Psalms 145:21

Verse 21. Let all flesh bless his holy name] He is good to all, wants to save all, actually feeds and preserves all. And as near as שמר shamar is to שמד shamad, so near is he a Saviour to those who stand on the brink of destruction, if they will look to him.

For the application of all this Psalm to the Church of Christ, see the analysis.

ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIFTH PSALM

This hymn is most excellent, both as it regards matter and style. The matter is praise to God; the style, the Hebrew alphabet, the better to assist our memories in recording God's praise.

This Psalm contains, -

I. A proem, or protestation to praise God, Ps 145:1-2.

II. A celebration of Divine praises through the whole Psalm, from these arguments: -

I. From the greatness of God, Ps 145:3.

II. From his wonderful works, Ps 145:4, which he distinguishes under the following heads: -

1. They are glorious and beautiful, majestic and wonderful, Ps 145:5.

2. Marvellous, and full of terror, Ps 145:6.

3. Amiable, and full of goodness, Ps 145:7-9. But all wonderful.

III. From his kingdom, and government of it, and in it, Ps 145:10-21.

IV. A conclusion, Ps 145:21, in which he performs his protestation of praising God.

I. In the two first verses the psalmist acquaints us what he will do with the whole.

1. "I will extol, I will bless, I will praise."

2. "Thee, my God, my King." I am thy servant, though an earthly king.

3. "Every day," c. No day shall pass without my praising thee.

4. "For ever and ever." I shall now begin, and a succession of men will continue to hymn and praise thee till the consummation of all things.

II. The first thing he praises God for is his essence. Great.

I. "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised." Of course this follows: -

"And his greatness is unsearchable." Past our weak capacity to comprehend higher than the heavens, deeper than hell, having no end. Or if great here refer to him as King, then in respect to the extension of his empire over every living creature, he is great; he rules over the hearts of the children of men, over their thoughts and affections, and nothing is hidden from his sight.

II. From the essence of God the psalmist passes to his works and effects, which yet set forth his praise: "One generation shall praise," c. Each age is an eyewitness of thy mighty acts and mercy. From a general consideration of these works he then particularizes: -

1. "For the heavens declare," c. The sun, moon, and stars, in their splendour, magnitude, and perpetual motion, show forth God's honour and majesty.

2. A second kind of works are the terrible acts of his justice, such as the deluge, the fire of Sodom, Pharaoh's overthrow in the Red Sea, the earth opening to swallow up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Then there follow his acts of love and mercy, spoken of at large.

1. "Thy great works shall abundantly utter," &c. Thy bounty shall make all generations eloquent in thy praise, and shall sing of thy righteousness, in exhibiting thy promised blessings, in bestowing temporal benefits but above all, in the gifts of thy grace: - In the incarnation, passion, resurrection, ascension, the coming of the Holy Ghost, calling of the Gentiles, justification, sanctification, and eternal life for all these, and each of them, men shall abundantly utter thy righteousness.

2. "The Lord is gracious," c.

3. "The Lord is good to all," &c.

4. "His tender mercies are over," &c. Even to the most wicked, God gives time and opportunity for repentance, before he cuts them off.

III. The prophet having sung of God's great works in glory, terror, and mercy, now adds, "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord." And now he begins a new matter, the erection of his peculiar kingdom in his Church: "A peculiar people," &c. His saints. These will continue to mark thy wonders, and sing to thy glory: these, thy saints, shall bless thee for all and in all thy acts. "They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom," &c. "To make known to the sons of men," &c. "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom," &c. Now the power and glory of Christ's kingdom differ in a fourfold manner from that of the sons of men.

1. The kings on earth require obedience from their subjects they exact subsidies, tributes, taxes, c.

2. Earthly kings glory in their power, and rejoice in their dignity but their crown is full of thorns, anxiety, care, c.

3. Earthly kings reign but for a time, Christ for ever. 1. "They shall speak of the glory," &c. Excelling all others. 2. "To make known," &c. Thy acts far beyond theirs 3. "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom," &c. Not so theirs.

The prophet having described Christ's kingdom, begins to extol the qualities and virtues of a good king, which agrees with Christ.

I. His veracity.

II. His probity: "The Lord is faithful," &c.

III. This is another quality of a good king, so to govern his subjects that they fall not, or to raise them if fallen. Christ sustains and upholds his people, or restores them if they fall from him and return by repentance to him this was exemplified in David, Peter, the prodigal, c. "The eyes of all," &c. "Thou openest thine hand," &c.

IV. Liberality and bounty are excellent qualities in a king who cares for his subjects, and may properly be applied to Christ, who provides for his Church in all things. And -

1. "The eyes of all wait upon thee." In expectation.

2. "And thou givest," &c. It is a gift, not a debt.

3. "Their meat." Every thing fit for them.

4. "In due season." When fit and necessary.

5. "Thou openest thine hand." Givest bountifully.

6. "And satisfiest," &c. The covetous always want content is from God.

7. "The desire of every living thing," c. "The Lord is righteous," &c.

V. This is another virtue of a good king, and refers to Christ. "The Lord is nigh unto all them," &c.

VI. This is the sixth quality of a good king, to show himself ready of access to all who implore his aid.

1. Faith. For he that prays without it will not be answered.

2. Hope and confidence. He prays not seriously who hopes not to be heard.

3. Love. No man prays who hates God.

4. Desire. Nor that desires not to obtain.

5. Attention and intention, without which prayer is idle. "The Lord will fulfil," &c.

VII. The seventh quality of a good king is to grant petitions.

1. "He will fulfil," &c. But with limitation: "So they fear him."

2. "He also will hear their cry." When it is earnest and sincere.

3. "And will save them:" "The Lord preserveth all them," &c.

VIII. The eighth quality of a good king is to spare the humble and destroy the proud. Parcere subjectis, et debellare superbos. - VIRGIL. Which Christ will do he preserves his martyrs in patience, and then receives them into glory.

IV. The conclusion is an acclamation, and answers to the beginning of the Psalm.

1. "My mouth shall speak," &c. This will I do while I live.

2. "And let all flesh," &c. And let all follow his example in giving due praise to this bountiful God.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Psa 145:21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Ver. 21. My mouth shall speak, &c.] This he had oft before promised; but engageth again, that he may not start back.

And let all flesh] But especially men, good men; for high words beseem not a fool. But it well becometh the saints to be thankful, nec servire Deo solum sedet adulari, as Tertullian speaks.

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.

21. (Psa 145:21) The praise of Jehovah shall my mouth speak, and all flesh shall bless his holy name for ever, or retaining the idiomatic form of the original, all flesh shall bless the name of his holiness (or his name of holiness) to eternity and perpetuity. The use of the word praise connects this verse with the title or inscription in Psa 145:1, which is thereby justified or proved to be correct. All flesh, as in Psa 65:2. His holy name, as in Psa 33:21.

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

That is, all men shall be bound to praise him.

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

(Compare Psa 33:21).

all flesh-- (Psa 65:2). The Psalm ends, as it began, with ascriptions of praise, in which the pious will ever delight to join.

Next: Psalms Chapter 147

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(21) Holy name.—As in Psa_33:21; Psa_103:1; Psa_105:3.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. Israel’s own resolution is fixed; but nothing less can satisfy its aspirations than a universal and unending chorus of praise from all mankind, evoked by the revelation of His absolute and perfect holiness.

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.

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,.... Always, at all times, as long as he lived; and particularly when all the Lord's people shall be brought safe to glory, and the wicked destroyed; when, as Kimchi observes, he should live again with the dead that shall be raised;

and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever; not every animal, or irrational creature; not carnal men, but spiritual men; such as are praying ones, that come to a God hearing prayer: these should be praising ones; such who have hearts of flesh given them, and are sensible of divine favours, as well as of their sinfulness and unworthiness; Jews and Gentiles, all sorts of men called by grace, all flesh on whom the Spirit of God is poured; these are all excited to praise and bless the holy name of the Redeemer, with the words and by the example of the psalmist. And thus the psalm ends as it begun, with praise and blessing.

Next: Psalms Chapter 146

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

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord - That is, I will utter his praise. In view of all these things, in view of his character and doings, I will praise him. I will be found among those who honor him; who acknowledge him as the true God; who render homage for what he is, and thanks for what he has done.

And let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever - All people; all that dwell upon the earth. Let his praise be universal and eternal. This is the language of true piety; all in whose bosom there is any true religion will heartily say Amen. No desire of a pious heart is more constant and strong than that God should be praised, adored, honored by all intelligent creatures; that he should be known and acknowledged in all the earth as the true God; that his praise should ascend from all parts of the universe forever. See the notes at Psa 100:1-5.

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

Ver. 21. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD. Whatever others may do, I will not be silent in the praise of the Lord: whatever others may speak upon, my topic is fixed once for all: I will speak the praise of Jehovah. I am doing it, and I will do it as long as I breathe. And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. Praise is no monopoly for one, even though he be a David; others are debtors, let them also be songsters. All men of every race, condition, or generation should unite to glorify God. No man need think that he will be rejected when he comes with his personal note of praise; all are permitted, invited, and exhorted to magnify the Lord. Specially should his holiness be adored: this is the crown, and in a certain sense the sum, of all his attributes. Only holy hearts will praise the holy name, or character of the Lord; oh, that all flesh were sanctified, then would the sanctity of God be the delight of all. Once let the song begin and there will be no end to it. It shall go on for ever and a clay, as the old folks used to say. If there were two forevers, or twenty forevers, they ought all to be spent in the praises of the ever living, ever blessing, ever blessed JEHOVAH. Blessed be the Lord for ever for having revealed to us his name, and blessed be that name as he has revealed it; yea, blessed be he above all that we can know, or think, or say. Our hearts revel in the delight of praising him. Our mouth, our mind, our lip, our life shall be our Lord's throughout this mortal existence, and when time shall be no more.

Ver. 21. Individual praise suggests the desire for universal praise. We like company in a good deed; we perceive the inadequacy of our own song; we desire others to be happy; we long to see that done which is right and good.

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

21. David comes to the end of the Hebrew alphabet, but not to the end of his gratitude and praise. All flesh, here, means all the human race. It is something more than a wish that is here expressed; it is a prophetic glimpse of the time when, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Lord’s name shall be praised, and David’s tehillah—the Hebrew name for this psalm—be sung by every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord. The "psalm of praise" (title) ends as it began (vers. 1, 2) with the strong determination of the psalmist that he at least will praise Jehovah. Others, he hopes, will join with him, and all flesh bless his holy Name (literally, the Name of his holiness) forever and ever; but for this result he can only wish and hope and pray he cannot ensure it. But he can, and does, fulfill his own duty in the matter.

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

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord and also all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.