Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 135:20

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 135-136 God’s choice of Israel

Two hymns for use in Israel’s public worship appear here side by side. The first is a hymn of praise, the second a hymn of thanksgiving. The two hymns are similar in that they both recall God’s loving acts in nature and on behalf of his people Israel. These acts display God’s incomparable greatness on the one hand and show up the uselessness of the gods of the heathen on the other.
A call goes out to the worshippers gathered in the temple to praise God because he has chosen the nation Israel to be his people (135:1-4). God’s choice of Israel is particularly significant, because anything God does is deliberate. It is as sure and certain as his acts in the creation and control of nature (5-7). He demonstrated his special care for the people of Israel by rescuing them from Egypt, conquering their foes and giving them Canaan for their homeland (8-14). By contrast the so-called gods of other nations are merely useless pieces of metal (15-18). All Israelites should therefore offer thankful worship to their covenant God (19-21).

In the Jewish tradition, Psalms 136:0 was sung after the Hallel at the Passover Feast (see note introducing Psalms 113:0). In each verse the leader sings of the greatness of God, and the congregation replies that this is seen in his loyal love to his people, a love that will never end. Israel’s God is good, and he is the only true God (136:1-3). He has perfect wisdom and he made all things (4-9). He saved his people from Egypt (10-15), gave them victory over their enemies (16-20) and led them into Canaan (21-22). All this was not because his people deserved his blessings, but because he exercised his steadfast love towards them (23-26).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THE EPILOGUE

"O house of Israel, bless ye Jehovah: O house of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah: O house of Levi, bless ye Jehovah: Ye that fear Jehovah, bless ye Jehovah. Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion, Who dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye Jehovah."

This epilogue matches the prologue in the triple repetition of the words, "Bless Jehovah." In the prologue, "Praise Jehovah" is the repeated clause. All Israel, the priests "as the house of Aaron," and the Levites "as the house of Levi," are the persons addressed in the epilogue.

Barnes described this epilogue as, "An earnest call on all classes of the people to bless and praise the Lord. The language here is expressive of overflowing joy, the utterance of a heart full of exalted conceptions of the majesty, glory and mercy of God."Albert Barnes' Commentary on the Old Testament, op. cit., p. 276.

Anyone who reads this psalm can hardly fail to catch the mood and feelings of the psalmist and to say "Amen and Amen."

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Bless the Lord, O house of Israel ... - This passage, also, is evidently an imitation of the passage in Psalms 115:9-13. The form in Psalms 115:0, however, is rather an exhortation to trust in the Lord, and an assurance that God would bless the classes spoken of, than a call on them to bless the Lord. Still the same classes of persons are referred to; the house of Israel; the house of Aaron; and those who feared the Lord. The passage needs no further illustration than what is found in the notes at Psalms 115:9-13. It is an earnest call on all classes of the people to bless and praise the Lord. It is language expressive of overflowing joy; the utterance of a heart full of exalted conceptions of the majesty, the glory, and the mercy of God; of a heart which feels to the utmost the fitness of praise, and desires that all classes of people - priests and people - that all created things should unite in the praise of Yahweh. Who, in reading the psalm, can fail to catch the feelings of the psalmist, and to say Amen and amen!

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 135:1-21 is one of those psalms that begins and ends with the word Hallelujah.

Praise ye the LORD ( Psalms 135:1 ).

Hallelujah.

Praise the name of Yahweh; praise him, O ye servants of Yahweh. Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, Praise the LORD ( Psalms 135:1-3 );

So this exhortation of praising God repeated, emphasized, and repeated for emphasis. "Praise the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Praise Him all ye servants. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the Lord." And now He's going to tell you why you should praise Him.

for the LORD is good ( Psalms 135:3 ):

How are you to praise Him?

sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant ( Psalms 135:3 ).

And again, why?

For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel as his peculiar treasure ( Psalms 135:4 ).

Now we are told in the New Testament that you have become His peculiar people, which we told you Thursday night was His people of possession. The word peculiar is the word possess. So you are the people that God has claimed as His possession is what it is. Now Israel was God-possessed, they were His treasure. He possessed them as His treasure. He claimed them. "I possess you as My treasure." God possesses you as His people. And so Israel is His possessed treasure, or the treasure that He possesses.

For I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is above all gods ( Psalms 135:5 ).

Now there are many gods that people worship and serve, but they are not living; they are not true. There is One true and living God, the maker of the heaven and the earth. And our Lord is above all of the gods that men have made.

Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and in the deep places ( Psalms 135:6 ).

God's pleasure, God's will. Whatever He pleases. Who can say unto the Lord, "Why have you done thus?" He does what He pleases to do. I have no right to challenge Him. I have no power to resist Him. In the book of Revelation, chapter 4, when the elders fall down and cast their golden crowns before the throne of God, they say, "O Lord, Thou art worthy to receive glory and honor: for Thou has created all things, and for Thy good pleasure they are and were created" ( Revelation 4:11 ).

Now, like it or not, God made you for His own pleasure. He didn't make me for my pleasure. Nor will my life ever be fulfilled if I seek only my pleasure. That can be a very empty, futile, frustrating life seeking my own pleasure. I can only find fulfillment when I bring God pleasure, because that's why He made me. And to answer to the reason for my being, I must bring pleasure to God. He has done whatever He pleased.

He causes the vapors ( Psalms 135:7 )

And, of course, praise the Lord because of His power over the universe, His creation of the universe.

He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; and he makes the lightning for the rain; he brings the wind out of his treasuries. He smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast. He sent his tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, upon all of his servants. He smote the great nations, he slew the mighty kings ( Psalms 135:7-10 );

In other words, "Israel, praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord," and all. Why? Because He delivered you out of Egypt. He delivered the land into your hand. He smote,

The kings of Sihon, the Amorites, Og the king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan: and he gave their land for a heritage, a heritage unto Israel and his people. Thy name, O Yahweh, endures for ever; and thy memorial, O Yahweh, throughout all the generations. For the LORD [or Yahweh] will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants ( Psalms 135:11-14 ).

Now in contrast, here is God. Has done all of these marvellous mighty things, demonstrating His power, His authority, His love.

But the idols of the heathen ( Psalms 135:15 )

You see, He's the Lord over all the gods. "The gods of the heathen," the idols that they have made,

are silver and gold, they are the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: and so is every one that trusteth in them ( Psalms 135:15-18 ).

Now we had this same concept given to us in the one-hundred-and-fifteenth psalm where he said much the same thing in talking about the idols of the heathen. He makes these philosophical observations. Number one, men often make their own gods. They'll carve them out of silver, gold, wood, stone. When a man makes his own god, he makes his god like himself. Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, feet. Because I have eyes, ears, nose, mouth, feet. But he makes his god, in reality, the god that he has made, he makes his god, but the god that he has made is less than he is. For though he put eyes on the god, the eyes can't see. Though he put feet on them, they can't walk. Though he put ears on them, they can't hear. So the god is less than the man who has made it. But the damning aspect of the philosophy is that a man becomes like his god. They that have made them have become like the gods that they have made. They that make them are like unto them. And so is every one that trusts in them.

In other words, a man becomes like his god. Thus, if you've made your own god, you made a god that is really less than you are, and thus, in worshipping that god, the projection of yourself, you are worshipping something really that is less than you. And then you become like it. Therefore, it is degrading. It's downhill. It's a degrading experience to worship your own gods of your own concepts, your own ideas, and all. It is a degrading experience, because your god is always too small and he is even less than you and you're becoming like him. And so it is always degrading for any society or any man to worship anything other than the true and the living God that made the heavens and the earth. To worship any other God is degrading. You see, men are in the process of being degraded as they worship other gods. "They that worship them have become like unto them; so is every one that trusts in them" ( Psalms 115:8 ). A man becomes like his god. That can be a damning philosophy, or it can be a blessed philosophy. It all depends on who your god is.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, it doth not yet appear what we're going to be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him" ( 1 John 3:2 ). Why? Because a man becomes like his god. That's blessing. That's glorious. I'm thrilled, because I'm serving the true and the living God. If I wasn't serving the true and the living God, that would terrify me. To think that I was becoming like my god.

As I see men worshipping pleasure, living after sex, living after pleasure, becoming like their gods, being obsessed by lust. As I see men who are living after power, that driving ambition, destroying others, climbing to the top. Scratching, clawing, crawling over others. Disregarding others. Obsessed by power. And becoming like their god. How tragic. "But we, with open face beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed from glory to glory into the same image" ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ). A man becomes like his god. It surely places a high priority and an importance upon worshipping the true and the living God.

Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron: Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: and ye that reverence the LORD, bless the LORD ( Psalms 135:19-20 ).

That should include all of you.

Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwells at Jerusalem. Hallelujah ( Psalms 135:21 ).

So the last of the psalms. We get to Psalms 145:1-21 on through to the end. They all begin and end with Hallelujah. It's just one of those favorite words of exhortation unto praise. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 135

This psalm of descriptive praise lauds God for His greatness and for blessing His people. Like Psalms 134, it calls on the priests to praise the Lord.

"The status of Psalms 135, 136 in relation to the Great Hallel psalms . . . in ancient Judaism is not clear. Some Jewish authorities include Psalms 135, 136 as a part of the collection of Psalms 120-136, whereas others limit the Great Hallel psalms to 135-136, or even to Psalms 136 alone. Like the Songs of Ascents, Psalms 135 is related to one of the great feasts; but it is far from clear at which feast it was sung." [Note: Ibid., pp. 818-19.]

"Every verse of this psalm either echoes, quotes or is quoted by some other part of Scripture." [Note: Kidner, Psalms 73-150, p. 455.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

3. Concluding call to praise 135:19-21

The psalm closes as it opened: with a call to God’s people to praise Him. Particularly from Zion: the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, and the godly should praise the Lord who dwells in Jerusalem.

All God’s servants should praise Him for His sovereignty as He demonstrates it in nature and history. Truly there is no other God like Him.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Bless the Lord, O house of Levi,.... These were of the same tribe with the house of Aaron, but inferior ministers; they ministered to the priests, and had the charge of things in the tabernacle and temple; many of them were porters in the latter, and others were singers, and of these Kimchi interprets the words; whose work it was to give thanks morning and evening, and so are with great propriety called upon to bless the Lord, Numbers 3:6; and may mystically design inferior officers in the church, who are helps and assistants to ministers in the government and discipline of it, and have the care of its secular affairs; and who, when they behave well, purchase to themselves a good degree, and boldness in the faith; and even doorkeepers in the house of the Lord have reason to bless his name for a place there; and all the saints are the sweet singers of Israel, have the new song of electing, redeeming, and calling grace, put into their mouths, and therefore should bless the Lord;

ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord; these are distinct from the Israelites, priests, and Levites, and design the proselytes among them of other nations that truly feared God, as Jarchi notes; and all such persons, whoever and wherever they are, have reason to bless the Lord for the fear of him they have, which is not from nature, but from grace; and for the layouts shown them, the blessings bestowed upon them, the good things laid up for them, and the guard that is about them, which the Scriptures abundantly declare, and experience confirms.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.   16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;   17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.   18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.   19 Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron:   20 Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD.   21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

      The design of these verses is,

      I. To arm the people of God against idolatry and all false worship, by showing what sort of gods they were that the heathen worshipped, as we had it before, Psalms 115:4-8, c. 1. They were gods of their own making being so, they could have no power but what their makers gave them, and then what power could their makers receive from them? The images were the work of men's hands, and the deities that were supposed to inform them were as much the creatures of men's fancy and imagination. 2. They had the shape of animals, but could not perform the least act, no, not of the animal life. They could neither see, nor hear, nor speak, nor so much as breathe; and therefore to make them with eyes, and ears, and mouths, and nostrils, was such a jest that one would wonder how reasonable creatures could suffer themselves to be so imposed upon as to expect any good from such mock-deities. 3. Their worshippers were therefore as stupid and senseless as they were, both those that made them to be worshipped and those that trusted in them when they were made, Psalms 135:18; Psalms 135:18. The worshipping of such gods as were the objects of sense, and senseless, made the worshippers sensual and senseless. Let our worshipping a God that is a Spirit make us spiritual and wise.

      II. To stir up the people of God to true devotion in the worship of the true God, Psalms 135:19-21; Psalms 135:19-21. The more deplorable the condition of the Gentile nations that worship idols is the more are we bound to thank God that we know better. Therefore, 1. Let us set ourselves about the acts of devotion, and employ ourselves in them: Bless the Lord, and again and again, bless the Lord. In the parallel place (Psalms 115:9-11), by way of inference from the impotency of idols, the duty thus pressed upon us is to trust in the Lord; here to bless him; by putting our trust in God we give glory to him, and those that depend upon God shall not want matter of thanksgiving to him. All persons that knew God are here called to praise him--the house of Israel (the nation in general), the house of Aaron and the house of Levi (the Lord's ministers that attended in his sanctuary), and all others that feared the Lord, though they were not of the house of Israel. 2. Let God have the glory of all: Blessed be the Lord. The tribute of praise arises out of Zion. All God's works do praise him, but his saints bless him; and they need not go far to pay their tribute, for he dwells in Jerusalem, in his church, which they are members of, so that he is always nigh unto them to receive their homage. The condescensions of his grace, in dwelling with men upon the earth, call for our grateful and thankful returns, and our repeated Hallelujahs.