Bible Strands
Psalms 136:26
Give thanks to the God of heaven! His loving devotion endures forever.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses a worshiping assembly immediately after declaring that God supplies food to every living creature. It functions as a congregational response within the psalm's liturgical structure.
The words — הוֹדוּ (Ho.du) translates literally as "give thanks," and חַסְדּוֹ (chas.do) means "his covenant loyalty." These terms form the core command and theological claim of the verse.
The thread — The closing refrain "His loving devotion endures forever" runs through every verse of Psalms 136, and the designation "God of heaven" appears in Jonah 1:9 and Nehemiah 1:4 to identify the Creator.
Why it lands — The text commands direct gratitude to the sovereign Creator before stating that His covenant loyalty is permanent. It requires a reader to orient praise toward the transcendent God and ground that praise in His unchanging faithfulness.
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
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Cross-references
- Psalms 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever.
- Jonah 1:9 “I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”
- Nehemiah 1:4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
- Psalms 115:3 Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
- Psalms 123:1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
- Revelation 11:13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.