Psalms 136:12

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm; For his loving kindness endures forever:

World English Bible · Public Domain

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חֲ֭זָקָה

châzâq

H2389

“strong”

Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Singular, Absolute

Appears 56× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears at Exodus 3:19

Full BDB Definition

Origin: from H2388

TWOT: 636a

strong, stout, mighty - strong - severe, sharp, hot - firm, hard - a strong one (substantive)

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

7: words
7: distinct lemmas
Wisdom: section

Shared distinctive vocabulary

חֲ֭זָקָה strong H2389 occurs in 54 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

1 verb
4 nouns
1 adjective
1 conjunction

Verb forms

נְטוּיָ֑ה Qal · Participle Passive

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 15 words from the Hebrew and 14 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Psalms 136:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Jeremiah 32:21 and brought forth your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror;
Deuteronomy 4:34 Or has God tried to go and take him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Exodus 6:6 Therefore tell the children of Israel, 'I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments:
Psalms 44:3 For they didn't get the land in possession by their own sword, Neither did their own arm save them; But your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, Because you were favorable to them.
Exodus 13:14 It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall tell him, 'By strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage;
Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power, Your right hand, Yahweh, dashes the enemy in pieces.
Deuteronomy 11:2–4 Know you this day: for I don't speak with your children who have not known, and who have not seen the chastisement of Yahweh your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm,
Isaiah 51:9–10 Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of Yahweh; awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn't it you who did cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the monster?

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

You’re reading Greek Psalm 135 (Hebrew Psalm 136). The Septuagint counts the superscription, so verse numbers can differ from the Hebrew — chapter-level alignment, not verse-by-verse. Numbering follows Rahlfs.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Psalms 136:12 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

בְּיָ֣ד חֲ֭זָקָה וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֑ה כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ

With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm; For his loving kindness endures forever:

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Greek Psalm 135:12 Septuagint · lemma form

ἐν χείρ κραταιός καί ἐν βραχίων ὑψηλός ὅτι εἰς ὁ αἰών ὁ ἔλεος αὐτός

with a strong hand, and a high arm: for his mercy endures for ever.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Commentary

Notes on Psalms 136:12 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Psa 136:12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.

Ver. 12. And with a stretched out arm] A metaphor from soldiers’ exercising their arms, with utmost might and sleight.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

J. A. Alexander on Psalms

Joseph Addison Alexander

12. (Psa 136:12) With a high hand and with an arm outstretched--for unto eternity is his mercy. These are favourite Mosaic figures for the active and energetic exercise of power. See Exo 3:19; Exo 6:1; Exo 6:6; Exo 13:9; Exo 15:12, Deu 4:34; Deu 5:15; Deu 7:19; Deu 11:2; Deu 26:8.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

In doing such a work as was never done before, nor that any other could do.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

12. O give thanks unto the Mighty One of Jacob (Psa_132:2; Psa_132:5), for &c.

12. From Deu_4:34, &c.; cp. Exo_6:1; Exo_6:6.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm,.... Exerting his power in a very open manner, and continuing it till he had effected the work; bringing his people out of Egypt, which is always ascribed to his great strength and mighty power, Exo 13:3. The redemption of the mystical Israel of God is by a mighty Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; who has redeemed them out of the hands of their enemies, that were stronger than they, and too strong for them: the conversion of them is by the power of the grace of God, even by the exceeding greatness of his power, and yet both acts of grace and mercy;

for his mercy endureth for ever; it was mercy put the Lord on stretching out his arm, and showing the strength of his right hand, in delivering Israel out of Egypt; and in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, Isa 63:9. It is owing to the tender mercies of our God, and is a performing the mercy promised to the fathers, that Christ, the dayspring from on high, was sent to visit and redeem us, Luk 1:68; and the regeneration, quickening, and conversion of sinners, are acts of mercy as well as of power, Eph 2:4.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

With a strong hand - A powerful hand; as by a hand that could grasp and subdue all that opposed.

And with a stretched-out arm - As if the arm were stretched out to strike with the utmost force, or to exert its utmost power. See Exo 6:6; Deu 4:34; Deu 5:15; Deu 7:19; Deu 26:8; Jer 32:21.

For his mercy ... - The exertion of his power in delivering his people was the expression of a mercy, the consequences of which are to endure forever, for the results of that deliverance will never cease in the history of the world; will never cease in heaven.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Treasury of David

Charles H. Spurgeon

Ver. 12. With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm. Not only the matter but the manner of the Lord's mighty acts should be the cause of our praise. We ought to bless the Lord for adverbs as well as adjectives. In the Exodus the great power and glory of Jehovah were seen. He dashed in pieces the enemy with his right hand. He led forth his people in no mean or clandestine manner. "He brought them forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person in all their tribes." Egypt was glad when they departed. God worked with great display of force, and with exceeding majesty; he stretched out his arm like a workman intent on his labour, he lifted up his hand as one who is not ashamed to be seen. Even thus was it in the deliverance of each one of us from the thraldom of sin; "according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places."

For his mercy endureth for ever therefore his power is put forth for the rescue of his own. If one plague will not set them free there shall be ten; but free they shall all be at the appointed hour; not one Israelite shall remain under Pharaoh's power. God will not only use his hand but his armhis extraordinary power shall be put to the work sooner than his purpose of mercy shall fail.

See, he lifts his strong right hand,

For his mercies steadfast stand.

Ver. 12. With a stretched out arm. The figure of an outstretched arm is appropriate, for we stretch out the arm when any great effort is required; so that this implies that God put forth an extraordinary and not a common or slight display of his power in redeeming his people. John Calvin.

Ver. 12. Displays of divine power in the history of the saints a reason for song.

Psalms 136:13*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

With a strong hand, and with a stretched-out arm. (comp. Exo_6:6 Deu_7:8, 14 Neh_1:10, etc.) For his mercy, etc.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Psalms, in the Wisdom, opens this verse with 7 words (7 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is châzâq (“strong”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

The word châzâq carries the sense “strong.” How does it shape the verse?
How does Exodus 3:19, which shares the word «strong», read alongside this verse?
These translations render this verse differently; the difference is in the English rendering, not the original. What questions does that raise?
«נְטוּיָ֑ה» is a Qal Participle Passive verb. How does that grammatical form shape the action described?
Compare how Trapp's Complete Commentary and J. A. Alexander on Psalms read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

These translations choose different wording for 12 words in this verse.
7 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 7 words in this verse.