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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 136

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loyal love endures.⁠ 2 Give thanks to the God of gods,⁠ for his loyal love endures. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loyal love endures. 4 To the one who performs magnificent, amazing deeds all by himself, for his loyal love endures. 5 To the one who used wisdom to make the heavens, for his loyal love endures.⁠ 6 To the one who spread out the earth over the water,⁠ for his loyal love endures. 7 To the one who made the great lights, for his loyal love endures,⁠ 8 the sun to rule by day, for his loyal love endures, 9 the moon and stars to rule by night, for his loyal love endures. 10 To the one who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his loyal love endures, 11 and led Israel out from their midst, for his loyal love endures, 12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his loyal love endures. 13 To the one who divided the Red Sea in two, for his loyal love endures, 14 and led Israel through its midst, for his loyal love endures, 15 and tossed Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for his loyal love endures. 16 To the one who led his people through the wilderness, for his loyal love endures. 17 To the one who struck down great kings, for his loyal love endures, 18 and killed powerful kings, for his loyal love endures, 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his loyal love endures, 20 Og, king of Bashan, for his loyal love endures, 21 and gave their land as an inheritance, for his loyal love endures, 22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant, for his loyal love endures. 23 To the one who remembered us when we were down, for his loyal love endures, 24 and snatched us away from our enemies, for his loyal love endures. 25 To the one who gives food to all living things, for his loyal love endures. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loyal love endures!

Texts in conversation

Compare Deuteronomy 10:17 and Psalm 136:2

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Deuteronomy 10 and Psalm 136 use the title “God of gods and Lord of lords,” used throughout the ancient Near East. In Deuteronomy it connects to a call for justice for orphans, widows, and foreigners. In Psalm 136, it praises God’s covenant faithfulness.

Passages

Deuteronomy 10:17

Hebrew Bible
15 However, only to your ancestors did he show his loving favor, and he chose you, their descendants, from all peoples—as is apparent today. 16 Therefore, circumcise your hearts and stop being so stubborn! 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 18 who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

Psalm 136:2

Hebrew Bible
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loyal love endures. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loyal love endures. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loyal love endures. 4 To the one who performs magnificent, amazing deeds all by himself, for his loyal love endures.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... In the first strophe God is addressed as sovereign and eternal. The first three titles indicate that he is the highest among “gods,” “lords,” and “kings.” The double title, “God of gods and Lord of lords,” occurs in Deuteronomy 10:17 in a context that stresses God’s judgment in behalf of the lowly, and it is implied in Psalm 136:2–3 in a pair of successive couplets that are immediately followed by reference to his creative activity ..."
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 1-36, 81-108 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), 211.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Deuteronomy 10:17 and Psalm 136:2

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