“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 118:1 Mean?
"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever." The opening line of Psalm 118 — and the refrain of countless Israelite worship contexts — makes two declarations: God is good and his mercy lasts forever. The goodness (tov) is his nature. The enduring mercy (chesed olam) is his disposition toward his people through all time. Together they form the foundation of all worship: why do we praise? Because God is good. How long does his mercy last? Forever.
This verse is quoted at the dedication of Solomon's temple (2 Chronicles 5:13), at the rebuilding of the temple under Ezra (Ezra 3:11), and becomes the standard liturgical refrain for Israel's worship. It's the first theology Israel sings and the last theology that remains true.
Reflection Questions
- 1.When is it hardest to believe 'he is good' — and what helps you hold onto it?
- 2.How does 'his mercy endureth for ever' sustain you when current circumstances suggest otherwise?
- 3.Why does this simple verse serve as the foundation for Israel's worship in both triumph and tragedy?
- 4.What would change in your daily gratitude if you actually believed both of these truths simultaneously?
Devotional
He is good. His mercy endures forever. The simplest and most comprehensive statement about God in the entire Bible. Two truths that anchor everything else: his nature (good) and his duration (forever).
Give thanks. The response to these two truths isn't analysis. It's gratitude. When you understand that God is good — genuinely, fundamentally, without contamination — and that his mercy doesn't have an expiration date, the only sane response is thanksgiving.
He is good. Not sometimes. Not mostly. Not good-with-asterisks. Good. Tov — the word God used to describe his own creation. The fundamental nature of God is the same quality he embedded in everything he made. He is what good means. Every other good thing is good because it participates in his goodness.
His mercy endures forever. Chesed — covenant love, loyal mercy, the faithfulness that doesn't quit. And olam — forever, into the vanishing point, beyond the horizon of time. The mercy you're experiencing today is the same mercy Abraham experienced. The same mercy David sang about. The same mercy that will be operative a thousand years from now. It doesn't deplete. It doesn't expire. It doesn't diminish.
This is the verse Israel sang at their highest moments: temple dedications, military victories, national celebrations. And it's the verse that sustained them at their lowest: exile, destruction, abandonment. Because the truth is the same in both contexts. God is good. Whether the temple is standing or burned. His mercy endures. Whether the nation is free or enslaved.
Two truths. One response. Give thanks.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
O give thanks unto the Lord,.... For all his mercies, temporal and spiritual; as all should, who are partakers of them:…
O give thanks unto the Lord ... - Let others unite with me in giving thanks to the Lord; let them see, from what has…
It appears here, as often as elsewhere, that David had his heart full of the goodness of God. He loved to think of it,…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture