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Psalm 136 Bible study: His loving kindness endures forever
Every verse of Psalm 136 ends with the same three Hebrew words, ki le'olam chasdo, "for his loving kindness endures forever" (136:1), after the lights and the food as after the sea and the kings. Its apart at the Red Sea (136:13) is a word the Hebrew Bible has only once more, for the pieces of Genesis 15:17. And it names the sun and moon that Genesis 1 never names.
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“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.”
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“Every verse of Psalm 136 ends with "for his loving kindness endures forever."”
Is that in Psalm 136, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
One answer after every line
Every verse of this psalm ends the same way: "for his loving kindness endures forever" (136:1). In the WEB the words close all twenty-six verses, and in Hebrew they are the same three words every time, ki le'olam chasdo: for, forever, his loving kindness (tap loving kindness). Psalm 100's notes show that there is no separate Hebrew word for endures (Psalm 100:5). So the first half of each verse changes, and the second half answers it with the same words: who God is (136:1-3), what he made (136:4-9), what he did for Israel (136:10-22), and what he has done for us and does for every creature (136:23-25). Psalm 118 calls three groups to say these words (Psalm 118:2-4); this psalm says them after every line. The psalm doesn't say who said which half, or how it was sung, and these notes don't either.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 136
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 136 is waiting in Favor
- Who he is, and what he made
- From Egypt to the land, a line at a time
- Then us
- Where each line is told in full
- Psalm 135 has the same kings
- The same words, sung elsewhere
- 9 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 136 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
חֶסֶדchesedsay KHE-sed
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "goodness, kindness", and of God, "kindness, lovingkindness in condescending to the needs of his creatures". Every verse of the psalm ends with it: "for his loving kindness endures forever" (136:1). In Hebrew that ending is three words each time, ki le'olam chasdo, for, forever, his loving kindness; 136:3 spells le'olam with one letter fewer, and it is the same word. Psalm 100's notes show there is no separate word for endures (Psalm 100:5). The three words, in that order, stand in 41 verses of the Hebrew Bible, and 26 of them are this psalm's; among the others is "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever" (Psalm 107:1, 118:1).
For your group
Psalm 136 Bible study questions
- 1The psalm answers every line of Israel's story with "for his loving kindness endures forever" (136:1). If you told your own story in lines like these, which line would be hardest to answer that way?
- 2"who remembered us in our low estate" (136:23). When have you been remembered by God in a low place?
- 3The psalm gives thanks for the sea and the kings, and also for the sun, the moon and food for every creature (136:8-9, 136:25). What ordinary gift do you rarely thank God for?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 136 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 136 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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The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
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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