Psalms 136:3

Study note

Setting — The psalmist addresses the worshipping community in a liturgical response, positioning the verse between the call to thank the "God of gods" (verse 2) and the declaration that "He alone does great wonders" (verse 4). The speaker directs corporate gratitude toward the supreme authority over all earthly and heavenly powers.

The words — The Hebrew הוֹדוּ (Hodu) issues a plural imperative to "give thanks," followed by לַאֲדֹנֵי הָאֲדֹנִים (la'ăḏōnê hā'ăḏōnîm), which literally reads "to the lords of the lords." The clause closes with כִּי (ki) "for" and חַסְדּוֹ לְעוֹלָם (ḥasdô ləʿôlām), meaning "His covenant loyalty [is] forever."

The thread — The exact phrase "Lord of lords" appears in Revelation 17:14, 1 Timothy 6:15, and Revelation 19:16, where it identifies the victorious Lamb and the sovereign God who reigns over all opposing forces. The New Testament authors adopt this psalmic title to anchor their descriptions of divine triumph in the same enduring faithfulness declared here.

Why it lands — The text commands immediate thanksgiving to the highest authority and states as fact that His covenant loyalty never ceases. Readers must direct their gratitude toward that unchanging faithfulness rather than temporary circumstances or competing powers.

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.