Psalms 147:7 and Psalms 147:12) reveals the structure of the psalm.” We shall follow this paragraphing and use the paragraph headings suggested by Briggs.

Psalms 147:1-6

DIVISION I

Briggs’ summary: This is a summons to the congregation to praise Yahweh for his goodness and sweetness in rebuilding Jerusalem and restoring her people (Psalms 147:1-3). Though he numbers and names the stars as their sovereign Lord, He interposes on behalf of his afflicted people against their enemies (Psalms 147:4-6).

"Praise ye Jehovah;

For it is good to sing praises unto our God;

For it is pleasant, and praise is comely.

For Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem;

He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

He healeth the broken in heart,

And bindeth up their wounds.

He counteth the number of the stars;

And calleth them all by their names.

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;

His understanding is infinite.

Jehovah upholdeth the meek:

He bringeth the wicked down to the ground."

"Praise ye Jehovah" (Psalms 147:1). Note that a similar invitation to praise God initiates each of the three divisions.

"The Lord doth build up Jerusalem" (Psalms 147:2). Miller made a very important observation regarding the verb tenses in this psalm, pointing out that, with the exceptions of Psalms 147:13, and Psalms 147:20 a, "The verbs here should be translated by the English present tense.” This means that, "The psalmist is vividly describing actions taking place at the very time he writes."

The chronology of the events described here is as follows:

"The rebuilding of Jerusalem after the captivity required more than ninety years, from B.C. 538 till B.C. 445. First, the temple was built (B.C. 538-515); then the city; and finally the walls and the gates (B.C. 445). The exiles returned gradually - some under Zerubbabel (B.C. 538); some with Ezra (B.C. 457); others, doubtless, with Nehemiah, in B.C. 445; and again in B.C. 434.”

"He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel" (Psalms 147:2). How do we know that this language refers to the return of the exiles from Babylon? As Barnes pointed out, "It is in such language that the prophets predicted their return.” As Isaiah stated it, "He (God) shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah" (Isaiah 11:12).

"He counteth the stars ... calleth them by names" (Psalms 147:4). "According to ancient ideas, to name a thing was to call it into existence.” Therefore, this reveals God as the Creator of the stars, countering the heathen notion that the stars were gods exercising baleful influence upon men. The language here is suggestive of that in Isaiah 40:26.

"His understanding is infinite ... Jehovah upholdeth the meek" (Psalms 147:5-6). The stars, of course, are to men innumerable; and the infinity, omnipotence, and omniscience of God are brought to mind in such a declaration as we have in Psalms 147:4, but the real point of this is that, although God’s greatness is so incomprehensibly above mankind, he nevertheless upholds and supports Israel against her enemies, as stated in Briggs’ summary, above.

E.M. Zerr:

Psalms 147:1. Shouts and exclamations addressed to the Lord in Bible circumstances were not mere emotional outbursts. They were intelligent expressions regarding some of the virtues of the Lord, and the desirable effects they were having on the servants of God. For instance, the present verse names three of such points; good, pleasant and comely. These combine to form a strong motive for praising the God of Heaven.

Psalms 147:2. This verse is a prophecy of the return of the children of Israel from Babylonian captivity; the history is in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Psalms 147:3. This verse refers to those who are discouraged over the trials of life.

Psalms 147:4. Telleth means to count or enumerate the number of the stars. The statement aims to express the boundless knowledge of God. Names is from a word that has the idea of individuality The verse as a whole means that God is so great and his spiritual presence so wide that each individual star is present to his allseeing eye. (How Foolish, then, for a feeble man to think that he could hide from Him! )

Psalms 147:5. We generally think of the word "infinite" as meaning unlimited, and it does have that force with reference to the goodness or knowledge of God. However, in this passage it is from a Hebrew word that means "indefinite." It signifies that no human being can state the number or size or extent of God’s understanding.

Psalms 147:6. The meek are those who humble themselves and they are the ones whom God will exalt. Jesus taught the same truth in Luke 14:11. It is interesting to note that David contrasts the meek with the wicked.

Verses 3-4

Psa 146:3-4

Psalms 146:3-4

NEGATIVE COUNSEL

"Put not your trust in princes,

Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth;

In that very day his thoughts perish."

"Put not your trust in princes" (Psalms 146:3). "`Princes’ is from a word that means conspicuous or influential ones.” The idea is that men, even though they are princes, cannot be trusted for "help." This does not mean that men cannot be trusted for ordinary assistance. Rhodes assures us that the word "help" here is "literally salvation.” In this light, the negative counsel of this verse becomes one of the most important imperatives in the whole Bible. It simply means, "Do not trust human beings, no matter how powerful or well-known, to instruct you in matters of salvation." Let God be true, and every man a liar.

What a shame it is that so many of earth’s fine religious souls are trusting "the words of men" instead of the Word of God regarding matters of faith.

"Nor in the son of man" (Psalms 146:3). This is not a reference to the Son of Man, who is Christ. "The Prayer-book paraphrase, `nor in any child of man,’ brings out the sense.” McCaw cautioned us that, "These verses should not be understood as a cynical command never to trust anyone.” The prohibition is against trusting any human being as an authority in matters of faith and salvation. McCaw gave three reasons why men should not be trusted in such matters: (1) their lack of ability; (2) their ephemeral nature; "here today, and gone tomorrow"; and (3) their unreliability.

A current fad in religious matters is the Lutheran doctrine of "salvation by faith alone," a contradiction of James 2:24, and an invention of "a man" more than a millennium after the Christian religion began. Concerning such man-originated doctrines, Baigent has this: "Any man, or group of men, are transitory, and so are their philosophies and panaceas.”

"He returneth to his earth" (Psalms 146:4). This is a grim reminder of the words so often heard among the dying members of the race of Adam, "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust." The pitiful mortality of our dying race thunders in our ears; and we should never allow the attractiveness, popularity, power, wealth, position, or any other earthly endowment of any man to silence that thunder, enabling us to trust his theories of salvation. He and his doctrine alike are certain to perish.

Barnes has this comment on the phrase, "his earth":

The earth is man’s: (a) It is his in that he was made from the earth and to the earth shall return (Genesis 3:19). (b) the earth (grave) is his. There he shall abide. (c) It is "his" in the sense that it is the only property that he shall ever possess. All that a man - prince, noble, pauper, billionaire, monarch or slave - will soon have is his grave, his few feet of earth. That will be "his" by right of possession; by the fact that for the time being, he shall occupy it, and not another man.

E.M. Zerr:

Psalms 146:3. Nothing permanent or spiritually helpful can be obtained from man, even though he be a prince or leader among the people.

Psalms 146:4. This verse is considering the earthly part of man which lives by breathing air. When the breath ceases to come into the body it results in the death of the body and it goes back to dust. Some people try to make the last clause of the verse mean that when a man dies no part of him is conscious since at that instant his thoughts perish. It is true that all of the plans or purposes that a man meditated over while in the flesh will come to an end at death. But that does not even touch the subject of his mental condition afterward.

Verses 5-10

Psa 146:5-10

Psalms 146:5-10

POSITIVE INSTRUCTION TO TRUST IN THE LORD

"Happy is he that hath the God of

Jacob for his help,

Whose hope is in Jehovah his God:

Who made heaven and earth,

The sea, and all that in them is;

Who keepeth truth forever.

Who executeth justice for the oppressed;

Who giveth food to the hungry.

Jehovah looseth the prisoners;

Jehovah openeth the eyes of the blind;

Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down;

Jehovah loveth the righteous;

Jehovah preserveth the sojourner;

He upholdeth the fatherless and widow;

But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

Jehovah will reign forever,

Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations.

Praise ye Jehovah."

It was upon the basis of this paragraph that we entitled this psalm, "Praise the Lord for What he Does." Some of the psalms praise God for what he has done, but the emphasis here is rather upon what he is doing. A mere list of these is impressive.

The Lord keepeth truth forever (Psalms 146:6).

He executeth judgment for the oppressed (Psalms 146:7).

He giveth food to the hungry (Psalms 146:7).

He looseth the prisoners (Psalms 146:7).

He openeth the eyes of the blind (Psalms 146:8).

He raises up them that are bowed down (Psalms 146:8).

He loveth the righteous (Psalms 146:8).

He preserveth the sojourners (Psalms 146:9).

He upholdeth the fatherless and widow (Psalms 146:9).

He turns the way of the wicked upside down (Psalms 146:9)

He reigns forever, unto all generations (Psalms 146:10).

Rhodes gave voice to a popular error, writing that, in the light of this passage, "According to both Testaments, personal gospel and social gospel are one gospel." The truth is that what men today call the "social gospel" is nothing but a thinly-veneered "humanism," utterly void of the eternal salvation available "in Christ" as the Lord’s devoted follower.

"The God of Jacob" (Psalms 146:5). In time, this expression came to be the virtual equivalent of "The God of Israel." It is by no means enough to praise "deity." One must praise the true God, even the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God revealed in the Holy Bible.

This final paragraph cannot be read without an acute consciousness of the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ stressed all of these things during his earthly ministry.

"Looseth the prisoners" (Psalms 146:7). "Deliverance from the bondage of sin may be intended here.”

"Openeth the eyes of the blind" (Psalms 146:8). "The spiritually blind, rather than the physically blind may be meant, because there was no healing of the physically blind in the Old Testament.”

"These verses belong to the `God of Jacob’ exclusively and to no other. He is the God known to Israel and to Zion. This is the exclusivism of the Old Testament. The abstract concept of `deity’ is not enough for a man to trust; nor is any other claimant to the title, `God.’ Only one God is worthy of trust. He is to be found only in Jacob (Israel) and Zion.”

"Who keepeth truth forever" (Psalms 146:6). Barnes pointed out that two reasons are here given for trusting God: (1) He is the one and only true God, the Creator, able indeed to help those whom he loves. (2) He is faithful and may always be relied upon.

"Turneth the way of the wicked upside down" (Psalms 146:9). Dummelow explained this as meaning that, "God turns aside the way of the wicked into the trackless desert where it disappears."

"Jehovah will reign forever, Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations" (Psalms 146:10). Briggs pointed out that Psalms 146:10 a here is a quotation from Exodus 15:18, and that 10b is a quotation from Psalms 147:12.

One of the most interesting comments we have seen on this psalm is that of Rawlinson, who identified the "Zion of this passage as that of Hebrews 12:22, adding that, "God is the God of Zion and will remain so unto all generations, since the Church of Christ is now the true Zion of Hebrews 12:22.” It is also a fact that the Church of Christ is the true "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16).

E.M. Zerr:

Psalms 146:5. Jacob is frequently used in the Bible to mean the nation of Israel, because Jacob was the father of the 12 tribes. The God of Jacob, then, would be the God who was worshiped by the nation. Certainly it would be a true source of happiness to lean upon Him for help.

Psalms 146:6. The argument is that a Being who could make the universe could certainly help one of the little creatures of that vast domain. Keepeth truth means that God always makes his word good, and that proves that his promises were truthful.

Psalms 146:7. Judgment for the oppressed would be to decide their case in their behalf and then execute or enforce the decision. The last clause means the Lord will loose the prisoners from their bondage to the state of oppression.

Psalms 146:8. All miraculous deeds of kind- ness are done by power coming from the Lord. Likewise, all favors of a spiritual and mental nature originate with Him. The motive for the blessings is God’s love for the righteous.

Psalms 146:9. The strangers is defined in the original as "a guest; by implication a foreigner." God is good to all unforunate people if they are deserving, even though they are not of his own. The same principle is taught by Paul in Galatians 6:10. Turneth upside down means the Lord will upset or defeat the way of the wicked.

Psalms 146:10 This verse should be read in connection with the comments at ch. 145:13. Praise ye the Lord is an exclamation, pronounced "Hallelujah."