Psalm 136
The full text of Psalm 136 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
The Great Hallel. (No superscription in the Masoretic Text.)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Translation notes (5)
- Psalm 136:6a The verb roqa' (רֹקַע), 'spread out', describes hammering or beating flat, as with metal (compare Exodus 39:3). The image of the earth laid out upon the waters reflects the ancient conception of dry land founded above the primeval deep, stated also in Psalm 24:2, where God founds the earth 'upon the seas'.
- Psalm 136:13a Hebrew yam suph is literally 'sea of reeds', suph elsewhere denoting the reeds among which the infant Moses was hidden (Exodus 2:3). The rendering 'Red Sea' follows the Septuagint, which translated the phrase as erythra thalassa, 'red sea', a tradition carried into the King James tradition. The precise body of water intended remains debated.
- Psalm 136:17a The unnamed "great kings" are identified in verses 19 and 20 as Sihon of the Amorites and Og of Bashan, whose defeats east of the Jordan are recounted in Numbers 21. The psalm follows Psalm 135:10-11 nearly verbatim here, treating these victories as the climactic acts of the wilderness period before the gift of the land.
- Psalm 136:19a Sihon refused Israel passage through his territory and was defeated at Jahaz (Numbers 21:21-31), a victory that opened the Transjordan to Israelite settlement. His defeat, paired with that of Og in the next verse, became a fixed formula of remembered deliverance (Deuteronomy 29:7; Psalm 135:11).
- Psalm 136:20a Og ruled Bashan, the fertile plateau east of the Sea of Galilee, and was defeated with Sihon at the close of Israel's wilderness journey (Numbers 21:33-35). Deuteronomy 3:11 counts him among the last of the Rephaim, a people remembered for their great stature, noting his iron bedstead of some thirteen feet; the pairing of these two kings became a fixed formula of remembrance (Psalm 135:11).
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