The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 135
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 136 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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Alleluia. Give thanks to the Lord: for he is good: For his mercy endures forever.
Ἀλληλούϊα. Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
"Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures for ever". This Psalm contains the praise of God, and all its verses finish in the same way. Wherefore although many things are related here in praise of God, yet His mercy is most commended; for without this plain commendation, he, whom the Holy Spirit…
Give thanks to the God of gods: for his mercy endures forever.
Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Θεῷ τῶν θεῶν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
Then follows, "Give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy endures for ever". "Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His mercy endures for ever". We may well enquire, Who are these gods and lords, of whom He who is the true God is God and Lord? And we find written in another Psalm, that even men are called gods. The…
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: For his mercy endures forever.
Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ τῶν κυρίων, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
To him who alone has wrought great wonders: For his mercy endures forever.
Τῷ ποιήσαντι θαυμάσια μεγάλα μόνῳ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
Let us therefore "give thanks to the God of gods, and the Lord of lords, for His mercy," etc. "Who alone did wonderful things". As at the last part of every verse, it is written, "For His mercy endureth for ever," so we must understand at the beginning of each, though it be not written, "Give thanks." Which indeed in…
To him who made the heavens by understanding; For his mercy endures forever.
Τῷ ποιήσαντι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐν συνέσει, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
But what means, "who alone does great wonders"? Is it because many wonderful things He has done by means of angels and men? Some wonderful things there are which God does alone, and these he enumerates, saying, "who by His wisdom made the heavens", "who stretched out the earth above the waters", "who alone made great…
To him who established the earth on the waters; For his mercy endures forever.
Τῷ στερεώσαντι τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
To him who alone made great lights; For his mercy endures forever.
Τῷ ποιήσαντι φῶτα μεγάλα μόνῳ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
The sun to rule the day; For his mercy endures forever.
Τὸν ἥλιον εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἡμέρας, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ·
The moon and the stars to rule the night; For his mercy endures forever.
Τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς νυκτός, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
To him who smote Egypt with their firstborn; For his mercy endures forever.
Τῷ πατάξαντι Αἴγυπτον σὺν τοῖς πρωτοτόκοις αὐτῶν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
And brought Israel out of the midst of them; For his mercy endures forever:
Καὶ ἐξαγαγόντι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ·
"Who brought out Israel from the midst of them". He brought out also His saints and faithful ones from the midst of the wicked.
With a strong hand, and a high arm: For his mercy endures forever.
Ἐν χειρὶ κραταιᾷ καὶ ἐν βραχίονι ὑψηλῷ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
"With a mighty Hand and stretched-out Arm". What more powerful, what more out-stretched, than that of which is said "To whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed?" [Isaiah 53:1]
To him who divided the Red Sea into parts: For his mercy endures forever:
Τῷ καταδιελόντι τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν εἰς διαιρέσεις, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ·
"Who divided the Red Sea in two parts". He divided also in such wise, that the same baptism should be to some unto life, to others unto death.
And brought Israel through the midst of it: For his mercy endures forever:
Καὶ διαγαγόντι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διὰ μέσου αὐτῆς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ·
"And brought out Israel through the midst of it". So too He brings out His renewed people through the laver of regeneration.
And overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea: For his mercy endures forever.
Καὶ ἐκτινάξαντι Φαραὼ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ εἰς θάλασσαν ἐρυθράν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
"And overthrew Pharaoh and his power in the Red Sea". He quickly destroys both the sin of His people and the guilt thereof by baptism.
To him who led his people through the wilderness: For his mercy endures forever.
Τῷ διαγαγόντι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
"Who led His people through the wilderness". Us too He leads through the drought and barrenness of this world, that we perish not therein.
To him who smote great kings: For his mercy endures forever:
Τῷ πατάξαντι βασιλεῖς μεγάλους, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
"Who smote great kings", "and slew famous kings". From us too He smites and slays the deadly powers of the devil.
And slew mighty kings; For his mercy endures forever:
Καὶ ἀποκτείναντι βασιλεῖς κραταιούς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
Sihon king of the Amorites: For his mercy endures forever:
Τὸν Σηὼν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
"Sehon king of the Amorites", an "useless shoot," or "fiery temptation," for so is Sehon interpreted: the king of "them who cause bitterness," for such is the meaning of Amorites.
And Og king of Bashan: For his mercy endures forever:
Καὶ τὸν Ὢγ βασιλέα τῆς Βασάν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
"And Og, the king of Basan". The "heaper-together," such is the meaning of Og, and, king of "confusion," which Basan signifies. For what else does the devil heap together but confusion?
And gave their land for an inheritance: For his mercy endures forever:
Καὶ δόντι τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν κληρονομίαν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ·
"And gave away their land for an heritage", "even an heritage unto Israel His servant". For He gives them, whom once the devil owned, for an heritage to the seed of Abraham, that is, Christ.
"Who remembered us in our low estate", "and redeemed us from our enemies" by the Blood of His only-begotten Son.
"Who giveth food to all flesh", that is, to the whole race of mankind, not Israelites only, but Gentiles too; and of this Food is said, "My Flesh is meat indeed."
"Give thanks unto the God of Heaven". "Give thanks unto the Lord of lords". For what he here says, "the God of Heaven," I suppose that he meant to express in other words what He had before said, "the God of gods." For what there he subjoined, he has here also repeated. "Give thanks unto the Lord of lords." "But to us…
Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.
All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.