Praise the LORD, My Soul
Psalm 146 summary: what it means
Psalm 146 opens and closes with Praise the LORD. In between, the writer vows to praise God for as long as he lives, then warns against putting trust in princes. The reason is plain: a human ruler dies, returns to the earth, and on that day his plans perish. By contrast, the person whose help is the God of Jacob is called happy, because this God made heaven, earth and sea and keeps truth forever.
The second half is a list of what the LORD does. He brings justice to the oppressed, food to the hungry, freedom to prisoners and sight to the blind, and he lifts up those bowed down. He protects foreigners, the fatherless and the widow, and overturns the way of the wicked. The psalm ends with the LORD reigning forever as Zion's God.
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Psalm 146: Praise the LORD, My Soul
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-146
Psalm 146 commentary: explained verse by verse
Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, my soul.
Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
The psalm opens with Praise the LORD, then turns the command inward: praise the LORD, my soul. The writer addresses himself first.
Also read Psalm 104:35, Psalm 105:45, Psalm 103:1, Psalm 103:22-1
While I live, I will praise the LORD.I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
The promise covers a whole life. The writer will praise the LORD while he lives and sing praises to God as long as he exists.
Also read Psalm 71:14-15, Psalm 63:4, Psalm 145:1-2, Psalm 104:33
Don’t put your trust in princes,in a son of man in whom there is no help.
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
The warning is not to put trust in princes or in any son of man, because there is no help in them. The verse sets human power against God's help.
Also read Psalm 60:11, Isaiah 2:22, Psalm 118:8-9, Jeremiah 17:5-6
His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth.In that very day, his thoughts perish.
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Here is the reason. A ruler's spirit departs, he returns to the earth, and on that very day his thoughts perish.
Also read Job 17:11, Job 14:21, Daniel 5:23, Job 27:3
Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,whose hope is in the LORD, his God,
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
The contrast is stated as happiness. Happy is the person whose help is the God of Jacob and whose hope is in the LORD his God.
Also read Exodus 3:6, Deuteronomy 33:29, Psalm 84:12, Psalm 144:15
who made heaven and earth,the sea, and all that is in them;who keeps truth forever;
Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
God is described as maker of heaven, earth, sea and everything in them. He also keeps truth forever, unlike the princes whose plans die with them.
Also read John 1:3, Jeremiah 10:11-12, Psalm 100:5, Acts 14:15
who executes justice for the oppressed;who gives food to the hungry.The LORD frees the prisoners.
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
The list of God's actions begins. He brings justice to the oppressed, gives food to the hungry and frees the prisoners.
Also read Proverbs 23:10-11, Psalm 72:4, Psalm 9:16, Psalm 136:25
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.The LORD raises up those who are bowed down.The LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
Three more actions follow, each beginning with the LORD. He opens the eyes of the blind, raises up those who are bowed down and loves the righteous.
Also read Ephesians 1:18, Deuteronomy 33:3, Isaiah 42:18, Psalm 11:7
The LORD preserves the foreigners.He upholds the fatherless and widow,but he turns the way of the wicked upside down.
The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
God protects people with no one else to protect them: foreigners, the fatherless and the widow. In the same verse he turns the way of the wicked upside down.
Also read James 1:27, 1 Corinthians 3:19, Exodus 22:21-22, 2 Samuel 17:23
The LORD will reign forever;your God, O Zion, to all generations.Praise the LORD!
The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.
The psalm ends with a statement of lasting rule. The LORD will reign forever, the God of Zion to all generations, and the psalm closes as it began, with Praise the LORD.
Also read Joel 3:17, Exodus 15:18, Isaiah 52:7, Daniel 7:14
A prayer from Psalm 146
LORD, I will praise you while I live. I will sing praises to you as long as I exist. Keep me from putting my trust in princes, in people in whom there is no help, whose thoughts perish when their spirit departs. Let my help be in you, the God of Jacob, who made heaven and earth and the sea. You keep truth forever. You execute justice for the oppressed, give food to the hungry and free the prisoners. You open the eyes of the blind and raise up those who are bowed down. You preserve the foreigner and uphold the fatherless and the widow. You will reign forever. Amen.
Psalm 146 Bible study questions
- In verses 3 and 4, why does the psalm say not to put trust in princes?
- In verses 7 to 9, which groups of people does the psalm say the LORD helps?
- Verse 2 says I will praise the LORD while I live. What would it mean for praise to last a whole lifetime?
- The psalm names the oppressed, the hungry, prisoners, foreigners, the fatherless and widows. Which of these groups are near you, and how might this psalm shape the way you see them?
- Psalm 118:9 says it is better to take refuge in the LORD than in princes. How does it compare with Psalm 146:3?
Questions about Psalm 146
What is the meaning of Psalm 146?
It is a psalm of praise that warns against trusting human rulers, who die, and describes the LORD as a helper who made everything, keeps truth forever and cares for the oppressed, the hungry, the blind and the vulnerable.
Who wrote Psalm 146?
The psalm has no heading, and the text does not name an author.
What does Psalm 146:3 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help."
What does Psalm 146:5 mean?
It calls happy the person whose help is the God of Jacob and whose hope is in the LORD. It is the psalm's answer to the warning against trusting princes.
What does Psalm 146:8 mean?
It lists three things the LORD does: he opens the eyes of the blind, raises up those who are bowed down, and loves the righteous.
What are Psalms 146 to 150?
They are the last five psalms in the book, and in the World English Bible each one begins and ends with Praise the LORD. This site groups them as the hallelujah psalms.
Psalm 146 KJV: the King James Version
Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.1
While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.2
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.3
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.4
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:5
Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:6
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:7
The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:8
The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.9
The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.10
Psalm 146 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 הַֽלְלוּ־יָ֡הּ הַלְלִ֥י נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃
2 אֲהַלְלָ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה בְּחַיָּ֑י אֲזַמְּרָ֖ה לֵֽאלֹהַ֣י בְּעוֹדִֽי׃
3 אַל־תִּבְטְח֥וּ בִנְדִיבִ֑ים בְּבֶן־אָדָ֓ם ׀ שֶׁ֤אֵֽין ל֥וֹ תְשׁוּעָֽה׃
4 תֵּצֵ֣א ר֭וּחוֹ יָשֻׁ֣ב לְאַדְמָת֑וֹ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַ֝ה֗וּא אָבְד֥וּ עֶשְׁתֹּנֹתָֽיו׃
5 אַשְׁרֵ֗י שֶׁ֤אֵ֣ל יַעֲקֹ֣ב בְּעֶזְר֑וֹ שִׂ֝בְר֗וֹ עַל־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽיו׃
6 עֹשֶׂ֤ה ׀ שָׁ֘מַ֤יִם וָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הַיָּ֥ם וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֑ם הַשֹּׁמֵ֖ר אֱמֶ֣ת לְעוֹלָֽם׃
7 עֹשֶׂ֤ה מִשְׁפָּ֨ט ׀ לָעֲשׁוּקִ֗ים נֹתֵ֣ן לֶ֭חֶם לָרְעֵבִ֑ים יְ֝הוָ֗ה מַתִּ֥יר אֲסוּרִֽים׃
8 יְהוָ֤ה ׀ פֹּ֘קֵ֤חַ עִוְרִ֗ים יְ֭הוָה זֹקֵ֣ף כְּפוּפִ֑ים יְ֝הוָ֗ה אֹהֵ֥ב צַדִּיקִֽים׃
9 יְהוָ֤ה ׀ שֹׁ֘מֵ֤ר אֶת־גֵּרִ֗ים יָת֣וֹם וְאַלְמָנָ֣ה יְעוֹדֵ֑ד וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים יְעַוֵּֽת׃
10 יִמְלֹ֤ךְ יְהוָ֨ה ׀ לְעוֹלָ֗ם אֱלֹהַ֣יִךְ צִ֭יּוֹן לְדֹ֥ר וָדֹ֗ר הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃
Psalm 146 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 145 there.
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1 Alleluia, of Aggeus and Zacharias.
2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, in my life I will praise the Lord: I will sing to my God as long as I shall be. Put not your trust in princes:
3 In the children of men, in whom there is no salvation.
4 His spirit shall go forth, and he shall return into his earth: in that day all their thoughts shall perish.
5 Blessed is he who hath the God of Jacob for his helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.
7 Who keepeth truth for ever: who executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong: who giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth them that are fettered:
8 The Lord enlighteneth the blind. The Lord lifteth up them that are cast down: the Lord loveth the just.
9 The Lord keepeth the strangers, he will support the fatherless and the widow: and the ways of sinners he will destroy.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever: thy God, O Sion, unto generation and generation.
Psalm 146 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 145.
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1 Alleluja, Aggæi et Zachariæ.
2 Lauda, anima mea, Dominum. Laudabo Dominum in vita mea; psallam Deo meo quamdiu fuero. Nolite confidere in principibus,
3 in filiis hominum, in quibus non est salus.
4 Exibit spiritus ejus, et revertetur in terram suam; in illa die peribunt omnes cogitationes eorum.
5 Beatus cujus Deus Jacob adjutor ejus, spes ejus in Domino Deo ipsius:
6 qui fecit cælum et terram, mare, et omnia quæ in eis sunt.
7 Qui custodit veritatem in sæculum; facit judicium injuriam patientibus; dat escam esurientibus. Dominus solvit compeditos;
8 Dominus illuminat cæcos. Dominus erigit elisos; Dominus diligit justos.
9 Dominus custodit advenas, pupillum et viduam suscipiet, et vias peccatorum disperdet.
10 Regnabit Dominus in sæcula; Deus tuus, Sion, in generationem et generationem.
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Psalm 146 at a glance
| Verses | 10 |
| Heading in the text | No heading |
| Attributed to | The psalm has no heading, and the text does not name its author. |
| Type | Hallelujah and Praise |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 145 |
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Psalm 146 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 146 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 146 belongs
Hallelujah psalmsBook 5 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source