Psalms 135:20
in Psalms 135O house of Levi, bless the LORD; you who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
O house of Levi, bless ye Jehovah: Ye that fear Jehovah, bless ye Jehovah.
KJV
Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
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This verse in Psalms 135
Commentary
8 notes on this verseBless the Lord, O house of Levi. These helped the priests in other things, let them aid them in this also. The house of Israel comprehends all the chosen seed; then we come down to the smaller but more central ring of the house of Aaron, and now we widen out to the whole tribe of Levi. Let reverence and adoration spread from man to man until the whole lump of humanity shall be leavened. The house of Levi had choice reasons for blessing God: read the Levite story and see.
This site's exposition
house of Israel, bless the LORD
on Psalms 135:19-21
Four times the call is bless the LORD, to the house of Israel, house of Aaron, house of Levi, and those who fear the LORD. Psalm 115:9 to 11 calls Israel, Aaron's house and those who fear the LORD to trust. Hallelujah opens verse 1 and closes verse 21.
This site's exposition
O house of Levi, bless the LORD
The house of Levi is the one call here that Psalm 115:9 to 11 and Psalm 118:2 to 4 leave out. Numbers 3:6 gives the Levites to Aaron to serve at the tabernacle. They are the servants who stand in the house in verse 2.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
But even granting that it is said of that house, and the people of Israel is meant, from thence did the Apostles and thousands of the circumcised believe? "Bless the Lord, ye house of Aaron. Bless the Lord, ye house of Levi" (ver. 20). Bless the Lord, ye nations, this is, the "house of Israel" generally; bless Him, ye leaders, this is, the "house of Aaron;" bless Him, ye servants, this is, the "house of Levi." What of the other nations? "Ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord."
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
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. Let us set ourselves about the acts of devotion, and employ ourselves in them: Bless the Lord, and again and again, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, O house of Levi,....
2 Ye that stand in the house of the L ORD , in the courts of the house of our God, 3 Praise the L ORD ; for the L ORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. 4 For the L ORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. The duty we are called to--to praise the Lord, to praise his name; praise him, and again praise him.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Bless the Lord, O house of Levi. These helped the priests in other things, let them aid them in this also. The house of Israel comprehends all the chosen seed; then we come down to the smaller but more central ring of the house of Aaron, and now we widen out to the whole tribe of Levi. Let reverence and adoration spread from man to man until the whole lump of humanity shall be leavened. The house of Levi had choice reasons for blessing God: read the Levite story and see. Remember that the whole of the Levites were set apart for holy service, and supported by tim tribes allotted to them; therefore they were in honour bound above all others to worship Jehovah with cheerfulness.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | O house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הַ֭לֵּוִי | halevi | the Levites | H3878 → | |
| בָּרֲכ֣וּ | barakhu | bless | H1288 → | 330 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יִֽרְאֵ֥י | yirei | O [those] fearing | H3373 → | 64 times |
| יְ֝הוָ֗ה | yahweh | <of> Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בָּרֲכ֥וּ | barakhu | bless | H1288 → | 330 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
בֵּ֣יתO house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
הַ֭לֵּוִיthe Levites
haleviH3878 →
בָּרֲכ֣וּbless
barakhuH1288 →330 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
יִֽרְאֵ֥יO [those] fearing
yireiH3373 →64 times
יְ֝הוָ֗ה<of> Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בָּרֲכ֥וּbless
barakhuH1288 →330 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.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 135; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
