The big picture
Psalms 145 opens in verse 1 with “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 11 with “They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;”, and closes in verse 21 with “My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD : and let all flesh bless his holy name for…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, works, bless, kingdom, praise. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 21Psalms 145:1-7
1–7: I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever…
Psalms 145:1–7 opens with “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.” and reaches “They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 145 develops its own movement around LORD, works, bless, kingdom, praise, with particular weight carried by acts, bless, declare.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.” By verse 4, the text has turned to “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” It lands on “They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 2 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as acts, bless, declare, greatness, name, praise tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Psalms 145 develops its own movement around LORD, works, bless, kingdom, praise,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Every, God, Great, One. Its number language includes one. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 4: “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: acts, bless, declare, greatness, name, praise
Verse-by-verse path
- Psalms 145:1
“I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
- Psalms 145:2
“Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
- Psalms 145:3
“Great is the LORD , and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” Naming Great keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 145:4
“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Psalms 145:5
“I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.” The line’s distinctive content terms include glorious, honour, majesty. Its relationship to verses 4 and 6 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:6
“And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Psalms 145:7
“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Psalms 145:1-7
King James Version1I 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.
Psalms 145:8-14
8–14: The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of…
Psalms 145:8–14 opens with “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” and reaches “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 145 develops its own movement around LORD, works, bless, kingdom, praise, with particular weight carried by kingdom, LORD, works.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” By verse 11, the text has turned to “They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;” It lands on “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 3 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as kingdom, LORD, works, acts, anger, bless tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Psalms 145 develops its own movement around LORD, works, bless, kingdom, praise,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include All, Thy. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 11: “They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: kingdom, LORD, works, acts, anger, bless
Verse-by-verse path
- Psalms 145:8
“The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” The line’s distinctive content terms include anger, compassion, full. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:9
“The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” The line’s distinctive content terms include good, LORD, mercies. Its relationship to verses 8 and 10 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:10
“All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD ; and thy saints shall bless thee.” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
- Psalms 145:11
“They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Psalms 145:12
“To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.” The line’s distinctive content terms include acts, glorious, kingdom. Its relationship to verses 11 and 13 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:13
“Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.” Naming Thy keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 145:14
“The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” The line’s distinctive content terms include bowed, fall, LORD. Its relationship to verses 13 shows what work it does in this passage.
Psalms 145:8-14
King James Version8The 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.
Psalms 145:15-21
15–21: The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due…
Psalms 145:15–21 opens with “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.” and reaches “My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD : and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 145 develops its own movement around LORD, works, bless, kingdom, praise, with particular weight carried by LORD, call, desire.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.” By verse 18, the text has turned to “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” It lands on “My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD : and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 stated contrast, 4 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as LORD, call, desire, holy, bless, destroy tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Psalms 145 develops its own movement around LORD, works, bless, kingdom, praise,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Thou. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 18: “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: LORD, call, desire, holy, bless, destroy
Verse-by-verse path
- Psalms 145:15
“The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.” The line’s distinctive content terms include eyes, givest, meat. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:16
“Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 145:17
“The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” The line’s distinctive content terms include holy, LORD, righteous. Its relationship to verses 16 and 18 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:18
“The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” The line’s distinctive content terms include call, LORD, nigh. Its relationship to verses 17 and 19 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:19
“He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” The line’s distinctive content terms include desire, fear, fulfil. Its relationship to verses 18 and 20 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:20
“The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.” The line’s distinctive content terms include destroy, LORD, love. Its relationship to verses 19 and 21 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 145:21
“My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD : and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Psalms 145:15-21
King James Version15The 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.
Questions to keep in mind while reading
- Follow the speaker, images, parallel lines, questions, and emotional movement.
- Notice where tension or suffering resists an easy answer.
- Read a saying as wisdom for faithful discernment, not as a mechanical promise detached from context.
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.
Questions beneath the surface
- What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Psalms 145?
- Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
- What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
- Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?
Questions for serious personal contemplation
These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.
Observe without rushing
What part of Psalms 145 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?
Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?
Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Psalms 145 develops its own movement around LORD, works, bless, kingdom, praise?
What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?
Examine your inner life honestly
Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?
What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?
Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?
If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?
Respond with wisdom and courage
What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?
How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?
What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?
What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?