Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
1Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3Splendid and majestic is His work; His righteousness endures forever.
4He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever.
6He has shown His people the power of His works by giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are trustworthy.
8They are upheld forever and ever, enacted in truth and uprightness.
9He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.
10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!
Understand This
Psalm 111, explained
What Psalm 111 is saying
Psalm 111 is an acrostic hymn of praise in which each half-verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, celebrating God's works and character. The psalm moves from praising God's majestic deeds to His provision of food (echoing manna), His covenant faithfulness, and the redemption He has sent. It culminates in the famous wisdom declaration: 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.'
The background behind it
The communal worship setting ('in the assembly of the upright') suggests liturgical use in post-exilic temple worship. The acrostic structure served both mnemonic and aesthetic purposes, demonstrating the completeness and orderliness of God's works through the completeness of the alphabet.
Themes running underneath
The psalm establishes a tight connection between God's deeds and His character—His works are the visible expression of His faithfulness, justice, and covenant commitment. The concluding wisdom sentence (v. 10) bridges praise and ethics, asserting that right worship leads to right living.
Why it still matters
The acrostic form itself teaches that praise should be comprehensive and ordered, not haphazard. The psalm also insists that genuine wisdom begins not with intellectual inquiry but with reverent awe before God.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.