By David.
138:1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
before the heavenly assembly 2 I will sing praises to you.
138:4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks 3 to you, O Lord,
when they hear the words you speak. 4
138:5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds, 5
for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent. 6
1 sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.
2 tn The referent of the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.
3 tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in the following verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks…and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.
4 tn Heb “the words of your mouth.”
5 tn Heb “ways.”
6 tn Heb “great.”