Psalms 111:2
in Psalms 111Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The works of Jehovah are great, Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
KJV
The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
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This verse in Psalms 111
Commentary
9 notes on this verseIn the council of the upright, and in the great congregation, are the works of the Lord. He says "of the upright," meaning those who before were sinners, but now are righteous. For is it not a thing to marvel at, when we see that the elephant and the camel, and likewise the fly and the gnat, have the same power of movement, the same breath of life, and the same members?
This site's exposition
Great are the works
on Psalms 111:2-3
Great are the works, and the psalm names who examines them. Those who delight in them are the ones who have pondered them. Verse 3 turns from the work to the worker, splendid and majestic, whose righteousness endures forever.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"These are the great works of the Lord, sought out unto all His wills" [Psalm 111:2]: through which mercy forsakes none who confesses, no man's wickedness is unpunished. [Hebrews 12:6] ...Let man choose for himself what he lists: the works of the Lord are not so constituted, that the creature, having free discretion allowed him, should transcend the will of the Creator, even though he act contrary to His will. God wills not that you should sin; for He forbids it: yet if you have sinned, imagine not that the man has done what he willed, and that has happened to God which He willed not. For as He would that man would not sin, so would He spare the sinner, that he may return and live; He so wills finally to punish him who persists in his sin, that the rebellious cannot escape the power of justice. Thus whatever choice you have made, the Almighty will not be at a loss to fulfil His will concerning you.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The works of the Lord are great,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The works of the Lord are great. In design, in size, in number, in excellence, all the works of the Lord are great. Even the little things of God are great. In some point of view or other each one of the productions of his power, or the deeds of his wisdom, will appear to be great to the wise in heart. Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
His works, that is, of providence and grace are sought--or, carefully studied, by all desiring to know them. 3, 4. honourable and glorious--literally, "honor and majesty," which illustrate His glorious perfections. righteousness-- (Ps 7:17;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The works of the Lord are great. In design, in size, in number, in excellence, all the works of the Lord are great. Even the little things of God are great. In some point of view or other each one of the productions of his power, or the deeds of his wisdom, will appear to be great to the wise in heart. Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. Those who love their Maker delight in his handiwork, they perceive that there is more in them than appears upon the surface, and therefore they bend their minds to study and understand them. The devout naturalist ransacks nature, the earnest student of history pries into hidden facts and dark stories, and the man of God digs into the mines of Scripture, and hoards up each grain of its golden truth. God's works are worthy of our researches, they yield us instruction and pleasure wonderfully blended, and they grow upon, appearing to be far greater, after investigation than before. Men's works are noble from a distance; God's works are great when sought out. Delitzsch reads the passage, "Worthy of being sought after in all their purposes, "and this also is a grand truth, for the end and design which God hath in all that he makes or does is equally admirable with the work itself. The hidden wisdom of God is the most marvellous part of his works, and hence those who do not look below the surface miss the best part of what he would teach us. Because the works are great they cannot be seen all at once, but must be looked into with care, and this seeking out is of essential service to us by educating our faculties, and strengthening our spiritual eye gradually to bear the light of the divine glory. It is well for us that all things cannot be seen at a glance, for the search into their mysteries is as useful to us as the knowledge which we thereby attain.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The works of the Lord are great - גדלים gedolim, vast in magnitude; as רבים rabbim signifies their multitude and variety. Sought out - Investigated, carefully examined. Of all them that have pleasure therein - By all that delight in them: by every genuine philosopher; every lover of nature; he who traces out the great First Cause by means of his works. And the man that does so will be astonished at the perfections of the Creator, and admire all the operations of his hands.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The works of the Lord are great - They are great in number; great in magnitude; great in wisdom; great in goodness. This language was appropriate in the time of the psalmist, when people looked upon the heavens with the naked eye alone, and when they had very imperfect views of the real magnitude of the universe as it is now disclosed by the telescope. It is entirely appropriate now, and conveys a more solemn and sublime impression than it would in the time of the psalmist. It will still be appropriate under the larger views which may yet be obtained of the universe by more perfect instruments, by more accurate observation, and by more profound study. And it will be appropriate when people shall survey the greatness of the universe from the heights of heaven. Sought out of all them - Studied by all such. That have pleasure therein - More literally, “Sought to all their wishes.” Perhaps the meaning is, that they would find all their desires gratified in those works; they would find in them all that they would wish to find respecting the power, wisdom, goodness, and majesty of God. Still it implies that they have a desire thus to study his works, or that they do find a pleasure in examining the proofs of the being and attributes of God in his works. A man who loves God will have real pleasure in studying his works as well as his word; and it is as proper to find pleasure in the one as in the other - as proper to wish to find the knowledge which the one imparts as that which the other bestows. One great error among the friends of God is the neglect to study his works. In doing this, people need not neglect or undervalue the Bible and the knowledge which it gives, for such studies would be among the best means of illustrating the Bible.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Hallelujah, I shall thank, etc. This psalm was based on the alphabet, one letter at the beginning of the verse and one in the middle of it, and so all of them [this psalm’s verses are] from “aleph” to “tav,” and so too is the second psalm.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| גְּ֭דֹלִים | gedolim | [are] great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| מַעֲשֵׂ֣י | maasei | [the] works of | H4639 → | 236 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| דְּ֝רוּשִׁ֗ים | derushim | [they are] studied | H1875 → | 164 times |
| לְכָל־ | lekhol | by all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| חֶפְצֵיהֶֽם׃ | cheftzeihem | [those] delighting in them | H2656 → | 39 times |
גְּ֭דֹלִים[are] great
gedolimH1419 →526 times
מַעֲשֵׂ֣י[the] works of
maaseiH4639 →236 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
דְּ֝רוּשִׁ֗ים[they are] studied
derushimH1875 →164 times
לְכָל־by all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
חֶפְצֵיהֶֽם׃[those] delighting in them
cheftzeihemH2656 →39 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 139:14I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.
it leads to
- Genesis 1:26–27
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the…
- Psalms 40:5
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us— none can compare to You— if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 104:24
How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.
- Psalms 92:4–5
For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
- Job 5:9
the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.
- Genesis 1:26–27
Through
Ephesians 1:19and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,
it leads to
- Philippians 2:13
For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.
- Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
- Colossians 2:12
And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.
- Philippians 2:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 111; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 37, on Psalm 110; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.