Psalms 57:10

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

For your great loving kindness reaches to the heavens, And your truth to the skies.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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Word by word

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שְׁחָקִ֥ים

shachaq

H7834

“clouds”

Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute

Appears 21× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears at Deuteronomy 33:26

Full BDB Definition

Origin: from H7833

TWOT: 2367a

dust, cloud - fine dust - (thin) cloud

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 →

8: words
7: distinct lemmas
Wisdom: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is שְׁחָקִ֥ים dust H7834 — appearing just 21 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

שְׁחָקִ֥ים dust H7834 occurs in 21 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

4 nouns
1 adjective
2 prepositions
1 conjunction

Repetition

A word recurs within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:

עַד until H5704 ×2

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 15 words from the Hebrew and 16 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.

In the original languages it is 8 Hebrew tokens and 9 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Psalms 57:10 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Psalms 108:4 For your loving kindness is great above the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Psalms 36:5 Your loving kindness, Yahweh, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Psalms 103:11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.
Isaiah 54:7–10 For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you.
Psalms 71:19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; You have done great things. God, who is like you?
Hebrews 6:17–18 In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath;
Psalms 85:10–11 Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Psalms 89:1–2 I will sing of the loving kindness of Yahweh forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

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 56 (Hebrew Psalm 57). 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 57:10 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

כִּֽי גָדֹ֣ל עַד שָׁמַ֣יִם חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וְֽעַד שְׁחָקִ֥ים אֲמִתֶּֽךָ

For your great loving kindness reaches to the heavens, And your truth to the skies.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Greek Psalm 56:10 Septuagint · lemma form

ἐκὁμολογέω σύ ἐν λαός κύριος ψάλλω σύ ἐν ἔθνος

For your mercy has been magnified even to the heavens, and your truth to the clouds.

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 57:10 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 →

Commentary source

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Psa 57:10 For thy mercy [is] great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.

Ver. 10. For thy mercy is great, &c.] God’s mercy is ordinarily in the psalms bounded by his truth; that none may either presume him more merciful than he hath declared himself in his word; or else despair of finding mercy gratis, according to his promise.

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.

The Treasury of David

Charles H. Spurgeon

Ver. 10. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens. Right up from man's lowliness to heaven's loftiness mercy reaches. Imagination fails to guess the height of heaven, and even thus the riches of mercy exceed our highest thoughts. The psalmist, as he sits at the cave's mouth and looks up to the firmament, rejoices that God's goodness is more vast and more sublime than even the vaulted skies.

And thy truth unto the clouds. Upon the cloud he sets the seal of his truth, the rainbow, which ratifies his covenant; in the cloud he hides his rain and snow, which prove his truth by bringing to us seedtime and harvest, cold and heat. Creation is great, but the Creator greater far. Heaven cannot contain him; above clouds and stars his goodness far exceeds.

Ver. 10-11. A hard and ungrateful heart beholds even in prosperity only isolated drops of divine grace; but a grateful one like David's, though chased by persecutors, and striking the harp in the gloom of a cave, looks upon the mercy and faithfulness of God as a mighty ocean, waving and heaving from the earth to the clouds, and from the clouds to the earth again. Agustus F. Tholuck.

Ver. 10. The mercy of God reaches to the heavens.

I. As a throne. God is exalted in our eyes by his

mercy.

II. As a ladder. By mercy we ascend from earth to

heaven.

III. As a rainbow. Present and past mercies argue

exemption for the saints from the wrath of heaven.

IV. As a mountain. Its base is on the earth though its

summit is lost in clouds. The influence of the cross

towers to the heaven of heavens. Who can tell the

glory of the summit of this mountain, whose base

is refulgent with glory! R. A. G.

Ver. 10. The amazing greatness of mercy.

I. It is not said merely that it is high as heaven, but

great unto the heavens. It is high as the

heavens, overtopping the greatest sin, and highest

thought of man.

II. It is wide as the far reaching sky, compassing

men of all ages, countries, classes, etc.

III. It is deep. Everything of God is proportionate;

this, therefore, is deep in abiding foundation, and

infinite wisdom.

Psalms 57:11*

Ver. 10-11. See Psalms on "Ps 57:10" for further information.

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

J. A. Alexander on Psalms

Joseph Addison Alexander

11. (Psa 57:10). For great unto the heavens (is) thy mercy, and unto the clouds thy truth. By a natural and favourite hyperbole, God's goodness is described as reaching from earth to heaven. See above, on Psa 36:5, and compare Jer 51:9.

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

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Tyndale Open Resources

57:10-11 God’s glory extends to the whole universe, as will praise for his unfailing love and faithfulness.

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

Thy mercies do not only appertain to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 10. Thy mercy is great unto the heavens] It is as far above all human description and comprehension as the heavens are above the earth. See the notes on Ps 36:5; Ps 36:6, where nearly the same words occur.

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

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

10. For thy lovingkindness is great unto the heavens,

And thy truth unto the skies.

For gives the reason for Psa_57:9. Mercy and truth which reach from earth to heaven demand world-wide praise. Note that it is the attributes which minister to the deliverance of God’s servant (Psa_57:3) which are expressly named. Sent forth for his help they have proved victorious. Almost the same words are found in Psa_36:5. Cp. Eph_3:18.

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

For thy mercy is great unto the heavens,.... Which denotes the exceeding greatness and largeness of it; as it is in the heart of God, who is plenteous in mercy; as it is expressed in the covenant of grace, where are stores of it; as it is shown forth in the choice of persons to eternal life; in the mission of Christ into this world to die for them; in the regeneration of them, the pardon of their sins, and eternal life: and this mercy is not only extended to persons in the several parts of the earth, but is as high as the heaven above it, Psa 103:11;

and thy truth unto the clouds; the faithfulness of God in performing his purposes and his promises; or the Gospel, and the doctrines of it, which contain the deep things of God; unless Christ himself should be meant, who is the truth which sprung out of the earth, Psa 85:11; is now ascended unto heaven, and is higher than the heavens; and whose exaltation and glory may be designed in Psa 57:11.

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

For thy mercy is great unto the heavens ... - See this explained in the notes at Psa 36:5.

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

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

i.e. Is most evident, and greatly exalted.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

10. Unto the heavens… clouds—See on Psa_36:5

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

The Pulpit Commentary

For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. "Thy mercy, thy truth" (comp. ver. 3).

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 8 words (7 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is shachaq (“dust”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

The word shachaq carries the sense “dust.” How does it shape the verse?
How does Deuteronomy 33:26, which shares the word «dust», read alongside this verse?
What does the repetition of “until” (2× in this one verse) do in this verse?
The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
Compare how Trapp's Complete Commentary and The Treasury of David read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

This verse counts 8 Hebrew ↔ 9 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 8 words in this verse.
“until” occurs 2× in this single verse.
7 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 8 words in this verse.