Psalms 111 KJV
Praise for God's Works
About This Psalm
An acrostic praising God's works. Great are the works of the LORD. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
1raise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
2 The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
3 His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.
6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
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Did You Know?
The acrostic structure of Psalm 111, advancing letter by letter through the Hebrew alphabet, enacts a theological claim that God's covenant acts encompass every dimension of reality from Aleph to Tav.
Paired deliberately with Psalm 112, the psalm forms a diptych in which divine attributes (righteousness, compassion, faithfulness) are presented as the pattern the righteous human is called to embody, modeling imitatio Dei.
Verse 6's reference to giving "the heritage of the heathen" subtly recasts the conquest traditions of Joshua as an act of divine power rather than Israelite military achievement, aligning with Deuteronomic theology.
By ending on the wisdom saying "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," the psalm fuses hymnic praise with sapiential tradition, implying that meditation on redemptive history produces ethical discernment.
The phrase "his works to be remembered" (verse 4) echoes the language of cultic memorial in Exodus, suggesting the psalm itself functions as a liturgical counterpart to Passover or covenant-renewal ceremonies that keep God's deeds alive in Israel's memory.