The big picture
Psalm 135 begins among servants standing in the temple courts and quickly widens to a God who acts throughout heaven, earth, seas, weather, nations, and history. The Book of Psalms holds particular election and universal rule together: Jacob is chosen as a treasured possession, yet the LORD does whatever pleases him in every realm. Egypt, Sihon, Og, and Canaan become remembered examples of effective divine action, while the LORD’s own name endures beyond the rulers he defeats. The contrast with idols is then almost physical. Silver and gold can give them value, and mouths, eyes, and ears can give them appearance, but there is no speech, sight, hearing, or breath. Their makers and trusters are drawn into that incapacity. The chapter closes back in Zion with living voices from Israel, Aaron, Levi, and all who fear the LORD. The place of praise is local; the rule being praised is not.
Central truth
Psalm 135 summons every layer of Israel’s worshiping community to praise the Lord whose rule spans creation and history, then exposes idols as breathless human work that makes their trusters like them.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
Psalms 135:1: “Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.”
Slow down at the turning point
Psalms 135:11: “Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:”
Keep this word trail visible
LORD, house, Praise, bless, Israel, name
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
Psalms 135:1-4
Praise in the house
Begin in the temple: servants of the Lord standing in his house and courts, called to praise his name. Give the reasons of verses 3-4: the Lord is good, his name is pleasant, and he has chosen Jacob as his peculiar treasure. Explain peculiar treasure as a special possession, the phrase of Exodus 19:5. Teach this first so the class sees that the psalm starts with God's choice of his people before it reviews his power.
Psalms 135:5-7
Whatever he pleased
Now his greatness: “For I know that the LORD is great”. Explain that the psalmist states a conviction, not a guess. God does whatever he pleases in heaven, earth, seas and depths, and the weather is his: vapours rising from the ends of the earth, lightning with the rain, wind brought out of his treasuries. Point out that these were the domains of the storm gods of Canaan, so the verse is a quiet challenge. Teach this here because the living, acting God is everything the idols of verses 15-18 are not.
Psalms 135:8-12
From Egypt to the land
Then the history. God struck Egypt's firstborn, sent signs and wonders on Pharaoh, struck great nations and killed mighty kings, Sihon, Og and the kings of Canaan, and gave their land as a heritage. Explain Sihon and Og from Numbers 21. Handle the violence honestly: the psalm praises God's judgment on hostile rulers and his gift of the promised land within the history of that time, not as a model for any modern conflict. Teach the names so they become history rather than speed bumps.
Psalms 135:13-14
His name endures; he will judge
Two verses join history to hope. God's name endures for ever, and his memorial through all generations. Then verse 14: the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants. Explain judge here as vindicate, and repent himself as relent or have compassion, not repent of wrongdoing. Compare Deuteronomy 32:36, which says almost the same. Teach this as the reason God's people can trust him for the future as he acted in the past.
Psalms 135:15-21
Breathless idols and a growing choir
Now the contrast: idols of silver and gold, with mouths, eyes and ears that do nothing, and no breath. Read Psalm 115:4-8 alongside. Then the warning that those who trust them become like them. End with the choir: the house of Israel, the house of Aaron, the house of Levi and all who fear the Lord, each called to bless him, and blessing rising out of Zion. Close by asking which row each person in the room belongs to, and lead the final hallelujah.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
“The Lord will repent means God admits he was wrong.”
In 135:14, “he will repent himself concerning his servants” means he will relent and show compassion toward them, as Deuteronomy 32:36 says in nearly the same words. It describes God's mercy toward his people in their need, not any fault in God. Explain the older English plainly so that the verse is heard as the comfort it is.
“Verses 10-12 mean God approves of conquering other nations.”
The psalm praises God for judging Sihon and Og, who came out to fight Israel (Numbers 21:23, 33), and for giving the land he had promised. This belongs to a particular moment in the history Scripture records, which it presents as God's judgment. It is not a pattern for nations today and must never be mapped onto modern wars or claims. Teach it with care and without triumph.
“Idols are only ancient statues.”
135:15 calls idols “the work of men’s hands”. Anything we make and trust in place of God fits that description: money, success, image, power. 135:18 says those who trust such things become like them, unable to see or hear what matters most. Ask the group gently what has a mouth but no breath in their own world.
“Above all gods means other gods are real rivals.”
135:5 says “our Lord is above all gods”, and 135:15-17 shows what those gods are: silver and gold with no breath in them. The psalm uses the language of its world to say that nothing anyone worships can compare with the Lord. It does not grant other gods any power; it exposes them.
Learning objectives
- Trace the repeated commands to praise and bless the Lord.
- Identify the psalm’s reasons for praise from creation, exodus, conquest, and covenant choice.
- Explain the contrast between the living Lord and manufactured idols.
- Interpret the warning that idol-makers become like their idols.
- Clarify the KJV phrase about the Lord repenting concerning his servants.
- Identify the households summoned to bless the Lord at the close.
Teacher preparation
- Mark the psalm’s large movements: summons in verses 1–4, divine power in 5–14, idols in 15–18, and renewed summons in 19–21.
- Prepare 'repent himself concerning his servants' in verse 14 as relenting or showing compassion, not repentance from moral wrongdoing.
- Review Sihon and Og in Numbers 21 so their names do not become two unexplained speed bumps in verses 10–12.
- Compare verses 15–18 with Psalm 115:4–8, where the same mouth-eyes-ears contrast appears.
- Notice the widening closing call: house of Israel, Aaron, Levi, and all who fear the Lord. The choir keeps adding rows.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
Verses 5–7 explicitly present the Lord as great, above all gods, acting according to his pleasure in heaven, earth, seas, weather, and deep places.
Scripture-supported
Verses 8–12 explicitly rehearse Egypt, Pharaoh, Sihon, Og, Canaan, and the gift of land as an inheritance to Israel.
Strong inference
Verses 15–18 strongly argue that idols are powerless because their mouths, eyes, ears, and breath do not function, and those who make and trust them become like them.
Possible or traditional reading
Some readers take 'all gods' in verse 5 as language about supposed deities; others discuss heavenly beings. The psalm’s own point is comparative supremacy, not a catalog of divine beings.
Limit
Psalm 135 does not retell every detail of exodus or conquest, nor does it define how verse 14’s relenting operates in every judgment text. Keep the claims at the level the psalm makes them.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. Who is summoned first in verses 1–3, and where are they standing?
What a good answer contains
“Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD. Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God” (135:1-2). The servants who stand in the temple and its courts, priests, Levites and worshipers. A good answer sees that the psalm starts in the sanctuary and with God's name. A weak answer treats the setting as incidental.
Show teacher guidance
The servants of the Lord in his house and courts are called to praise his name. The sanctuary setting is part of the opening.
2. What reasons for praise appear before Israel’s history is mentioned?
What a good answer contains
Before the exodus: the Lord is good and his name pleasant (135:3); he has chosen Jacob “for his peculiar treasure” (135:4); he is great and “above all gods” (135:5); “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places” (135:6); and he rules the vapours, lightning, rain and wind (135:7). A good answer gathers goodness, choosing, greatness, sovereignty and creation. A weak answer jumps straight to the history.
Show teacher guidance
Verses 3–7 name the Lord’s goodness, pleasant name, greatness, sovereign pleasure, and rule over creation and weather.
3. Why are Sihon and Og named in verses 10–12?
What a good answer contains
Because the psalm wants real history, not fog. “Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan: And gave their land for an heritage” (135:11-12). They were the first kings defeated east of the Jordan (Numbers 21:21-35), and Israel remembered them as proof that God gave the land. A good answer names them and their place in the account. A weak answer leaves them as unexplained names.
Show teacher guidance
They are concrete remembered kings defeated before Israel received land. Do not let 'great nations' remain abstract when the psalm supplies names.
4. What changes when the psalm reaches verses 15–18?
What a good answer contains
From the living Lord who acts to idols that cannot act: “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths” (135:15-17). A good answer sees the contrast with verse 7, where God brings the wind out of his treasuries, while the idols have no breath at all. A weak answer misses that link.
Show teacher guidance
The living Lord who acts gives way to idols that cannot speak, see, hear, or breathe. The contrast is intentionally severe.
5. What does verse 18 say happens to those who make and trust idols?
What a good answer contains
“They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them” (135:18). People become like the gods they trust, lifeless and unhearing. A good answer keeps the answer tied to the psalm's own warning about resemblance, as in Psalm 115:8. A weak answer treats it as a curse rather than a description of what misplaced trust does to a person.
Show teacher guidance
They become like the idols. Keep the answer tied to the psalm’s own warning about resemblance.
6. How does the final call in verses 19–21 widen participation?
What a good answer contains
Rows are added one by one: “Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron: Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD” (135:19-20). Then “Blessed be the LORD out of Zion” (135:21). A good answer sees the circle widen from the nation to the priests, the Levites and all who fear God, and the last word return to Zion and praise. A weak answer lists the groups without noticing the movement.
Show teacher guidance
Israel, Aaron, Levi, and all who fear the Lord are summoned in turn, ending with blessing from Zion and another call to praise.
Responsible application
Ask what the substitute can actually do
Use verses 15–18 when evaluating an object of misplaced trust: list what power people attribute to it and what it can genuinely accomplish.
Remember with names attached
Use verses 8–12 as a model for communal gratitude that names concrete acts and events instead of speaking only in vague religious generalities.
Make the choir wider
Use verses 19–20 when planning worship or teaching so that visible leaders do not become the only voices treated as capable of blessing the Lord.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
45 minutes
In the courts
Read 135:1-4 and take question one.
Great above all
Read 135:5-7 and take question two and confusion four.
Egypt to Canaan
Read 135:8-12 and take question three and confusion two.
He will repent himself
Read 135:13-14 and take confusion one.
Breathless idols
Read 135:15-18 beside Psalm 115:4-8. Take questions four and five and confusion three.
The choir, and the handout
Read 135:19-21 responsively and take question six. Give out the handout and read the key verse together.
90 minutes
Who praises
Ask who leads praise in a church and who joins in. Read the whole psalm.
Chosen
Read 135:1-4 and Exodus 19:5-6, and take question one.
Weather and gods
Read 135:5-7 and 1 Kings 18:36-39. Take question two and confusion four.
Names in history
Read 135:8-12 with Numbers 21:21-35. Take question three and confusion two.
Compassion
Read 135:13-14 and Deuteronomy 32:36, and take confusion one.
Idols and breath
Read 135:15-18 and Psalm 115:4-8. Take questions four and five and confusion three.
Bless the Lord
Read 135:19-21 responsively, with a group taking each house, and take question six.
Handout
Give out the handout and read the key verse together.
Adapting the lesson
Children
Divide the room into four groups: Israel, Aaron, Levi and those who fear the Lord. As you read 135:19-20, each group stands and says, bless the Lord. Use a toy figure to show 135:16-17: it has a mouth but cannot speak. Ask whether God can speak and hear. Keep the battles brief and simple.
Youth
Ask what makes a god worth trusting. Read 135:6-7 and 135:15-17 side by side, the God who acts and the idol with no breath. Discuss 135:18, becoming like what you trust, and what modern idols do to people. Treat the verses about conquest honestly and carefully, without glorifying war.
Adults
Adults can trace the structure, the echoes of Exodus, Deuteronomy and Psalm 115, and the meaning of 135:14. Spend time on the conquest verses with care and context. Ask which idols tempt the congregation, and how its worship can keep God's choosing and acting in view.
One to one
Ask the person where they have seen God act in their life. Read 135:6 and 135:14 and talk about his power and his compassion. If they are trusting something that is failing them, read 135:15-18 gently. Close by reading 135:3 together: the Lord is good.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
Psalms 135:1–21
The passage in brief
Psalm 135 calls everyone who serves in God's house to praise him. The Lord is good, he chose Israel as his treasure, and he is greater than all gods. He does whatever he pleases in heaven, on earth and in the sea, and he sends the rain and the wind. He rescued Israel from Egypt and gave them the land. Idols of silver and gold have mouths, eyes and ears but no breath, and those who trust them become like them. So every part of God's people is called to bless the Lord.
A verse to keep
For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
Psalms 135:5-6 · King James Version
Questions to take home
What reasons for praise does the psalm give in 135:3-7?
What can the idols not do, according to 135:15-17?
What do people trust today that has no breath?
This week
Write down three things God has done for you, and bless the Lord for each one this week.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
