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Psalm 135

Psalm 135 grounds Israel’s praise in YHWH’s sovereign acts and enduring care, contrasting him with helpless human-made idols.

Servants standing in YHWH’s house are called to praise his name. The unnamed psalmist grounds that praise in God’s goodness and his choice of Israel, then recounts his rule over creation and his acts against Egypt and Canaan’s kings. The land given to Israel stands as evidence of his care for his people. Against this living, acting God, the psalm sets breathless idols made by human hands. It closes with calls to praise from Zion.

praise and worshipgratitudesermon or Bible study notes
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1Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD’s name! Praise him, you servants of the LORD,
2you who stand in the LORD’s house, in the courts of our God’s house.
3Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good. Sing praises to his name, for that is pleasant.
4For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own possession.
5For I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is above all gods.
6Whatever the LORD pleased, that he has done, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
7He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings with the rain. He brings the wind out of his treasuries.
8He struck the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and animal.
9He sent signs and wonders into the middle of you, Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his servants.
10He struck many nations, and killed mighty kings—
11Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
12and gave their land for a heritage, a heritage to Israel, his people.
13Your name, LORD, endures forever; your renown, LORD, throughout all generations.
14For the LORD will judge his people and have compassion on his servants.
15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
16They have mouths, but they can’t speak. They have eyes, but they can’t see.
18Those who make them will be like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them.
19House of Israel, praise the LORD! House of Aaron, praise the LORD!
21Blessed be the LORD from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected. Tap a number for its page.
Key verses
Psalm 135:4God’s choice of Israel establishes the bond behind the praise and the history of deliverance that follows.
Psalm 135:6This sweeping claim of God’s freedom and rule frames both the weather and the overthrow of kings.
Psalm 135:16The idols’ useless mouths and eyes expose the gulf between human craftsmanship and the God who acts for Israel.
Where this chapter reaches

Exodus shares the events of judgment on Egypt, while Deuteronomy recounts the defeat of Sihon and Og and describes Israel as God’s chosen possession. Isaiah and Jeremiah share the psalm’s contrast between the living God and idols fashioned by human hands.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which reason for praise in this psalm holds your attention, and why?

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How does the warning about becoming like idols shape your thoughts about what you trust?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 135

Who wrote Psalm 135?

Psalm 135 names no author. Its opening addresses servants standing in YHWH’s house, and its closing names Israel, Aaron, Levi, and those who fear YHWH. These details place its language within Israel’s gathered worship at Jerusalem, but they do not establish a date or identify its writer.

What does Psalm 135 mean by saying idol worshipers become like idols?

Verses 15–18 describe idols as human-made objects without speech, sight, hearing, or breath. The warning extends to their makers and everyone who trusts them: they share the helplessness of what they worship. The psalm contrasts this futile trust with praise of YHWH, whose actions fill the preceding verses.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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What the Bible says about worship →What the Bible says about gratitude →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).