Psalms 146:1
in Psalms 146Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my soul.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Praise ye Jehovah. Praise Jehovah, O my soul.
KJV
Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
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This verse in Psalms 146
Commentary
9 notes on this versePraise the Lord, O my soul. He did not say, praise the body, but, praise, O my soul; not that he condemned the body, but he condemned the works of the flesh. Praise the Lord, O my soul. The soul exhorts itself. Just as if David were to say, Praise the Lord, O David; so too the soul itself says to itself, Praise the Lord, O my soul.
This site's exposition
Praise the LORD, O my soul
on Psalms 146:1-2
Hallelujah opens this psalm and closes it, and each of the four psalms after it wears the same frame. The command falls first on the singer's own soul, and the soul answers with a vow: praise to the LORD for a whole life, and songs to God as long as he has being. The vow claims nothing past that.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
...Behold the Psalm soundeth; it is the voice of some one (and that some one are ye, if ye will), of some one encouraging his soul to praise God, and saying to himself, "Praise the Lord, O my soul" (ver. 1). For sometimes in the tribulations and temptations of this present life, whether we will or no, our soul is troubled; of which troubling he speaketh in another Psalm. But to remove this troubling, he suggesteth joy; not as yet in reality, but in hope; and saith to it when troubled and anxious, sad and sorrowing, "Hope in God, for I will yet confess to Him." ...
Praise the Lord, O my soul. This psalm has a heading: Of Haggai and Zechariah. And this we must know first of all, that it is not found in the Hebrew, but in the Septuagint translators. But let us speak also according to the common edition, Of Haggai and Zechariah. Since the restoration of Jerusalem is here spoken of — The Lord shall reign forever, thy God, O Sion, unto generation and generation — they suppose it to be said, as it were, concerning the restoration of Jerusalem, which took place under Haggai and Zechariah.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Herein I will have an eye to him as the Lord, infinitely blessed and glorious in himself, and as my God, in covenant with me." Praise is most pleasant when, in praising God, we have an eye to him as ours, whom we have an interest in and stand in relation to.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
Praise ye the Lord,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Praise ye the Lord, or, Hallelujah. It is saddening to remember how this majestic word has been trailed in the mire of late. Its irreverent use is an aggravated instance of taking the name of Jehovah our God in vain. Let us hope that it has been done in ignorance by the ruder sort; but great responsibility lies with leaders who countenance and even copy this blasphemy. With holy awe let us pronounce the word hallelujah, and by it summon ourselves and all others to adore the God of the whole earth.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Praise ye the Lord, or, Hallelujah. It is saddening to remember how this majestic word has been trailed in the mire of late. Its irreverent use is an aggravated instance of taking the name of Jehovah our God in vain. Let us hope that it has been done in ignorance by the ruder sort; but great responsibility lies with leaders who countenance and even copy this blasphemy. With holy awe let us pronounce the word hallelujah, and by it summon ourselves and all others to adore the God of the whole earth. Men need to be called to praise; it is important that they should praise; and there are many reasons why they should do it at once. Let all who hear the word Hallelujah unite immediately in holy praise. Praise the Lord, O my soul. He would practise what he had preached. He would be the leader of the choir which he had summoned. It is a poor business if we solely exhort others, and do not stir up our own soul. It is an evil thing to say, "Praise ye", and never to add, "Praise, O my soul." When we praise God let us arouse our innermost self, our central life: we have but one soul, and if it be saved from eternal wrath, it is bound to praise its Saviour. Come heart, mind, thought! Come my whole being, my soul, my all, be all on flame with joyful adoration! Up, my brethren! Lift up the song! "Praise ye the Lord." But what am I at? How dare I call upon others, and be negligent myself? If ever man was under bonds to bless the Lord I am that man, wherefore let me put my soul into the centre of the choir, and then let my better nature excite my whole manhood to the utmost height of loving praise. "O for a well tuned harp!" Nay, rather, O for a sanctified heart. Then if my voice should be of the poorer sort, and somewhat lacking in melody, yet my soul without my voice shall accomplish my resolve to magnify the Lord.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Praise ye the Lord - “Ye” - all people. Margin, Hallelujah. See Psa 104:35; Psa 106:1. Praise the Lord, O my soul - See Psa 103:1, note; Psa 104:1, note.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַֽלְלוּ־ | halu- | praise | H1984 → | 165 times |
| יָ֡הּ | yah | Yahweh | H3050 → | 50 times |
| הַלְלִ֥י | hali | praise | H1984 → | 165 times |
| נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י | nafshi | O self my | H5315 → | 754 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
הַֽלְלוּ־praise
halu-H1984 →165 times
יָ֡הּYahweh
yahH3050 →50 times
הַלְלִ֥יpraise
haliH1984 →165 times
נַ֝פְשִׁ֗יO self my
nafshiH5315 →754 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 103:1Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.
it leads to
- Psalms 146:1–2
Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my soul.
- Psalms 57:7–11
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music.
- John 4:24
God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
- Psalms 111:1
Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
- 1 Corinthians 14:15
What then shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
- Psalms 146:1–2
Through
Psalms 105:45that they might keep His statutes and obey His laws. Hallelujah!
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 4:40
Keep His statutes and commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD your…
- Deuteronomy 4:40
Through
Psalms 103:22Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
it leads to
- Isaiah 49:13
Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; break forth in song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and He will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
- Psalms 145:10
All You have made will give You thanks, O LORD, and Your saints will bless You.
- Isaiah 49:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 146; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jerome, Homily 55, on Psalm 145; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.