Psalm 145:6

Psalm 145:6, in plain English

People will keep talking about God's incredible power and what He's capable of, and the psalmist himself will add his voice to that testimony.

Why it's here

There's a beautiful rhythm here: 'They will' and 'I will.' The psalmist isn't sitting back watching others praise God—he's actively joining the chorus. He's saying, 'My generation will speak up, and so will I.'

Who's speaking

David, committing to personal involvement in communal praise.

Where it sits in the story

This reflects the New Testament call to be witnesses. You're not just meant to believe privately and let others do the talking. You're meant to declare what you've seen and known about God. That's part of being His follower.

The scholarly reading

Communities amplify the declaration of God's power, while the individual psalmist adds personal witness to this collective testimony.

Language and setting

The Syriac Peshitta and Septuagint traditions preserve variant readings here that scholars (notably Dahood in the Anchor Bible) argue better reflect the original: some manuscripts emphasize 'terrifying deeds' (נוֹרָאוֹת, noraot—the fearful, awe-inducing character of divine acts). The dual testimony—'they will proclaim' and 'I will declare'—structures a rhetorical dialectic between community and individual, authority and personal conviction, reminiscent of the prophetic pattern wherein one voice (Jeremiah, Ezekiel) announces truths the community gradually appropriates.

Voice

The psalmist, now joined by an implied audience ('they'), creating a chorus of testimony.

Significance

This pattern—individual witness validated by communal reception—characterizes the Apostolic kerygma, where the Twelve's testimony becomes the Church's foundation, and individual saints (Paul, Peter) speak within the communion of witnesses.

4One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—

5the glorious splendor of Your majesty. And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.

6They will proclaim the power of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness.

7They will extol the fame of Your abundant goodness and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.

8The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.

Read all of Psalm 145 — David's last psalm of praise. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. His greatness is unsearchable — but David searches anyway.