Psalms 136:21
in Psalms 136and He gave their land as an inheritance, His loving devotion endures forever.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And gave their land for a heritage; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
KJV
And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
⋯
This verse in Psalms 136
Commentary
9 notes on this verseAnd gave their land for an heritage. As Lord of the whole earth he transferred his estate from one tenant to another. The land did not become the property of the Israelites by their own sword and bow, but by a grant from the throne. This was the great end which all along had been aimed at from Egypt to Jordan. He who brought his people out also brought them in. He who had promised the land to the seed of Abraham also saw to it that the deed of gift did not remain a dead letter.
This site's exposition
He led His people through the wilderness
on Psalms 136:16-22
The whole wilderness takes one line. The psalm names two kings, Sihon of the Amorites and Og of Bashan, whom Israel met east of the Jordan in Numbers 21. Their land is given to Israel as an inheritance and a heritage.
This site's exposition
He gave their land as an inheritance
Inheritance is nachalah, land held by a family and handed down. Moses gave the land of Sihon and Og to Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh, as Joshua 13:8 to 12 records. Israel's first inheritance lay east of the Jordan.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"And gave away their land for an heritage" [Psalm 136:21], "even an heritage unto Israel His servant" [Psalm 136:22]. For He gives them, whom once the devil owned, for an heritage to the seed of Abraham, that is, Christ.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
As he said to the Egyptians, Let my people go, so to the Canaanites, Let my people in, that they may serve me. In this God's mercy to them endureth for ever, because it was a figure of the heavenly Canaan, the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
And gave their land for an heritage,.... This was taken away from them and their subjects by the Lord, who has the disposing of kingdoms, and given to another people, for an inheritance; for his mercy endureth for ever; while his justice is exercised on some, in a strict manner, with severity and rigour, his mercy is shown to others.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
THESE six verses iterate and reiterate the same fact. They rehearse and repeat the same reflection. Is the tautology tedious? Do the chimes weary you with their monotony? No. And this is a veritable charm in poetry. When the poet touches upon some important theme which illuminates his soul and kindles his nobler passions to a flame, he is very apt to dwell upon it with enthusiasm, inclined to pursue it with eagerness, to follow it up with feeling and echo it over and over again with strong and yet stronger emotion.
And gave their land for an heritage. As Lord of the whole earth he transferred his estate from one tenant to another. The land did not become the property of the Israelites by their own sword and bow, but by a grant from the throne. This was the great end which all along had been aimed at from Egypt to Jordan. He who brought his people out also brought them in. He who had promised the land to the seed of Abraham also saw to it that the deed of gift did not remain a dead letter. Both our temporal and our spiritual estates come to us by royal charter. What God gives us is ours by the best of titles. Inheritance by God's gift is tenure which even Satan cannot dispute. For his mercy endureth for ever. Faithful love endures without end, and secures its own end. "Thou wilt surely bring them in", said the prophet poet; and here we see the deed complete.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
THESE six verses iterate and reiterate the same fact. They rehearse and repeat the same reflection. Is the tautology tedious? Do the chimes weary you with their monotony? No. And this is a veritable charm in poetry. When the poet touches upon some important theme which illuminates his soul and kindles his nobler passions to a flame, he is very apt to dwell upon it with enthusiasm, inclined to pursue it with eagerness, to follow it up with feeling and echo it over and over again with strong and yet stronger emotion. Nobody feels that repetition is out of place in poetry, because in weal or woe, with pleasure or with pathos, we dwell on the theme which awakens our sympathy. This Psalm, of which the refrain is always the same—"His mercy endures forever," has in it several instances of this repetition. "To Him that made great lights," is followed by, "The sun to rule by day," and by the next, "The moon and stars to rule by night: for His mercy endures forever." The repetition is natural and secures attention. The words are musical as they strike on our ears and the style is not only allowable, but acceptable as a beautiful license of the poetic school. For my part, I like a repetition in the tune of a Psalm as well as in its language. There has sprung up a fashion in music, now, to quibble at repeats. I must confess, I do not feel of the same mind as some who, when the Psalm or hymn is given out, seem to say, "Now, let us go through it as quickly as ever we can, from beginning to end." I prefer to chew some of the words—to have them come over again—to get the flavor of them in my mouth, or rather, in my soul.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנָתַ֣ן | venatan | and he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אַרְצָ֣ם | ʾartzam | land their | H776 → | 2504 times |
| לְנַחֲלָ֑ה | lenachalah | to an inheritance | H5159 → | 222 times |
| כִּ֖י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לְעוֹלָ֣ם | leolam | [is] for ever | H5769 → | 438 times |
| חַסְדּֽוֹ׃ | chasdo | covenant loyalty his | H2617 → | 247 times |
וְנָתַ֣ןand he gave
venatanH5414 →2011 times
אַרְצָ֣םland their
ʾartzamH776 →2504 times
לְנַחֲלָ֑הto an inheritance
lenachalahH5159 →222 times
כִּ֖יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לְעוֹלָ֣ם[is] for ever
leolamH5769 →438 times
חַסְדּֽוֹ׃covenant loyalty his
chasdoH2617 →247 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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 105:44He gave them the lands of the nations, that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,
it leads to
- Joshua 24:13
So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you…
- Psalms 78:55
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
- Deuteronomy 6:10–11
And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you…
- Joshua 24:8
Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your hand, that you should possess their land when I…
- Psalms 44:2–3
With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out.
- Joshua 24:13
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 136; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1285: “Sihon and Og, or Mercies in Detail” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.