Psalm 138: Before the Gods I Will Sing

"I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul."

"All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth… Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me… The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands."

Toward the temple

"I will worship toward thy holy temple" may mean in the temple or facing it from a distance, as Daniel prayed toward Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10; 1 Kings 8:29–30). Psalms 138–145 form the last Davidic collection in the Psalter.

"Before the gods"

138:1 Hebrew neged elohim, "before the gods," may mean before the divine council, before the gods of the nations (in defiance), or before rulers or judges. The library's Greek and Latin read "before the angels" (Vulgate "in conspectu angelorum psallam tibi"; compare Psalm 97:7). Verse 2's "magnified thy word above all thy name" is difficult; some translate "magnified your name and your word above all." The heading is "of David" (Vulgate "Ipsi David").

Later use

No New Testament writer quotes Psalm 138. "Before the angels I will sing to you" (from the Greek) shaped the Christian idea that worship on earth joins the worship of angels.