Old Testament · Poetry

Psalm 145

Every Day I Will Bless You

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

King James Version BSB KJV

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1I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

2Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

4One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

5I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

6And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.

7They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

8The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

9The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

10All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.

11They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

12To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

14The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

15The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

16Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

17The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

18The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

19He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

20The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

21My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Understand This

Psalm 145, explained

What Psalm 145 is saying

Psalm 145 is the only psalm carrying the title tehillah (praise) in its superscription, serving as David's personal doxology and the gateway to the Psalter's concluding Hallel sequence (146–150). It is an acrostic psalm celebrating God's greatness, compassion, faithfulness, and kingdom. Verse 8 again recites the creedal formula of Exodus 34:6, and verse 13 declares God's kingdom an everlasting kingdom.

The background behind it

Jewish liturgical tradition prescribes this psalm (as 'Ashrei' with Psalm 84:5 and 144:15 prefixed) three times daily, reflecting its supreme importance in synagogue worship. The Qumran scrolls preserve a version with an additional verse for the missing nun acrostic line.

Themes running underneath

The psalm develops a theology of God's universal kingdom that is simultaneously mighty and gentle—the God whose greatness is unsearchable is also the God who 'upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.' The generational transmission of praise (v. 4) makes worship a communal, intergenerational activity.

Why it still matters

This psalm models praise that is both cosmic and personal, holding together God's transcendent greatness and His tender attention to individual need. It challenges the worshiper to participate in the generational chain of testimony.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.