Bible Strands
Psalms 106:2
Who can describe the mighty acts of the LORD or fully proclaim His praise?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the gathered Israelite community immediately after commanding them to give thanks for God’s enduring loving devotion. He poses a rhetorical question to the worshippers at the opening of a historical recitation, framing the limits of human speech before recounting their past failures.
The words — The Hebrew terms גְּבוּרֹת (gevurolot) and תְּהִלָּתוֹ (tehillato) anchor the verse, translating literally to “mighty deeds” and “his praise.” The verbs יְמַלֵּל (yemalel) “will he tell” and יַשְׁמִיעַ (yashmi’a) “will he proclaim” establish the rhetorical structure, stressing that no human can fully articulate or broadcast these acts.
The thread — The motif of unsearchable divine works and unutterable praise appears in Romans 11:33, Ephesians 1:19, and Psalms 139:17. These texts similarly mark the boundary between human capacity and the magnitude of God’s wisdom, power, and thoughts.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that human language cannot exhaustively describe God’s works or completely voice His praise. It asks the reader to abandon the pursuit of total verbal mastery and instead offer worship that acknowledges God’s transcendence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his praise?
Cross-references
- Romans 11:33 O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
- Ephesians 1:19 and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,
- Psalms 139:17 How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum!
- Psalms 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
- Nehemiah 9:5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
- Job 5:9 the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.
- Job 26:14 Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”
- 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 can count.
- Ephesians 3:18 will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth