"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods… To him who alone doeth great wonders… To him that by wisdom made the heavens… To him that stretched out the earth above the waters… To him that made great lights… The sun to rule by day… The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever."
"To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn… And brought out Israel from among them… With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm… To him which divided the Red sea into parts… But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea… To him which led his people through the wilderness… To him which smote great kings… Sihon king of the Amorites… And Og the king of Bashan… And gave their land for an heritage… Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever."
"Who remembered us in our low estate… And hath redeemed us from our enemies… Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever."
A responsorial litany
The half-line "ki le'olam hasdo" ("for his steadfast love is for ever") follows every line, probably sung by the congregation in answer to a leader (compare Ezra 3:11; 2 Chronicles 7:3, 6). Creation, exodus and conquest are presented as one continuous act of hesed.
Love and violence
The same refrain follows "smote Egypt in their firstborn" and "slew famous kings." The psalm celebrates God's faithfulness to Israel through the defeat of its enemies; readers today rightly notice the cost to others. The last line widens to "food to all flesh," God's care for every creature.
The Great Hallel
The Babylonian Talmud (Pesahim 118a) calls Psalm 136 "the Great Hallel," recited at the Passover Seder after the Egyptian Hallel (113–118). Every verse of the library's KJV ends with "for his mercy endureth for ever." Milton's paraphrase "Let us with a gladsome mind" (1623) is still sung.
Heading and versions
Psalm 136 has no heading. The Greek and Latin number it 135 and add "Alleluia" at its head; the library's Vulgate renders the refrain "quoniam in aeternum misericordia ejus."
What the evidence shows
- Every one of the 26 verses ends with the refrain.Source: The site's library: Westminster Leningrad Codex, KJV, Clementine Vulgate (Gallican Psalter), Giguet's French of the Greek, Douay-Rheims
- Pesahim 118a calls Psalm 136 the Great Hallel.
Continue the journey
Connected elsewhere in ScriptureThe Altar, the Foundation and Mixed TearsEzra 3:11: "Because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever."More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- "Because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever."
- The great lights.
- The same history in brief.