Psalms 138 (DBY)

Chapter Text

138:1 {[A Psalm] of David.} I will give thee thanks with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing psalms of thee.

138:2 I will bow down toward the temple of thy holiness, and celebrate thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

138:3 In the day when I called thou answeredst me; thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.

138:4 All the kings of the earth shall celebrate thee, Jehovah, when they have heard the words of thy mouth;

138:5 And they shall sing in the ways of Jehovah, for great is the glory of Jehovah.

138:6 For Jehovah is high; but he looketh upon the lowly, and the proud he knoweth afar off.

138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the anger of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

138:8 Jehovah will perfect what concerneth me: thy loving-kindness, O Jehovah, [endureth] for ever; forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "psalm", "david", "give", "thee", "thanks", "whole", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "psalm", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local DBY text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "called" and "psalm" carries the first interpretive weight. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "psalm" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.