Psalm 145: 1-2, 8-11, 13-14

The responsorial psalm this week is a hymn of praise of the greatness of God. Interestingly, the full psalm is in acrostic form, meaning that every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

The five psalms that precede this one (Psalms 140-144) are all petitionary prayers; this psalm and the five that follow it (the last six psalms in the Book of Psalms) are all hymns of praise.

I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. 

The prayer begins with promises to praise the Lord, which the psalmist vows to do every day.

“Devotion to praise is a mark of the truly filial heart. He who praises the Lord every day will praise him for the eternal Day” (Saint John Chrysostom, Expositio in Psalmos, 144, 2).

Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.

The psalmist employs vivid verbs to express his deep devotion. “Bless” (bārak) is a physical act of humble submission and acknowledgment of the greatness and authority of God; for example, going down on one knee.

“Praise” (hālal) is an invitation to heartfelt worship and adoration of God. It signifies a genuine expression of reverence and awe, acknowledging God’s greatness and worthiness.

Note that it is the name of God that is to be praised, which is a common theme in hymns of worship. By extolling God’s name, the psalmist demonstrates both reverence and adoration, honoring the divine name with the utmost respect and offering words of praise.

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.

Technical covenant language abounds here. God is described as gracious (hannûn), compassionate (rahûm), and filled with lovingkindness (hesed).

This correlates with how God described himself at his revelation to Moses in Exodus 34:6.

The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.

Importantly, this divine goodness is not reserved for Israel alone but is extended to all God’s works. This encompasses all of God’s creations and achievements, encompassing everything he has made and accomplished, everything he has shaped and brought into being.

The covenant has been expanded to a universal embrace.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

Just as the covenant embrace is universal, so is the call for praise.

and let your faithful ones bless you.

The “faithful ones” are those who are holy (hāsîd); they are devoted and loyal to the Lord. They remain faithful to their covenant relationship with God and strive to live in accordance with his will.

Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom

The word used here for glory (kābôd) means “heavy” or “weighty,” signifying the greatness, majesty, and significance of God.

The idea that gods ruled as kings was quite common in the ancient world, so to characterize the God of Israel in this way was not unusual. What sets Yahweh apart is that his reign is not only glorious but also universal and eternal.

and speak of your might.

Israel’s God has performed marvelous deeds on behalf of the people: he delivered them from bondage in Egypt, provided for them in the wilderness, established them as a people, and promised them a secure and prosperous future.

In this light, the faithful ones are called not only to praise God but also to announce his glory to the entire human race, ensuring that all will know of his mighty deeds.

The LORD is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The LORD lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

The passage ends by praising God’s compassion, particularly toward those who are heavily burdened. Not only does he not despise or reject them, he draws them the closest to himself, providing support and strength.

In light of these remarkable qualities of God, it is not sufficient to simply enjoy the privilege of belonging to God’s kingdom. The faithful ones are called not only to praise God but also to announce his glory to all humanity so that every descendant of Adam will know of his mighty deeds.