My Notes
What Does Psalms 135:10 Mean?
Psalm 135 rehearses God's power displayed in history, and here it reaches the conquest: God smote great nations and slew mighty kings. The specifics follow in verse 11 — Sihon and Og, the kings Israel defeated before entering the Promised Land.
The emphasis is on the size of the opposition: great nations, mighty kings. These weren't minor skirmishes against weak opponents. They were major military powers that should have crushed Israel. And God smote them. Not Israel's army — God.
In a praise Psalm, military history becomes worship. The conquests aren't retold as war stories. They're retold as evidence of God's character. He's the kind of God who takes on the great and the mighty — not just on behalf of great and mighty people, but on behalf of a ragtag nation of former slaves.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'great nation' or 'mighty king' are you facing right now that feels impossible?
- 2.How does rehearsing God's past victories strengthen your confidence for present battles?
- 3.Why does the psalmist give God the credit rather than Israel — and what does that mean for how you talk about your own victories?
- 4.How does turning military history into worship change the way you process the battles in your life?
Devotional
Great nations. Mighty kings. And God brought them down for a nation of former slaves.
That's the disproportion the psalmist is celebrating. Not Israel's military prowess — they didn't have any worth speaking of. God's willingness to take on the biggest opponents on behalf of the smallest people. Sihon and Og didn't fall because Israel was strong. They fell because Israel's God was.
This is what worship does with history. It takes the battles and turns them into songs. It takes the victories and traces them back to their source. The psalmist doesn't say "we defeated great nations." He says God did. The credit goes where it belongs.
And the implication is present-tense: the God who smote great nations is still your God. The mighty kings He brought down weren't the last ones. Whatever 'great nation' or 'mighty king' stands in your path today, it's facing the same God who handled Sihon and Og.
The enemy's size is irrelevant when you know who's fighting for you. Great nations and mighty kings are impressive — until you compare them to the one who smote them. And that one hasn't retired.
Your opposition is great. Your God is greater. That's not a bumper sticker. It's history.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan,.... These are particularly named, because they were the first that…
Who smote great nations ... - To wit, those specified in the following verse.
The psalmist had suggested to us the goodness of God, as the proper matter of our cheerful praises; here he suggests to…