Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 145 (MT) / Psalm 144 (LXX) is the Davidic ACROSTIC PRAISE-PSALM — the only psalm whose superscription titles it a tehillah ('praise') — and the name-source for the entire Psalter: SEFER TEHILLIM ('Book of Praises'). Jewish tradition recites this psalm three-times-daily (Berakhot 4b: 'whoever recites tehillah le-David three times a day is assured a share in the world to come'). The MT preserves only 21 acrostic-letters (missing the nun-verse) — the LXX and Dead Sea Scrolls (11QPsᵃ) preserve the full-22-letter acrostic with a restored-nun verse that most modern English translations include.
Notable Variants
145:13 'your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom' → Daniel 4:3 echo; the LXX-preserved nun-verse (restored in English as v. 13b: 'the LORD is faithful in all his words') — absent from MT but confirmed by DSS; 145:18 'the LORD is near to all who call on him' → divine-availability theology.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 145 = LXX Ps 144. 21 verses (MT, missing nun) / 22 verses (LXX + DSS, with nun-verse restored). Alphabetic acrostic. THE 'tehillah' that named the Psalter.
A praise of David. I will exalt you, my God, the King, and I will bless your name forever and always.
'A Song of Praise. Of David. I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever' tracks MT. ALEPH. Superscription 'A PRAISE OF DAVID' (TEHILLAH LE-DAVID) — the only psalm with this designation, and the source of the Psalter's Hebrew title SEFER TEHILLIM.
Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and always.
BETH. 'Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever' tracks MT.
Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond searching out.
GIMEL. 'Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable' tracks MT.
One generation will commend your works to the next, and they will declare your mighty acts.
DALETH. 'One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts' tracks MT. INTER-GENERATIONAL praise-transmission.
The splendor of your glorious majesty and the accounts of your wonders — I will meditate on them.
HE. 'On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate' tracks MT.
They will speak of the power of your awe-inspiring deeds, and I will recount your greatness.
WAW. 'They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness' tracks MT.
They will pour out the memory of your abundant goodness and will sing aloud of your righteousness.
ZAYIN. 'They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness' tracks MT.
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love.
HETH. 'The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love' tracks MT. EXODUS 34:6 CITATION — the fifth Psalter-occurrence of this divine-character-formula.
The LORD is good to all, and his compassion extends over everything he has made.
TETH. 'The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made' tracks MT. GOOD-TO-ALL universal-goodness.
All your works will give thanks to you, LORD, and your faithful ones will bless you.
YOD. 'All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!' tracks MT.
They will speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,
KAPH. 'They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power' tracks MT.
making known to all people his mighty acts and the glorious splendor of his kingdom.
LAMEDH. 'To make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom' tracks MT.
Your kingdom is a kingdom of all ages, and your dominion endures through every generation.
Masoretic (WLC)
מַלְכוּתְךָ מַלְכוּת כָּל־עֹלָמִים וּמֶמְשַׁלְתְּךָ בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations
Septuagint (LXX)
ἡ βασιλεία σου βασιλεία πάντων τῶν αἰώνων καὶ ἡ δεσποτεία σου ἐν πάσῃ γενεᾷ καὶ γενεᾷ πιστὸς κύριος ἐν τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅσιος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ
Your kingdom is a kingdom of all the ages, and your dominion endures through every generation. The Lord is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works
MEM. 'Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom' — Daniel 4:3's 'his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom' echoes. Revelation 11:15 ('the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever') extends.
THE NUN-VERSE RESTORATION. The LXX preserves a NUN-verse ('Faithful is the Lord in all his words, and holy in all his works' — pistos kyrios en tois logois autou kai hosios en pasi tois ergois autou) that is ABSENT from the standard MT. The Dead Sea Scrolls' 11QPsᵃ scroll confirms a Hebrew-original (ne'eman YHWH bekhol-devarav) — showing the nun-verse existed in Hebrew and dropped-out in the MT transmission. Modern English translations (ESV, NRSV, NIV) restore this verse as v. 13b based on the LXX and DSS testimony.
THE ACROSTIC NEED. The acrostic-structure REQUIRES a nun-letter verse (since nun comes between mem and samekh in the Hebrew alphabet). The MT's missing-letter is clearly a scribal-omission. The LXX-preserved reading is almost-certainly original.
The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
SAMEKH. 'The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down' tracks MT. UPHOLDS-THE-FALLING theology.
The eyes of all look to you with hope, and you give them their food at the right time.
AYIN. 'The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season' tracks MT. EYES-OF-ALL-LOOK-TO-YOU. Traditional Jewish grace-before-meals (Birkat ha-mazon) uses this verse. Matthew 6:26 ('your heavenly Father feeds them') extends.
You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
PE. 'You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing' tracks MT. YOU-OPEN-YOUR-HAND feeding-theology. // Ps 104:28.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his works.
TSADHE. 'The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works' tracks MT.
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
QOPH. 'The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth' tracks MT. NEAR-TO-ALL-WHO-CALL-ON-HIM. Acts 17:27 ('he is actually not far from each one of us') extends. Romans 10:12 ('the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who CALL ON HIM,' pantas tous epikaloumenous auton) echoes directly.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him. He hears their cry and saves them.
RESH. 'He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them' tracks MT.
The LORD guards all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
SHIN. 'The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy' tracks MT.
My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and always.
TAW. 'My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever' tracks MT. ALL-FLESH-BLESS closure. The acrostic complete; the Psalter approaches its doxological climax.