Psalm 145

This is the only psalm whose heading calls it simply a praise, and the Hebrew name of the whole book of Psalms comes from that word. It is also an alphabet poem: one line for each letter in order, built so a family could learn it.

One letter is missing in the traditional Hebrew text — the line beginning with the letter nun is not there. A copy of the Psalms found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran has a line in that slot, and so does the ancient Greek translation, which is why most modern Bibles print it with a footnote. It is a small, honest reminder that these texts were copied by hand for a very long time.

The center of the psalm is the sentence God spoke about himself to Moses after the golden calf, expanded: gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. Israel quoted that line the way we quote a constitution.

The section about the eyes of all waiting on God, and his open hand satisfying every living thing, is a picture of animals watching a keeper. It became a table prayer for the obvious reason: it is about food arriving at the right season.

One line is repeated in different forms all through: one generation shall praise your works to another. That was the actual mechanism of Israelite faith — no printing, few scrolls, and a father telling his children.