Psalms 138 (LSB)

Chapter Text

138:1 Of David. I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods.

138:2 I will worship toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

138:3 On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.

138:4 All the kings of the earth, O Yahweh, will give You thanks, When they hear the words of Your mouth.

138:5 And they will sing of the ways of Yahweh, For great is the glory of Yahweh.

138:6 For Yahweh is high, Yet He sees the lowly, But the one who exalts himself He knows from afar.

138:7 Though I walk in the midst of distress, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.

138:8 Yahweh will accomplish what concerns me; O Yahweh, Your lovingkindness endures forever; Do not fail the works of Your hands.

Study Lenses

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

The local LSB text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "called" and "david" 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 "david" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.