to him who by understanding made the heavens; for his loving kindness endures forever:
to him who spread out the earth above the waters; for his loving kindness endures forever:
to him who made the great lights; for his loving kindness endures forever:
the sun to rule by day; for his loving kindness endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule by night; for his loving kindness endures forever:
to him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn; for his loving kindness endures forever;
and brought out Israel from among them; for his loving kindness endures forever;
with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm; for his loving kindness endures forever:
to him who divided the Red Sea apart; for his loving kindness endures forever;
and made Israel to pass through the middle of it; for his loving kindness endures forever;
but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea; for his loving kindness endures forever:
to him who led his people through the wilderness; for his loving kindness endures forever:
to him who struck great kings; for his loving kindness endures forever;
and killed mighty kings; for his loving kindness endures forever:
Sihon king of the Amorites; for his loving kindness endures forever;
Og king of Bashan; for his loving kindness endures forever;
and gave their land as an inheritance; for his loving kindness endures forever;
even a heritage to Israel his servant; for his loving kindness endures forever:
who remembered us in our low estate; for his loving kindness endures forever;
and has delivered us from our adversaries; for his loving kindness endures forever:
who gives food to every creature; for his loving kindness endures forever.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv7, 10, 13, 23 7. Who made the great lights, etc. — Moses…
7. Who made the great lights, etc. — Moses calls the sun and moon the two great lights, and there is little doubt that the Psalmist here borrows the same phraseology. What is immediately added about the stars, is, as it were, accessory to the others. It is true, that the other planets are larger than the moon, but it is stated as second in order on account of its visible effects. The Holy Spirit had no intention to teach astronomy; and, in proposing instruction meant to be common to the simplest and most uneducated persons, he made use by Moses and the other Prophets of popular language, that none might shelter himself under the pretext of obscurity, as we will see men sometimes very readily pretended an incapacity to understand, when anything deep or recondite is submitted to their notice. Accordingly, as Saturn though bigger than the moon is not so to the eye owing to his greater distance, the Holy Spirit would rather speak childishly than unintelligibly to the humble and unlearned. The same remark may be made upon what the Psalmist adds regarding God’s having assigned the sun and moon their respective parts, making the one to rule the day, and the other to rule the night, by which we are not to understand that they exercise any government, but that the administrative power of God is very manifest in this distribution. The sun in illuminating the earth through the day, and the, moon and stars by night, may be said to yield a reverential homage to God.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv6, 11, 12, 16, 18, 23, 25 This was a common kind of thanksgiving, which the…
This was a common kind of thanksgiving, which the whole people used, when they had received any benefit of God, as 2 Chron. 7:6 and 20:21, meaning, that God was not only merciful to their fathers, but also continued the same to their posterity.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv5–25 Psa 136:5 To him that by wisdom made the…
Psa 136:5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.
Ver. 5. To him that by wisdom, &c.] Singulari ingenio et summa industria, yet without tool or toil. See Heb 11:10. {See Trapp on "Heb 11:10"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 8, 14, 16, 22, 25 By wisdom, to wit, by eminent and admirable wisdom,…
By wisdom, to wit, by eminent and admirable wisdom, far exceeding the capacity of all human or angelical creatures.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv10, 23 The great things God for Israel, when he first…
The great things God for Israel, when he first formed them into a people, and set up his kingdom among them, are here mentioned, as often elsewhere in the psalms, as instances both of the power of God and of the particular kindness he had for Israel. See Psa 135:8, etc. 1. He brought them out of Egypt, Psa 136:10-12. That was a mercy which endured long to them, and our redemption by Christ, which was typified by that, does indeed endure for ever, for it is an eternal redemption. Of all the plagues of Egypt, none is mentioned but the death of the first-born, because that was the conquering plague; by that God, who in all the plagues distinguished the Israelites from the Egyptians, brought them at last from among them, not by a wile, but with a strong hand and an arm stretched out to reach far and do great things. These miracles of mercy, as they proved Moses's commission to give law to Israel, so they laid Israel under lasting obligations to obey that law, Exo 20:2. 2. He forced them a way through the Red Sea, which obstructed them at their first setting out. By the power he has to control the common course of nature he divided the sea into two parts, between which he opened a path, and made Israel to pass between the parts, now that they were to enter into covenant with him; see Jer 34:18. He not only divided the sea, but gave his people courage to go through it when it was divided, which was an instance of God's power over men's hearts, as the former of his power over the waters. And, to make it a miracle of justice as well as mercy, the same Red Sea that was a lane to the Israelites was a grave to their pursuers. There he shook off Pharaoh and his host. 3. He conducted them through a vast howling wilderness (Psa 136:16); there he led them and fed them. Their camp was victualled and fortified by a constant series of miracles for forty years; though they loitered and wandered there, they were not lost. And in this the mercy of God, and the constancy of that mercy, were the more observable because they often provoked him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert. 4. He destroyed kings before them, to make room for them (Psa 136:17, Psa 136:18), not deposed and banished them, but smote and slew them, in which appeared his wrath against them, but his mercy, his never-failing mercy, to Israel. And that which magnified it was that they were great kings and famous kings, yet God subdued them as easily as if they had been the least, and weakest, and meanest, of the children of men. They were wicked kings, and then their grandeur and lustre would not secure them from the justice of God. The more great and famous they were the more did God's mercy to Israel appear in giving such kings for them. Sihon and Og are particularly mentioned, because they were the first two that were conquered on the other side Jordan, Psa 136:19, Psa 136:20. It is good to enter into the detail of God's favours and not to view them in the gross, and in each instance to observe, and own, that God's mercy endureth for ever. 5. He put them in possession of a good land, Psa 136:21, Psa 136:22. He whose the earth is, and the fulness thereof, the world and those that dwell therein, took land from one people and gave it to another, as pleased him. The iniquity of the Amorites was now full, and therefore it was taken from them. Israel was his servant, and, though they had been provoking in the wilderness, yet he intended to have some service out of them, for to them pertained the service of God. As he said to the Egyptians, Let my people go, so to the Canaanites, Let my people in, that they may serve me. In this God's mercy to them endureth for ever, because it was a figure of the heavenly Canaan, the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv5–25 To him that by wisdom made the heavens,.... In…
To him that by wisdom made the heavens,.... In such a curious manner, in such a proper and delightful situation, with such furniture, and for such uses, Pro 3:19;
for his mercy endureth for ever; which appears in the continued influences of the heaven; the dew, rain, and snow, that descend from it on the earth to water and make it fruitful, and to produce those rich and valuable blessings called the "precious things of heaven", Deu 33:13; and which are of the utmost importance for the service of man and beast: and, besides, God has of his infinite mercy, which continues, provided an inheritance in the heavens, a house eternal in the heavens, mansions of bliss and glory there, which Christ is now preparing for his saints, that they may dwell with him in them for evermore.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv22, 25 Israel - He speaks of all that people as…
Israel - He speaks of all that people as of one man, because they were united together in one body in the worship of God.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 16, 23, 25 Verse 5. By wisdom made the heavens] In the…
Verse 5. By wisdom made the heavens] In the contrivance of the celestial bodies, in their relations, connexions, influences on each other, revolutions, &c., the wisdom of God particularly appears.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv5, 7, 10, 22 Psa 136:5-6. To him that by wisdom — Namely,…
Psa 136:5-6. To him that by wisdom — Namely, by eminent and admirable wisdom, far exceeding the capacity of all creatures, whether human or angelical; made the heavens, that stretched out the earth — “The heavens above, and the earth beneath, declare the wisdom of their great Maker, and proclaim aloud, to an intelligent ear, the divinity of the hand that formed them. The heavens display the love of God to man; the earth teaches the duty of man to God. Heaven is glorious and gracious, earth verdant and fruitful. The bright and ample circumference of heaven, the variegated surface of the earth, and the profusion of good things that distinguish the seasons, contaminated as they all have been by man’s transgression, even now yield a prospect which annihilates all human grandeur. What idea, then, are we to frame of those new heavens and earth from which sin and corruption are excluded, and where righteousness hath fixed her eternal throne.” — Horne.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25 To him that by wisdom made the heavens -…
To him that by wisdom made the heavens - Made them in so wise a manner; where so much wisdom was manifested. See Pro 3:19; Pro 8:24-31.
For his mercy ... - The making of the heavens was a manifestation of mercy and goodness as furnishing an abode for unfallen and holy beings; as a dwelling-place for redeemed sinners when they shall be removed there from the earth; and as, by their order, their beauty, their harmony, and their happy influences, tending to promote the happiness of man on earth.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv6, 10, 16, 17, 23, 25 6. Stretched out the earth above the waters—Another instance…
6. Stretched out the earth above the waters—Another instance wherein external nature is described, not scientifically, but popularly, as it appears to the senses. So the scriptures speak of the sun’s rising and going down; and so philosophers themselves still speak, despite the philosophical absurdity of the expression. Psa_136:6-9 follow the record of Gen_1:8.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25 5. O give thanks unto the redeemer of Israel…
5. O give thanks unto the redeemer of Israel (Isa_49:7), for &c.
5. by wisdom] By understanding, as Pro_3:19; Jer_10:12.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 7, 10, 19, 24, 25 (5) By wisdom.—From Psa_104:24, Pro_3:19, or Jer_10:12.
(5) By wisdom.—From Psa_104:24, Pro_3:19, or Jer_10:12.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25 To him that by wisdom made the heavens. Creation…
To him that by wisdom made the heavens. Creation is the work, not only of God"s power, bat of his wisdom also. Things were made as they are by the exertion of his forethought and understanding. (comp. Pro_3:19 Eph_1:11) For his mercy, etc.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv5–25 Ver. 5. To him that by wisdom made the…
Ver. 5. To him that by wisdom made the heavens. His goodness appears in creating the upper regions. He set his wisdom to the task of fashioning a firmament, or an atmosphere suitable for a world upon which mortal men should dwell. What a mass of wisdom lies hidden in this one creating act! The discoveries of our keenest observers have never searched out all the evidences of design which are crowded together in this work of God's hands. The lives of plants, animals, and men are dependent upon the fashioning of our heavens: had the skies been other than they are we had not been here to praise God. Divine foresight planned the air and the clouds, with a view to the human race.
For his mercy endureth for ever. The Psalmist's details of mercy begin in the loftiest regions, and gradually descend from the heavens to "our low estate" (Ps 134:23); and this is an ascent, for mercy becomes greater as its objects become less worthy. Mercy is far reaching, long enduring, all encompassing. Nothing is too high for its reach, as nothing is beneath its stoop.
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High as heaven his wisdom reigns,
Mercy on the throne remains.
Ver. 5. To him that by wisdom made the heavens. We find that God has built the heavens in wisdom, to declare his glory, and to show forth his handiwork. There are no iron tracks, with bars and bolts, to hold the planets in their orbits. Freely in space they move, ever changing, but never changed; poised and balancing; swaying and swayed; disturbing and disturbed, onward they fly, fulfilling with unerring certainty their mighty cycles. The entire system forms one grand complicated piece of celestial machinery; circle within circle, wheel within wheel, cycle within cycle; revolutions go swift as to be completed in a few hours; movements so slow, that their mighty periods are only counted by millions of years. From "The Orbs of Heaven", 1859.
Ver. 5. To him that by wisdom made the heavens. Not only the firmament, but the third heavens, too, where all is felicity, where is the throne of glory. Then, I infer, that if the mercy which visits earth is from the same Jehovah who built that heaven and filled it with glory, there must be in his mercy something of the same "understanding" or "wisdom." It is wise, prudent mercy; not rashly given forth; and it is the mercy of him whose love has filled that heaven with bliss. The same architect, the same skill, the same love! Andrew A. Bonar.
Psalms 136:6*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv17, 23 To Him which smote great kings.
Psa_136:17-22
To Him which smote great kings.
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Mercy in the destruction of tyrants
I. The mercy of God recognized in the destruction of tyrants.
1. It appears in their own destruction.
(1) If there be no future state it puts an end to their miseries.
(2) If there be, as we believe there is, a state of future punishment, the sooner the incorrigible sinner dies the better for himself; the longer he lives the more guilt he contracts, and the greater his guilt the greater his agonies in a world of retribution.
2. It appears in the relief afforded to the race. When such demons in human flesh are cut down, the world breathes freer, obstacles are swept from its path of progress; when the Pharaohs are engulfed the human Israel can march forward to promised lands.
II. The praises of God celebrated on account of the perpetuity of His mercy.
1. Because Divine mercy will always work for good. Therefore, the longer it continues, the better.
2. Because the future ages of the world will require mercy. There will be much for mercy to do on this planet yet, before the race will be brought hack into harmony with God.
3. Because we ourselves shall ever be dependent on mercy. (Homilist.)
Sihon and Og, or mercies in detail
These six verses reiterate the same fact. Is the tautology tedious; do the chimes weary you with their monotony? For my part I like a repetition in the tune of a psalm as well as in its language. No doubt one verse instead of these six might have sufficed. It might have run thus, Who slew famous kings, Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, and gave their land for a heritage to His people, for His mercy endureth for ever. That would have comprehended all the sense. But by this repetition we learn that it is well to dwell long and to dwell deliberately upon some of Gods dealings with Us. This is the theme on which I want to thread a few reflections. And--
I. It is well to deliberate long over the merciful side of Gods judgments. We might have thought it more natural if we had read, for His justice, or, for His vengeance endureth for ever. But though terrible for these tyrants, it was a great mercy for others. When tyrants die nations have time to breathe. When lions fall, or the wolves are slain, the deer and sheep have time to rest. Not mercy to the one man, perhaps, to Nero, Caligula, Tiberius or the like, but to the millions who groaned under his abominable rule. And so of huge systems of error and superstition which have oppressed men. They have passed away, and others shall, for His mercy endureth for ever.
II. Each mercy deserves to be remembered. See with what special point and emphasis each instance is put. They are thus given--
1. Because each mercy we have received is undeserved. In the very chapter which tells of these victories of Israel their murmurings and the fiery serpents that chastised them are told of also. It was to these people God gave these repeated victories.
2. Not one could be dispensed with. Had the Lord stopped when Sihon was slain, what would have become of Israel?
3. There was a peculiarity about each mercy. You never had two mercies from God that were quite alike.
4. But if any mercy deserves to be particularly remembered, it is early mercy. The children of Israel had not got their hands into fighting yet. They were young recruits. And so with ourselves, how we ought to remember Gods mercy to us in the beginning of our career.
III. Each mercy does really in itself deserve separate contemplation. How we dwell in detail and fulness on our troubles. Should we not do so also with our mercies? When I have got some trouble of my own, I think I generally find myself turning it inside out and showing every bit of it--every point of it--upside down, the wrong way up, the right way up, and all ways. Ought I not to do the same with my mercies?
IV. Continued benefits are a special proof of enduring mercy. For God to give one mercy might not prove that His mercy endureth for ever, but when no sooner is one given than another follows, and another follows that, the unbroken succession of wave upon wave in ceaseless regularity does show that His mercy endureth for ever. And is not this what so many of us have to tell of?
V. The overruling of trials is a subject to dwell upon with delight. Israel did not expect to have the territory of Sihon and Og. Their land was on the other side Jordan, but since they attacked them as unexpected foes, they got out of them unexpected territory. Unexpected trials often issue in unexpected advantages.
VI. That all this should be for the same persons further shows that His mercy, etc. For whom does Sihon, does Og, fall but for Israel? All is for them, undeserving, evil, full of provocation as they were. Is there one of us who might not justly be in hell before the clock ticks again, if it were not that His mercy endureth for ever? Do any say, My sins are strong, how can I master them? Cannot He who slew great kings, yea, famous kings, cannot He slay them? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v24 (See Scofield "Isa 59:20"). See Scofield "Exo 14:30".
redeemed
(See Scofield "Isa 59:20"). See Scofield "Exo 14:30".
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv6, 8, 10, 13, 16, 18, 21, 24 spread out the earth above the waters
spread out the earth above the waters
The ancient Israelites thought that the earth's dry land was on top of the sea. AT: "placed the earth over the waters"
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for his covenant faithfulness endures forever
The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be translated with an adjective. See how you translated this in Psalms 136:1. AT: "because he remains faithful to his covenant forever" (See: Abstract Nouns)
great lights
This is a reference to the sources of light for the earth, especially the sun and the moon. AT: "the sun and the moon and the stars"
translationWords
earth
water
light
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv10, 23, 25 136:10-22 The psalmist recounts the early history of Israel’s…
136:10-22 The psalmist recounts the early history of Israel’s redemption.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.