Psalms 135:3 · Bible study
Psalms 135:3 Commentary: Good God, Pleasant Praise
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 135:3 calls God good and praise pleasant. Does that pleasure come from singing or from God's name itself? Two readings, one shared joy.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God's goodness is the reason for praise, and that praise itself is a source of joy.
- Key words: Yah (shortened form of Yahweh), good (טוֹב), pleasant (נָעִים).
- Main debate: Does נָעִים refer to the act of singing praise (Keil & Delitzsch) or to God's name (Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Gill)?
- Theological theme: The intrinsic delight of worshipping a good God, who reveals himself in creation and redemption.
- Best use: A concise call to worship, especially in settings where the congregation needs reminding that praise is both duty and delight.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Hallelujah, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Praise Yah, for Yahweh is good. Sing praises to his name, for that is pleasant.
KJV King James Version 1769
Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Praise ye Jehovah; for Jehovah is good: Sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Praise ye Jah! for Jehovah is good, Sing praise to His name, for it is pleasant.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Praise ye Jah; for Jehovah is good: sing psalms unto his name; for it is pleasant.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Praise ye the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Alabad á JAH, porque es bueno Jehová: cantad salmos á su nombre, porque es suave.
Louvai ao SENHOR, porque o SENHOR é bom; cantai louvores ao seu nome, porque é agradável;
Louez l’ Éternel! Car l’ Éternel est bon.
Lobet den HERRN, denn der HERR ist freundlich; lobsinget seinem Namen, denn er ist lieblich!
Looft den HEERE, want de HEERE is goed; psalmzingt Zijn Naam, want Hij is liefelijk.
Lodate l’Eterno, perché l’Eterno è buono; salmeggiate al suo nome, perché è amabile.
Chwalcież Pana, albowiem to Pan dobry; śpiewajcież imieniowi jego, boć jest wdzięczne.
Славьте Господа господствующих, ибо вовек милость Его;
你們要讚美 耶和華！耶和華 本為 善；要歌頌 他的名，因為 這是美好的。
Give praise to Jah, for he is good: make melody to his name, for it is pleasing.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 135:3
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators from every tradition agree on the central thrust of this verse: because Yahweh is good, praising him is both right and delightful. Matthew Henry calls God's goodness 'his glory' and says the work of praise 'is its own wages.' Gill adds that God is good 'essentially and communicatively', good in himself, and good in what he gives. Barnes and Calvin both connect the verse to the broader summons in Psalms 135:1-2, where the servants of Yahweh, priests, Levites, and all who worship, are called to praise. The one point of difference is the referent of pleasant (נָעִים). Keil and Delitzsch argue that it describes the act of praise itself, citing Psalms 147:1 ('praise is pleasant'). Gill, following the rabbis Aben Ezra and Kimchi, takes it as God's name itself: 'his name is pleasant.' Both readings are well supported, and both agree that praising God is a source of joy, not obligation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: All agree that God is good and that praising him — whether the pleasure is in the act or the object — is fitting and joyful for his people.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Reference of the word 'pleasant' (נָעִים) | The verse is about the goodness of praising God and its fittingness. | Some commentators (e.g., Keil & Delitzsch, citing Psalms 147:1) read 'pleasant' as describing the act of praise. Others (Gill, Aben Ezra, Kimchi) read it as 'his name is pleasant.' Both readings affirm that worship is beautiful. |
| Who are 'the servants of Yahweh' in verse 1? | The address includes priests and Levites who serve in the temple. | Calvin and others extend the address to all God's people, while some restrict it to official temple ministers based on the parallel with Psalms 134:1. |
| Nature of God's goodness | God is good in himself and in his actions toward all people. | Gill distinguishes between providential goodness to all and special grace to his people. Calvin and Matthew Henry emphasize God's goodness as the basis for praise without narrowing it. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 135 is a 'Hallelujah' psalm, its first and last words frame everything as a call to praise. The opening verses (1-2) address people who 'stand in Yahweh's house' and in its courts. In the temple liturgy, the priests and Levites served in the inner house, while the laity gathered in the outer courts. Calvin notes that the summons is not restricted to Levites: the reasons for praise that follow apply to 'all God's children.' The psalm then gives two kinds of reasons for praise. First, God's character: he is good (v.3). Second, his acts: he chose Israel (v.4), rules over nature (vv.5-7), delivered his people from Egypt (vv.8-9), and gave them the land (vv.10-12). This structure, call, then grounds in creation and redemption, is common in Israel's hymns. Psalms 135 borrows phrases from other psalms (e.g., Psalms 134:1, 115:4-8, 136:10-22) and from Deuteronomy 7:6, suggesting it was composed for worship when the community knew these texts well. The word 'pleasant' (נָעִים) also appears in Psalms 33:1 and 147:1, where it describes praise as 'fitting' or 'comely.' This background reinforces the idea that worship is not just commanded but naturally beautiful for God's people.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Psalm 135:3 is stable across major manuscripts (MT, Dead Sea Scrolls of Psalms). The supplied translations are nearly identical. The Douay-Rheims differs significantly ('Praise ye the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever'), reflecting the Latin Vulgate's dependence on the Greek Septuagint, which may have been based on a different Hebrew Vorlage or a paraphrase. The consulted commentaries do not treat this as a variant affecting the verse's interpretation.
Reception History
Psalm 135 has been used in both Jewish and Christian worship as a 'Hallel' psalm, especially in festival contexts. Verse 3, with its pairing of God's goodness and the pleasantness of praise, has been a favourite text for sermons on the nature of worship. Early church writers like Augustine used it to argue that worship is not burdensome but a foretaste of eternal joy. In Reformation-era hymnody, the verse inspired paraphrases that connected God's goodness to his saving acts. The ambiguity of 'pleasant' allowed it to be sung both as a statement about God's name and as a reflection on the delight of singing itself.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Why praise? God is good. Not because we feel like it, but because of who he is.
- How to praise? Sing to his name, specific, personal, covenant worship.
- What is the result? It is pleasant. Praise itself becomes a gift we receive as we give it.
Five-point outline
- The command: Praise Yah, a short, urgent call.
- The first reason: Yahweh is good, his character grounds our worship.
- The action: Sing praises to his name, not abstract reverence, but sung, named praise.
- The second reason: It is pleasant, the work of praise brings its own joy.
- The wider context: The rest of the psalm expands on God's power in nature and history, showing why this God is worthy.
Illustration hooks
- A child who complains about practising piano, but one day the music flows and she plays for an hour because she loves it, the command became its own reward.
- A friend who says, 'I don't feel like coming to church, but I always feel better afterward.' That surprise of joy matches the psalm's logic: praise is pleasant even before you feel it.
Questions your congregation is asking
- What if I don't feel that praising God is pleasant? Is something wrong with me?
- How can I worship when life is hard and God doesn't feel good?
- Does singing really matter to God, or is it just emotional relief?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 135:3 ties who God is (good) to what we do (praise) and how it feels (pleasant). In a culture that often separates duty from delight, this verse invites us to experience worship as both. The questions below will help your group explore what it means to say God is good, and what makes praise a source of joy.
Discussion questions
- Read the whole psalm (135:1-21). Why do you think the psalmist piles up so many reasons for praise? What does that tell us about God and about us?
- The verse says 'the Lord is good.' When you say that aloud, what comes to mind? Think of a specific situation where God's goodness felt real to you.
- The word 'pleasant' can describe either God's name or the act of praise. Which reading do you lean toward, and why? Does one match your experience of worship more than the other?
- Verse 4 says God chose Jacob and Israel as his 'peculiar treasure.' How does being chosen affect the way you approach praise? Should it?
- How do you respond when praise feels dry or difficult? What helps you keep going, even when it doesn't feel 'pleasant' at the moment?
- Verse 5 says 'I know that Yahweh is great.' Whose knowledge is this, just the psalmist's, or does it speak for the whole community? How does shared worship shape our personal faith?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 33:1 | Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright. |
| Psalms 63:5 | My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips, |
| Psalms 92:1 | A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, Most High, |
| Psalms 92:2 | to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night, |
| Psalms 100:5 | For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations. |
| Psalms 106:1 | Praise Yahweh! Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. |
| Psalms 107:1 | Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. |
| Psalms 118:1 | Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies two distinct reasons for praise in this verse: God's inherent goodness and the personal comfort that comes from acknowledging Him and our dependence on Him. He stresses that such praise is both becoming and deeply satisfying to an upright heart.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that praising God is not only a duty but a source of genuine happiness. He notes that singing to the Lord is described as pleasant and proper in itself, making worship a joyful act that is fitting for who God is.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that the call to praise God here is not limited to the Levites but extends to the whole congregation. He finds the reasons given—God's goodness and his choice of Jacob—apply equally to all believers, not only to those who serve in the temple.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible Schools notes that this verse summons God's servants to praise Him because He chose Israel as His own people. It also observes a double meaning in the phrase "for it is pleasant," which can refer either to the loveliness of God's name or to the joy of singing praise itself.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight that praising God is not only commanded but also fitting and proper because of His goodness. The word "comely" stresses that worship is a beautiful, appropriate response to who God is, not merely an obligation.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that praising God is pleasant both as an act in itself and because of its subject. The work of praise brings delight, as it mirrors the worship of angels and saints, and the name of God, proclaimed through Christ, is itself sweet and joyful to believers despite its holy and reverent nature.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that the praise summoned here belongs to all who fear God, not only temple servants. They insist the phrase for it is pleasant cannot refer to God Himself, since Scripture never calls Him that. Instead it describes either the Name or the joyful work of praising His Name.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats this psalm as a deliberate mosaic of earlier Scripture, noting it is almost entirely assembled from passages taken from other psalms and allusions to the law and prophets. He sees it as a late composition that weaves together these borrowed pieces into a unified call to praise the Lord for his works in nature and history.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that praise should focus on God's character, not just his gifts. He calls the act of praising God a pleasure in itself, a foretaste of heaven that outweighs sinful pleasures. This duty belongs especially to those admitted to worship in God's house.