BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
Psalms 111 — Praise for the Works and Word of Jehovah
An alphabetic acrostic psalm that extols Jehovah's majestic works, everlasting righteousness, gracious redemption, and everlasting covenant, closing with the foundational link between fearing God and true wisdom.
Scripture
1Praise ye Jehovah. I will give thanks unto Jehovah with my whole heart, In the council of the upright, and in the congregation.
2The works of Jehovah are great, Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
3His work is honor and majesty; And his righteousness endureth for ever.
4He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: Jehovah is gracious and merciful.
5He hath given food unto them that fear him: He will ever be mindful of his covenant.
6He hath showed his people the power of his works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.
7The works of his hands are truth and justice; All his precepts are sure.
8They are established for ever and ever; They are done in truth and uprightness.
9He hath sent redemption unto his people; He hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his name.
10The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all they that do his commandments: His praise endureth for ever.
What this passage means
Psalms 111 is structured as an acrostic in which successive lines move through the Hebrew alphabet. The psalmist opens by resolving to thank Jehovah with the whole heart (verse 1), locating that thanksgiving in the company of the upright and the assembly (verse 1). This sets the tone: worship is both personal and communal, both sincere and public.
The body of the psalm catalogs Jehovah's character through his deeds. His works are great and studied by those who delight in them (verse 2), marked by splendor and majesty, and grounded in a righteousness that endures forever (verse 3). He has caused his wonders to be remembered and is described as gracious and compassionate (verse 4). He provides food to those who fear him and remembers his covenant perpetually (verse 5); he shows his people the power of his works by giving them the heritage of the nations (verse 6). Everything his hands do is truth and justice, and his precepts are altogether sure, established forever in truth and uprightness (verses 7–8).
The psalm concludes with two climactic acts. First, Jehovah has sent redemption to his people and commanded his covenant forever; his name is holy and reverend (verse 9). Second, verse 10 gathers the whole meditation into a single axiom: the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, those who do his commandments have good understanding, and his praise endures forever.
Context
The provided chapter_note for Psalms 111 records only that the chapter was backfilled as part of the remaining Psalms outside the P0/P1 priority set; it offers no additional historical or liturgical framing. The supplied cross-references cluster around two themes already visible in the psalm: the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom, and praise of God's great and holy name.
Key words in the original
- H1984 H1984 (הָלַל, halal) opens the psalm with the imperative 'Praise.' The gloss 'praise' fits the root's sense of celebrating and proclaiming the worth of the subject; the psalm's opening call (verse 1) frames everything that follows as an act of declaration.
- H3068 H3068 (יהוה, YHWH) is the personal covenant name of the Lord, rendered 'LORD' here. Its repeated occurrence throughout Psalms 111 anchors every attribute (works, righteousness, covenant, redemption) to this specific covenant name rather than to a generic deity.
- H2587 H2587 (חַנּוּן, channun) is glossed 'gracious' and appears alongside 'compassionate' (H7349) in verse 4 to characterize Jehovah's remembered wonders. The pairing is the standard Hebrew expression of covenant mercy directed toward those who fear him.
Related verses
- Proverbs 1:7 Proverbs 1:7 supplies the exact axiom that Psalms 111:10 echoes, identifying the fear of Jehovah as the beginning of knowledge rather than merely one virtue among many.
- Psalms 138:1 Psalms 138:1 mirrors verse 1 of this psalm, joining 'with my whole heart' to public praise before witnesses, reinforcing that the thanksgiving vowed in Psalms 111:1 is both sincere and openly declared.
- Luke 1:68 Luke 1:68 pairs 'visiting and working redemption for his people' with blessing 'the Lord, the God of Israel,' echoing verse 9's conjunction of redemption sent, covenant established, and the holy name praised.
Common questions
Why does Psalms 111 begin with 'Praise ye Jehovah' instead of a title?
Psalms 111 opens with the imperative H1984 'Praise,' followed by the short divine name H3050 (Jah). Because the verse itself functions as the call to worship, the psalm needs no separate superscription; verse 1's praise command and vow of thanks supply the orientation that titles normally provide.
What is the relationship between the fear of Jehovah and wisdom in this psalm?
Verse 10 states that the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom and that those who do his commandments have good understanding. The preceding verses establish the basis: because Jehovah's works are great (verse 2), his righteousness endures (verse 3), his precepts are sure (verse 7), and his redemption and covenant stand forever (verse 9), fearing him is the proper and only sure starting point for wisdom.
How does Psalms 111 portray God's works and his word together?
The psalm alternates between deeds and words. Verses 2–6 describe Jehovah's great works, wonders, provision, and the heritage of the nations given to his people. Verses 7–9 then turn to his precepts as sure, established forever in truth and uprightness, and to his covenant as commanded forever. The pairing shows that his deeds and his revealed commitments share the same character: enduring, truthful, and righteous.