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Psalm 145 (LXX 144) - I Will Exalt Thee My God and King

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This narration is from a previous version of the study. The text on this page is current.

Psalm 145 is David’s great royal praise Psalm. It begins, “I will exalt thee, my God, my king,” and then moves through daily praise, unsearchable greatness, generational testimony, mercy, kingdom, providence, the open hand of God, nearness to those who call in truth, and the final desire that all flesh bless His holy name forever.

The Psalm teaches the Church to praise God without depending on mood. Augustine sees daily praise as preparation for the one endless day of the Kingdom. The Psalm also refuses to separate worship from providence. God is exalted as King, but His kingship is seen in supporting the falling, raising the broken, feeding all, and preserving those who love Him.

Retained Coptic lectionary witnesses include selections from this Psalm in the Feast of the Cross Liturgy, annual Matins, the Third Sunday of Abib Liturgy, and Mesra 26 Matins. Their selected verses and calendar settings differ. They bring the Psalm’s praise of the King together with its confession that the Lord is righteous, near, and saving.

Psalm 145 (LXX 144) - I Will Exalt Thee My God and King

Psalm Metadata

FieldNotes
NKJV / Masoretic numberingPsalm 145
Septuagint / Coptic numberingPsalm 144
Accepted authorDavid by the superscription, “David’s Psalm of praise.”
Period in author’s lifeNo precise life period is given. This is a Davidic royal praise Psalm rather than a narrative Psalm tied to one event.
Christ prophecy statusChristological by patristic interpretation and kingdom fulfillment. Augustine reads the title as praise to Christ, who is David’s Son according to the flesh and David’s Lord according to divinity.
Coptic lectionary/service useRetained source witnesses: Feast of the Cross Liturgy, Tut 18, Psalm 145:1–2 (LXX 144:1–2, excluding the superscription); annual Matins selections within Psalm 145:10–12 (LXX 144:10–12, with witness-specific clause limits); Third Sunday of Abib Liturgy, Psalm 145:17–18 (LXX 144:17–18); Mesra 26 Matins, Psalm 145:10,11,19,20 (LXX 144:10,11,19,20), including judgment. Calendar precedence qualifies recurrence.
Numbering issueThis note embeds Brenton LXX Psalm 144. Current project title uses NKJV Psalm 145 with LXX 144 in parentheses.

Historical and Scriptural Context

The Psalm is a Davidic praise acrostic in the Hebrew tradition; Theodoret also describes the hymn as alphabetically arranged.1 Brenton’s LXX gives it the title, “David’s Psalm of praise.” No battle, betrayal, cave, or exile setting is supplied. The setting is worship itself: the king stands before the true King and blesses His name forever.

Theologically, Psalm 145 gathers several major biblical lines. Verse 8 echoes the Lord’s self-revelation in Exodus 34:6: the Psalm calls Him “compassionate, and merciful; long-suffering, and abundant in mercy.” Verses 11-13 proclaim the everlasting kingdom, which Christians see revealed in Christ. Verses 15-16 describe providence, the eyes of all waiting on God and God opening His hand. Verses 18-19 teach true prayer: God is near to those who call on Him in truth.

Augustine reads the Davidic title through Christ:

“Christ according to the flesh is David, because He is the Son of David: but according to His Divine Nature He is the Creator of David, and Lord of David.”2

This guards the Psalm from becoming generic praise. The King being exalted is the Lord who reigns forever, and in Christian reading the kingdom is revealed in Christ.

Geographical Significance ⛰️

Psalm 145 has no single earthly geography. Its geography is cosmic and liturgical. It moves from one person praising God to every generation, from the saints to all God’s works, from the kingdom to all living things, and finally to “all flesh”.

The retained Coptic readings place selections in different settings. The Feast of the Cross hears the King exalted through the victorious Cross. Annual Matins selections proclaim God’s kingdom and dominion at the start of the day. The Third Sunday of Abib hears God’s righteousness and nearness in the Eucharistic gathering. The Psalm’s praise can also be heard in the light of the Resurrection without claiming a particular Holy Fifty Days appointment for it.

🕯️ Light from the Word

Psalm 144:1-3, praise without end because greatness has no end

144:1 David’s Psalm of praise. I will exalt thee, my God, my king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
144:2 Every day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
144:3 The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised; and there is no end of his greatness.

The Psalm begins with personal resolve: “I will exalt”. But it immediately stretches beyond the present day into forever. The prayer is daily and eternal at the same time. Every day becomes practice for endless praise.

Augustine draws out the daily discipline:

“No day shall pass by, wherein I bless Thee not.”3

He then asks what happens when the day is sorrowful. Psalm 145 teaches praise that can pass through grief without becoming false. It does not deny suffering or demand a cheerful feeling. When grief, trauma, or illness leaves someone unable to sing, the Church can pray with and for that person; silence is not proof of refusal of God.

Augustine also links God’s endless greatness with endless praise:

“His Greatness is without end; let thy praise also be without end.”4

Praise is not an attempt to finish describing God. It is participation in an inexhaustible glory. God is not praised because the soul has mastered Him. God is praised because His greatness cannot be exhausted.

Psalm 144:4-7, generation to generation and the memory of goodness

144:4 Generation after generation shall praise thy works, and tell of thy power.
144:5 And they shall speak of the glorious majesty of thy holiness, and recount thy wonders.
144:6 And they shall speak of the power of thy terrible acts; and recount thy greatness.
144:7 They shall utter the memory of the abundance of thy goodness, and shall exult in thy righteousness.

Praise is handed down. The Psalm calls one generation to tell another what God has done. If the works of God are not spoken, the next generation inherits silence.

The phrase “memory of the abundance of thy goodness” is especially important. The Church does not remember God as data. It remembers His goodness. This includes creation, covenant, Exodus, mercy, Incarnation, Cross, Resurrection, Eucharist, and the lives of the saints.

Theodoret sees praise moving from Israel to the Church among the nations and speaking of God’s works, power, and kingdom.5 That reading guards against vague thanksgiving: praise recounts what God has done. As an application for our own households and parishes, parents, servants, deacons, and teachers should pass on more than moral advice. They should tell the works of God.

Psalm 144:8-13, mercy, saints, and the everlasting kingdom

144:8 The Lord is compassionate, and merciful; long-suffering, and abundant in mercy.
144:9 The Lord is good to those that wait on him; and his compassions are over all his works.
144:10 Let all thy works, O Lord, give thanks to thee; and let thy saints bless thee.
144:11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy dominion;
144:12 to make known to the sons of men thy power, and the glorious majesty of thy kingdom.
144:13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful in his words, and holy in all his works.

Verse 8 carries the heart of biblical revelation from Exodus 34. God is compassionate, merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy. The Psalm then joins that mercy to kingdom. God’s reign is not tyranny with religious language. His kingdom is known in mercy, faithfulness, holiness, and compassion over all His works.

Notice how verse 9 holds waiting and the breadth of God’s compassion together. The Lord is good to those who wait on Him, and His compassions are over all His works. At the close of verse 13, His faithfulness to His words prepares us for the waiting eyes in verse 15. The Psalm directs those eyes toward the character of the King.

Augustine’s Christological reading matters here. He reads the Davidic praise as praise to Christ Himself. Christ is the King whose kingdom is everlasting. His power is revealed not merely by domination but by the Cross, Resurrection, forgiveness, and gathering of the nations.

Retained annual Matins witnesses select from Psalm 145:10-12 (LXX 144:10-12). They bring the saints’ blessing and speech about God’s kingdom into the day’s prayer, although the selected clauses differ between witnesses. Christian life is not only repentance from sin but also public speech about God’s dominion.

Psalm 144:14-16, the falling, the broken, and the open hand

144:14 The Lord supports all that are falling, and sets up all that are broken down.
144:15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their food in due season.
144:16 Thou openest thine hands, and fillest every living thing with pleasure.

This is providence with tenderness. God supports the falling and raises the broken down. The eyes of all wait on Him. He gives food in due season. He opens His hand.

Augustine offers a word of hope about delay:

“Thou delayest, not deniest, and that in due season”.6

He compares God’s care to a physician tending a sick person, giving what is fitting at the right time. His purpose is to encourage a person whose righteous request has not been answered. His horizon is salvation still hoped for, not a promise that every desired earthly outcome will eventually be granted.

We cannot know why another person lacks food, treatment, protection, or relief. Hunger is not proof of weak faith, and lament is not a failure of patience. This does not make every delay easy, but it leaves room to pray through it. The Psalm should move us toward mercy as well as trust: share a meal, help someone obtain care, and accompany those who are waiting.

The Eucharistic resonance is also strong, though not as a direct prophecy. The God who feeds all living things is the same Lord who gives Himself as the Bread of Life. Providence reaches its fullness in communion.

Psalm 144:17-21, nearness, truth, desire, preservation, and all flesh blessing God

144:17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
144:18 The Lord is near to all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
144:19 He will perform the desire of them that fear him: and he will hear their supplication, and save them.
144:20 The Lord preserves all that love him: but all sinners he will utterly destroy.
144:21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

The Psalm’s final movement teaches prayer. The Lord is near, but the line is precise: near to those who call upon Him in truth. Prayer is not manipulation. It is truthful communion with the righteous and holy Lord. Augustine urges the one praying to seek not only God’s gifts but God Himself.7 Fear of Him is reverent trust, not a bargain that guarantees every request or a reason to hide our grief.

Verse 20 speaks plainly of judgment as well as preservation. Augustine hears a warning against persistence in sin: neither despair of forgiveness nor presume upon mercy as a reason to put off repentance.8 God’s mercy calls us to turn and live; it does not make evil harmless. His preservation is not a promise of immunity from illness, injury, or death. Judgment belongs to God, not to private vengeance or coercion, and another person’s suffering cannot tell us that person’s destiny.

Psalm 145:17-18 (LXX 144:17-18) appears in a retained witness for the Third Sunday of Abib Liturgy. That placement emphasizes God’s righteous ways and nearness to those who call in truth. The Liturgy is the Church calling on God in truth, confessing the faith, and receiving the near Lord.

The final verse expands from David’s mouth to all flesh. This is missionary and eschatological. The one praying soul becomes a witness so that all flesh may bless God’s holy name. Psalmody trains this expansion: what begins in one mouth becomes the Church’s praise, then all creation’s praise.

The Church’s Voice in Worship 📖

The retained references show selections from Psalm 145 (LXX 144) in several settings. Calendar precedence can affect which readings are used.

  • Feast of the Cross, Tut 18 Liturgy: A witness selects Psalm 145:1-2 (LXX 144:1-2), without the superscription, to exalt God the King.9 The Cross is the throne of the King and the sign by which the Church blesses His name. The same witness includes John 6:35-46, where Christ speaks of Himself as the Bread of Life.
  • Annual Matins references: Witnesses select within Psalm 145:10-12 (LXX 144:10-12). Some begin with the saints’ blessing and end with God’s mighty acts; others also include the opening clause about all His works and the closing clause about the majesty of His kingdom.10
  • Third Sunday of Abib Liturgy: A witness pairs Psalm 145:17-18 (LXX 144:17-18) with the feeding of the multitude in Luke 9:10-17.11 The Psalm’s nearness and the Gospel’s feeding invite reflection on the Lord who receives and nourishes His people. Psalm 145:15-16 is not part of that selected Psalm reading; its Eucharistic connection remains a resonance, not a direct prophecy.
  • Mesra 26 Matins: A witness selects Psalm 145:10,11,19,20 (LXX 144:10,11,19,20), joining the saints’ blessing and kingdom speech to heard supplication, preservation, and judgment.12

An earlier claim placed this Psalm at Holy Fifty Days Vespers. One cited witness prints Psalm 145:1,2,10, but its selected words belong to Psalm 146:1,2,10 (LXX 145:1,2,10), not to the Psalm studied here.13 The correction does not diminish the Christian resonance between this Psalm’s everlasting praise and the Resurrection.

Psalm 145 is a hinge into the final Alleluia movement of the Psalter. It teaches daily praise, generational praise, kingdom praise, and creaturely praise. It prepares the soul for the final Psalms where all creation becomes praise.

Iconography Connection 🖼️

Psalm 145 can be paired with Christ Pantocrator, Christ enthroned, the Resurrection, the Cross as royal victory, and the feeding of the multitude. For teaching, Christ the King with the open Gospel works especially well: the Psalm praises the King whose kingdom is everlasting and whose hand feeds all living things.

Spiritual Fruit 🍇

  1. Bless God every day. Bring even your sorrow to Him; let others pray with you when words fail.
  2. Pass on the memory of God’s works. Generation must teach generation.
  3. Praise the King revealed in Christ. David’s Lord and David’s Son is the true King.
  4. Look to God’s open hand. Trust His care, and offer food and help to someone in need.
  5. Call in truth. Prayer can be honest before the righteous and holy Lord.
  6. Let one mouth become all flesh. Personal praise should widen into the Church’s mission and creation’s praise.

Footnotes

  1. Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on Psalm 145, §1, p. 351, translated by Robert C. Hill. ↩

  2. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm CXLV (Latin CXLIV), §1. ↩

  3. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm CXLV (Latin CXLIV), §1, on daily praise and the day of sorrow. ↩

  4. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm CXLV (Latin CXLIV), §2. ↩

  5. Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on Psalm 145, §§1, 4-8, pp. 351-354, translated by Robert C. Hill. The application to household and parish teaching is this guide’s. ↩

  6. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm CXLV (Latin CXLIV), §15; see §§14-17 for the physician image, righteous request, and salvation in hope. ↩

  7. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm CXLV (Latin CXLIV), §16. ↩

  8. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm CXLV (Latin CXLIV), §§7-8, 18, on mercy, repentance, and judgment. ↩

  9. CopticChurch.net, 28 September 2022, Liturgy, printed Psalm 145:1-2; the selected Psalm omits the superscription. ↩

  10. Compare CopticChurch.net, 24 October 2022, Matins, printed Psalm 145:10-12, with 25 July 2023, Matins, printed Psalm 145:10-12. ↩

  11. CopticChurch.net, 23 July 2023, Liturgy, printed Psalm 145:17-18 and Luke 9:10-17. ↩

  12. CopticChurch.net, 1 September 2023, Matins, printed Psalm 145:10,11,19,20. The Gospel heading gives 12:20-26 without a book or Gospel text; it is not used here to identify a Gospel book. ↩

  13. CopticChurch.net, 28 May 2023, Vespers, printed Psalm 145:1,2,10. The selected words correspond to Psalm 146:1,2,10 (LXX 145:1,2,10). ↩

  14. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm CXLV (Latin CXLIV), §2. ↩

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