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Psalm 135 Bible study: Above all gods
In Psalm 135 the LORD brings the wind out of his treasuries (135:7), and the idols have no breath in their mouths (135:17): in Hebrew wind and breath are one word, ruach, the pair Jeremiah has too. And the four calls to "praise the LORD" near its end are, in Hebrew, calls to bless him (135:19-20).
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“Your name, LORD, endures forever; your renown, LORD, throughout all generations.”
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“Psalm 135 speaks to Egypt: "He sent signs and wonders into the middle of you, Egypt".”
Is that in Psalm 135, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Two Hebrew verbs for praise
In the WEB, Praise is the psalm's first word, and "Praise the LORD!" are its last words (135:1, 135:21). Near the end it calls four houses: "House of Israel, praise the LORD! House of Aaron, praise the LORD!" (135:19), and "House of Levi, praise the LORD! You who fear the LORD, praise the LORD!" (135:20). Here is what almost everyone misses: in Hebrew these are two different verbs. The psalm opens and closes with halal (135:1, 135:3, 135:21) (tap Praise). The four calls at the end are barakh, bless (tap praise in 135:19-20), and so is the line before the psalm's last words: "Blessed be the LORD from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem" (135:21). In Hebrew the psalm has each verb five times. Psalm 134's notes follow barakh, which goes both ways there: people bless the LORD, and the LORD blesses (Psalm 134:1-3).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 135
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 135 is waiting in Favor
- "For I know"
- Chosen for himself
- The wind, and no breath
- Beside Psalm 115, again
- Lines that are in other books too
- Where the rest of the Bible tells it
- 11 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
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The Hebrew word behind it
רוּחַruachsay ROO-akh
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "breath, wind, spirit". Strong's: "wind; by resemblance breath". The psalm has it twice. Of the LORD: "He brings the wind out of his treasuries" (135:7). Of the idols: "neither is there any breath in their mouths" (135:17). Jeremiah has the same two lines, in the same order, twice (Jeremiah 10:13-14, 51:16-17). And Habakkuk has, of an idol, "Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all within it" (Habakkuk 2:19), with the same word.
For your group
Psalm 135 Bible study questions
- 1"For I know that the LORD is great" (135:5). What do you know about God because of something you have seen him do?
- 2The LORD "brings the wind out of his treasuries" (135:7), and the idols have no "breath in their mouths" (135:17). What looks impressive in your life but has no breath in it?
- 3"Your name, LORD, endures forever; your renown, LORD, throughout all generations" (135:13). What of what God has done would you most want the next generation to know?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 135 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 135 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
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No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home