Psalms 136:22
in Psalms 136a heritage to His servant Israel. His loving devotion endures forever.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Even a heritage unto Israel his servant; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
KJV
Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
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This verse in Psalms 136
Commentary
9 notes on this verseEven an heritage unto Israel his servant,.... The land of those that served idols, the Lord took and gave to Israel for an inheritance, who served him, the true God.
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
a heritage to His servant Israel
Israel is named as one servant, as in Isaiah 41:8, where the LORD calls Israel His servant. Joshua 21:43 records that the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give. With this gift the psalm's account of the past ends.
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 Awakening1 voice
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.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Even an heritage unto Israel his servant. Repetitions are effective in poetry, and the more so if there be some little variation in them, bringing out into fuller light some point which else had not been noticed. The lands of the heathen kings were given to "Israel", the name by which the chosen seed is here mentioned for the third time in the Psalm, with the addition of the words, "his servant."
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.
Even an heritage unto Israel his servant. Repetitions are effective in poetry, and the more so if there be some little variation in them, bringing out into fuller light some point which else had not been noticed. The lands of the heathen kings were given to "Israel", the name by which the chosen seed is here mentioned for the third time in the Psalm, with the addition of the words, "his servant." The leasehold of Canaan to Israel after the flesh was made dependent upon suit and service rendered to the Lord of the manor by whom the lease was granted. It was a country worth singing about, richly justifying the two stanzas devoted to it. The division of the country by lot, and the laws by which the portions of ground were reserved to the owners and their descendants for a perpetual inheritance were fit subjects for song. Had other nations enjoyed land laws which ensured to every family a plot of ground for cultivation, much of the present discontent would never have arisen, beggary would soon have become uncommon, and poverty itself would have been rare. For his mercy endureth for ever. Yes, mercy fights for the land, mercy divides the spoil among its favoured ones, and mercy secures each man in his inheritance. Glory be to God the faithful One. "For his mercy full and free. Wins us full felicity."
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| נַ֭חֲלָה | nachalah | an inheritance | H5159 → | 222 times |
| לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל | leyisrael | to Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| עַבְדּ֑וֹ | avdo | servant his | H5650 → | 799 times |
| כִּ֖י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לְעוֹלָ֣ם | leolam | [is] for ever | H5769 → | 438 times |
| חַסְדּֽוֹ׃ | chasdo | covenant loyalty his | H2617 → | 247 times |
נַ֭חֲלָהan inheritance
nachalahH5159 →222 times
לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣לto Israel
leyisraelH3478 →2507 times
עַבְדּ֑וֹservant his
avdoH5650 →799 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
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 47:4He chooses our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah
it leads to
- 1 Peter 1:4
and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
- Amos 6:8
The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”
- Nahum 2:2
For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and ruined the branches of their vine.
- Amos 8:7
The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget any of their deeds.
- Hosea 14:4
I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.
- 1 Peter 1:4
Through
Psalms 105:6O offspring of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
it leads to
- Isaiah 44:1–2
But now listen, O Jacob My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen.
- John 15:16
You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
- 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
- Isaiah 44:1–2
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture; 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); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.