Psalms 145:7 · Bible study
Psalms 145:7 Commentary: Pouring Out Praise for God's Great Goodness and Righteousness
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 145:7 shows how the memory of God's great goodness overflows into joyful song about His righteous character.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Praise is a spontaneous overflow from remembering God’s goodness, expressed in joyful song about His covenant righteousness.
- Key words: yabbi‘u (pour forth like a fountain), zekher (memorial), rav-tuvkha (your great goodness), tsedaqah (righteousness/covenant faithfulness).
- Main debate: The nature of “righteousness”, whether it refers to God’s attribute or His saving acts; commentators agree it is covenant faithfulness.
- Theological theme: Praise as the natural response to God’s goodness and faithful love; the link between memory and joy.
- Best use: Teaching on the spontaneous nature of praise; encouraging congregations to recall specific acts of God’s kindness as fuel for worship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
They will extol the fame of Your abundant goodness and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
WEB World English Bible 2000
They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.
KJV King James Version 1769
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness, And shall sing of thy righteousness.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
The memorial of the abundance of Thy goodness they send forth. And Thy righteousness they sing.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Who keepeth truth for ever: who executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong: who giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth them that are fettered:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Reproducirán la memoria de la muchedumbre de tu bondad, y cantarán tu justicia.
Declararão a lembrança de tua grande bondade; e anunciarão tua justiça alegremente.
Qu’on proclame le souvenir de ton immense bonté,
daß man preise deine große Güte und deine Gerechtigkeit rühme.
Zain. Zij zullen de gedachtenis der grootheid Uwer goedheid overvloediglijk uitstorten, en zij zullen Uw gerechtigheid met gejuich verkondigen.
Essi proclameranno il ricordo della tua gran bontà, e canteranno con giubilo la tua giustizia.
Pamięć obfitej dobroci twojej wysławiać, o sprawiedliwości twojej śpiewać będą, mówiąc:
творящего суд обиженным, дающего хлеб алчущим. Господь разрешает узников,
他們記念 你的大 恩 就要傳出來，並要歌唱 你的公義。
Their sayings will be full of the memory of all your mercy, and they will make songs of your righteousness.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 145:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse captures the spontaneous nature of praise. The Hebrew verb yabbi‘u (they will pour forth) evokes a fountain bubbling over (Barnes; Cambridge calls it “pour forth as a perpetual stream”). The “memory” (zekher) of God’s great goodness is not mere recollection but an active recounting of His acts. Gill draws attention to the specific object: “great goodness” referring to God’s special grace and kindness to His people. On the parallel line, “sing of your righteousness,” the term tsedaqah points to God’s covenant faithfulness, His saving actions in keeping His promises (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown; Cambridge: “faithfulness to His revealed character”). Together, the two lines show that praise flows from the abundance of the heart (Gill) and finds its fullest expression in joyful song. There is no debate among major commentators: the image is one of pressure released, a heart so full that it must speak and sing.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse teaches that praise naturally overflows from remembering God’s goodness and finds expression in joyful song about His covenant righteousness.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the Hebrew verb yabbi‘u | All major commentators agree it depicts praise gushing forth like a fountain (Barnes, Cambridge, Gill). | No significant debate; the imagery is consistent. |
| Definition of righteousness (tsedaqah) | Commentators agree it refers to God’s covenant faithfulness and saving actions (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Cambridge). | Some traditions may emphasize forensic justification, others relational salvation; both see it as a cause for joyful song. |
| Relationship between goodness and righteousness | They are complementary aspects of God’s character: goodness is His generous kindness, righteousness is His faithful covenant keeping. | No significant debate; the verse pairs them to show the depth of God’s nature. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 145 is an acrostic psalm, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a form that signals completeness and order in praise (Calvin). The superscription calls it a tehillah, a praise song, making it unique among the psalms (Lange). David, likely the author, wrote this as “the last of the alphabetical Psalms” (Calvin), a fitting capstone to a life of worship.
In ancient Israel, memory (zekher) was not simply internal recall but communal proclamation. The “memorial” was passed from generation to generation (v.4) in oral teaching and liturgical recitation. The verb yabbi‘u appears elsewhere in Proverbs for speech that gushes like water from a deep source (Barnes notes Proverbs 18:4). The parallel with “sing” (yerannenu) ties praise to public music and celebration.
The concept of righteousness (tsedaqah) in this context is covenantal. As Psalm 51:14 shows, singing of God’s righteousness is linked to deliverance and salvation. This is not abstract justice but the faithful love that rescues and restores. The verse sits in a section where vv.8-9 describe God as gracious, merciful, good to all, making the memory of goodness and the song of righteousness a natural response to who God is.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 145:7 itself. However, the overall psalm structure is notable: Calvin and others observe that one letter of the acrostic (nun) is missing in the Masoretic Text, making this an imperfect acrostic. That omission does not affect the reading of verse 7.
Reception History
Calvin records that ancient Hebrews considered this psalm so important that reciting it three times daily was believed to bring the blessings of the world to come. The psalm’s acrostic structure made it a model of ordered praise in Jewish liturgy. In Christian tradition, it has been sung as a hymn of thanksgiving for God’s kingdom. The pairing of goodness and righteousness has encouraged believers to praise God both for His generous kindness and His faithful covenant love.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Praise is an overflow, not a production. The Hebrew verb yabbi‘u pictures a heart that gushes like a fountain (Barnes, Cambridge).
- The fuel of praise is memory, actively recalling “the memory of your great goodness.” This includes God’s acts in Scripture, in our lives, and in the church.
- Singing of God’s righteousness (tsedaqah) is a joy. His covenant faithfulness gives us a solid foundation for praise, even in hard times (cf. Psalm 51:14).
Five-point outline
- The spontaneous nature of praise: the fountain image.
- The content of praise: remembering God’s great goodness.
- The focus of praise: God’s character revealed in His deeds.
- The expression of praise: joyful singing, aloud and public.
- The community of praise: one generation declaring to another (v.4).
Illustration hooks
- A person receiving an unexpected gift, the words of thanks come quickly, without planning.
- A child telling a story of a happy trip, details pour out, each memory leading to another.
- A congregation after a moving testimony, the singing becomes more heartfelt and loud.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does my praise sometimes feel dry or forced?
- How can I connect God’s goodness with His righteousness in my daily life?
- What does it mean to “pour forth” praise in a culture that values quiet restraint?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 145:7 invites us to see praise not as a duty but as a natural response to who God is. The Hebrew verbs picture a fountain and a shout. This verse asks: what happens when we truly remember God’s goodness? How does that memory lead to song?
Discussion questions
- What does the Hebrew verb yabbi‘u (to bubble forth, pour out) suggest about the source of genuine praise?
- Why is “memory” (zekher) important in this verse? How does it relate to the command to “remember” elsewhere in the Old Testament?
- How would you describe the difference between “goodness” (tuv) and “righteousness” (tsedaqah) in this context? Are they the same thing or different?
- Look at Psalm 51:14, where the psalmist says, “My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.” How does that personal vow connect to the communal voice in Psalm 145:7?
- When have you experienced praise that felt like a fountain, spontaneous, unstoppable? What prompted it?
- How can we “pour forth the memory” of God’s goodness when we feel empty or forgetful?
- What might change in your worship if you came each week expecting to “sing of your righteousness” as a joyful act?
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 36:5 | Your loving kindness, Yahweh, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. |
| Psalms 36:8 | They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house. You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures. |
| Psalms 36:10 | Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. |
| Psalms 51:14 | Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. |
| Psalms 71:15 | My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure. |
| Psalms 71:16 | I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone. |
| Psalms 71:19 | God, your righteousness also reaches to the heavens. You have done great things. God, who is like you? |
| Psalms 72:1 | By Solomon. God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son. |
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
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on the Hebrew word meaning to gush out like a fountain. A heart full of God's goodness naturally overflows in praise, just as a fountain pours forth water. Singing of God's righteousness means shouting for joy at the clear displays of His just character.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
They shall abundantly utter ] Lit. pour forth as a perpetual stream of praise, as in Psa_119:171 . thy great goodness ] Cp. Psa_31:19 ; Isa_63:7 . shall joyfully sing of thy righteousness ] i.e. God ’s faithfulness to His revealed character. Cp. Psa_143:1 , note; Psa_51:14 .
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note draws out the spontaneous, irrepressible character of praise. The righteous burst forth with mention of God’s great goodness, unable to contain it, and shout aloud about His righteousness in public, joyful song. This is no quiet reflection but an overflowing, audible declaration.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill distinguishes three layers of God's goodness—essential, providential, and the special grace of Christ's saving work—which the saints remember and freely pour out, aided by the Spirit and the ordinance. He similarly divides God's righteousness into essential, mediatorial, and justifying, giving believers abundant reason to sing.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB defines memory in this context as not merely recollection but as something that prompts remembrance. He also clarifies righteousness as goodness that flows from God’s covenant commitment, not abstract justice. His reading ties both terms directly to God’s faithful actions on behalf of his people.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observes that addressing God as "my God the King" rather than the more common "my King and my God" is a deliberate emphasis on God's absolute sovereignty, an act of homage and allegiance. The poet's longing to praise the eternal King without interruption reflects a soul yearning for eternal life, pointing beyond mortality.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that David's praise is a deliberate, personal act of self-engagement: he stirs himself to bless God daily, not merely as a duty but as a delight. The goal of extolling God is to express high thoughts of him and to raise the same in others.