Psalms 145:9

My Notes

What Does Psalms 145:9 Mean?

"The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." Two universals in one verse: good to all, tender mercies over all. No exceptions. No exclusions. No fine print. God's goodness extends to everyone and His compassion covers everything He made.

The word "tender mercies" (rachamim) is related to the word for womb — it describes the deep, visceral compassion a mother feels for her child. God's mercies aren't administrative or distant; they're maternal, intimate, biologically deep. And they're "over all his works" — over everything He created, from the highest angel to the smallest organism.

This verse is one of the broadest statements of divine benevolence in Scripture. While other passages describe God's specific love for Israel or His particular grace toward the elect, this verse refuses to limit the scope. Good to all. Mercies over all. The sun rises on the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45) is the New Testament echo of this Old Testament declaration.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How does 'good to all' challenge your understanding of who God's goodness reaches?
• 2.What does it mean that God's mercies are 'tender' — maternal, visceral, deep?
• 3.How do you hold this verse alongside passages about God's judgment?
• 4.Who do you tend to exclude from God's goodness that this verse includes?

Devotional

Good to all. Not good to the righteous. Not good to the faithful. Not good to the deserving. All. The LORD is good to all.

This is the most expansive statement of divine character in the Psalms. It demolishes every theology that restricts God's goodness to a select group. God's tender mercies don't stop at the borders of the church, the synagogue, or any human institution. They are over all His works — everything He made, everyone He created, every corner of the universe His hands touched.

The word "tender mercies" carries the physical sensation of a mother's love — the deep, gut-level compassion that doesn't calculate worthiness but simply loves because the child exists. God's compassion for His creation is that primal, that deep, that automatic.

This doesn't erase the reality of God's judgment or the specificity of salvation. But it does mean that underneath everything — underneath the theology, underneath the categories, underneath the arguments about who's in and who's out — there is a God who is fundamentally, universally, unconditionally good. To all.

Let that rewrite your understanding of how God sees the world. Not good to your tribe while indifferent to everyone else. Good to all. Tender mercies over all His works. Including the ones you think don't deserve it. Including you.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture