Psalms 111 Study Notes: Praise for the LORD's Great Deeds
An alphabetic hymn of thanks for the LORD's great deeds. The psalmist praises His grace, His provision, His covenant faithfulness, the gift of the land, and the redemption He sent His people, and concludes that reverence for the LORD is where wisdom starts.
General
According to 111:10, where does wisdom begin?
Answer: In reverent awe before the LORD Himself
The psalm closes by teaching that wisdom starts with fearing the LORD, that all who practice His precepts have good understanding, and that His praise lasts forever (111:10). Wisdom in the Bible means skill in living rightly before God. Fearing the LORD is not terror that drives a person away but reverent awe that takes God seriously, trusts Him, and obeys Him. This same teaching sits at the heart of the wisdom books (Bible books such as Job and Proverbs that teach how to live well under God): Proverbs 9:10 says it almost word for word, Proverbs 1:7 calls reverence for the LORD the starting point of knowledge, and Job 28:28 concludes that fearing the Lord and turning from evil is wisdom. Psalm 112 then describes the blessed person who fears the LORD.
- Psalm 111:10 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!”The psalm concludes that fearing the LORD is where wisdom begins, and that His praise lasts forever.
- Proverbs 9:10 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”Proverbs gives the same teaching: the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
- Proverbs 1:7 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Proverbs opens by naming the fear of the LORD as the beginning of knowledge.
- Job 28:28 (BSB)“And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’””Job's poem on wisdom concludes that fearing the Lord and turning from evil is wisdom and understanding.
Theological
In 111:10, where does the path of wisdom have its starting point?
Answer: In reverent awe before the LORD Himself
The psalm culminates in the wisdom axiom that reverence for the LORD is where wisdom starts, with good understanding for all who practice His precepts, and His praise enduring forever (111:10). Fearing the LORD is reverent, trusting submission to God, the root from which true wisdom grows. The same principle frames the wisdom literature: Proverbs 9:10 states it in nearly identical terms, Proverbs 1:7 sets it at the head of the book, and Job 28:28 concludes the wisdom poem with it. Psalm 112, a companion acrostic, then opens with the blessedness of the one who reveres the LORD, turning from God's works to the life of the person shaped by them.
- Psalm 111:10 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!”The psalm concludes that fearing the LORD is where wisdom begins, and that His praise lasts forever.
- Proverbs 9:10 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”Proverbs gives the same teaching: the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
- Proverbs 1:7 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Proverbs opens by naming the fear of the LORD as the beginning of knowledge.
- Job 28:28 (BSB)“And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’””Job's poem on wisdom concludes that fearing the Lord and turning from evil is wisdom and understanding.
General
According to 111:6, by what act did the LORD display the might of His deeds to His people?
Answer: By handing them the lands of other nations to possess
In 111:4-6 the psalmist praises the LORD as gracious and compassionate, the God who made His wonders unforgettable, who feeds those who revere Him, and who keeps His covenant (His binding promise to His people) forever. He displayed His might to them by giving Israel the nations' land as an inheritance, meaning the land of Canaan that other peoples had held (111:6). This echoes how God described Himself to Moses: compassionate and gracious (Exodus 34:6). Another psalm praises Him for remembering His covenant through a thousand generations (Psalm 105:8), and Israel confessed that they did not win the land by their own sword; it was God's hand that expelled the other peoples and settled Israel in their place (Psalm 44:2-3).
- Psalm 111:4-6 (BSB)“He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever. He has shown His people the power of His works by giving them the inheritance of the nations.”The LORD is gracious and compassionate; He feeds those who fear Him, keeps His covenant, and gave His people the land of other nations.
- Exodus 34:6 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,”God proclaimed His own name to Moses as compassionate and gracious, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Psalm 105:8 (BSB)“He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations—”Another psalm praises God for remembering His covenant forever, for a thousand generations.
- Psalm 44:2-3 (BSB)“With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out. For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel confesses that it was God's hand, not their own sword, that drove out the nations and gave them the land.
Theological
According to 111:6, how did the LORD make the might of His deeds plain to His people?
Answer: By handing them the lands of other nations to possess
Verses 4-6 gather God's covenant character and acts: He has made His wonders a lasting memorial, He is full of grace and compassion, He feeds those who revere Him, and He never forgets His covenant. The display of His power is the gift of the nations' land as Israel's inheritance, the conquest and settlement of Canaan (111:6). The attributes echo the divine self-revelation to Moses (Exodus 34:6), the covenant faithfulness matches Psalm 105:8, and Israel's own confession in Psalm 44:2-3 makes plain that the land was a gift of grace won by God's arm rather than by Israel's strength.
- Psalm 111:4-6 (BSB)“He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever. He has shown His people the power of His works by giving them the inheritance of the nations.”The LORD is gracious and compassionate; He feeds those who fear Him, keeps His covenant, and gave His people the land of other nations.
- Exodus 34:6 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,”God proclaimed His own name to Moses as compassionate and gracious, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Psalm 105:8 (BSB)“He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations—”Another psalm praises God for remembering His covenant forever, for a thousand generations.
- Psalm 44:2-3 (BSB)“With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out. For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel confesses that it was God's hand, not their own sword, that drove out the nations and gave them the land.
General
True or False: Psalm 111 says the LORD has provided redemption for His people and set His covenant in place forever.
Answer: True
This is true. Verses 7-8 say that everything God's hands do is true and just and that His precepts (instructions) can be relied on, standing firm for all time. Verse 9 then says God has provided redemption for His people, ordained His covenant to last forever, and that His name is holy and awesome. To redeem means to set free by paying a price or by a mighty act of rescue. For Israel the great example was the rescue from slavery in Egypt, which God promised to accomplish by His mighty power (Exodus 6:6). When John the Baptist was born, his father Zechariah praised God for visiting and redeeming His people (Luke 1:68), and Paul says Christ gave Himself to redeem His people from every kind of lawlessness and make them His own (Titus 2:14). Redemption is God's work from start to finish.
- Psalm 111:7-9 (BSB)“The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are trustworthy. They are upheld forever and ever, enacted in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.”God's works are true and just and His precepts trustworthy; He has sent redemption and established His covenant forever.
- Exodus 6:6 (BSB)“Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.”God promised to redeem Israel from slavery in Egypt by His mighty power and acts of judgment.
- Luke 1:68 (BSB)““Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.”Zechariah praises God because He has visited and redeemed His people.
- Titus 2:14 (BSB)“He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”Christ gave Himself to redeem His people from every kind of lawlessness and make them His own.
Theological
True or False: According to 111:9, God has provided redemption for His people and decreed that His covenant stands forever.
Answer: True
This is true. Verses 7-8 declare God's works true and just and His precepts reliable and permanently established; verse 9 then joins redemption and covenant: God has sent deliverance to His people and decreed His covenant in perpetuity, and His name is holy and awesome. The paradigm of redemption in Israel's history is the exodus, promised as a work of God's own mighty power (Exodus 6:6). The New Testament takes up the same language for the coming of Christ: Zechariah blesses God for visiting and redeeming His people (Luke 1:68), and Paul describes Christ giving Himself to redeem a people who belong to Him (Titus 2:14). The initiative lies entirely with God, who sends the redemption His people could not secure for themselves.
- Psalm 111:7-9 (BSB)“The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are trustworthy. They are upheld forever and ever, enacted in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.”God's works are true and just and His precepts trustworthy; He has sent redemption and established His covenant forever.
- Exodus 6:6 (BSB)“Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.”God promised to redeem Israel from slavery in Egypt by His mighty power and acts of judgment.
- Luke 1:68 (BSB)““Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.”Zechariah praises God because He has visited and redeemed His people.
- Titus 2:14 (BSB)“He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”Christ gave Himself to redeem His people from every kind of lawlessness and make them His own.
General
What does the psalmist resolve to do at the start of Psalm 111, and where?
Answer: Thank the LORD wholeheartedly among the gathered upright
Psalm 111 opens with Hallelujah (a call meaning praise the LORD) and the psalmist's resolve to thank the LORD with his whole heart in the company of the upright, that is, among God's people gathered together (111:1). His reason is the LORD's works: they are great, and those who take pleasure in them study them carefully; God's work is full of splendor and majesty, and His righteousness lasts forever (111:2-3). The psalm is arranged by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, an orderly way of giving thanks. Other psalms make the same vow to thank God before a large gathering (Psalm 35:18) and delight in the works of God's hands (Psalm 92:4-5), and in Revelation the redeemed sing of the Lord's great and wonderful works (Revelation 15:3).
- Psalm 111:1-3 (BSB)“Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work; His righteousness endures forever.”The psalmist resolves to give thanks with his whole heart among God's people and celebrates the LORD's great works.
- Psalm 35:18 (BSB)“Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.”Another psalm vows to thank God in the great assembly, praising Him among many people.
- Psalm 92:4-5 (BSB)“For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!”The psalmist sings for joy at the works of God's hands and marvels at how great they are.
- Revelation 15:3 (BSB)“and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!”In heaven the redeemed sing of the Lord's great and wonderful works and His just and true ways.
Theological
What resolve opens Psalm 111, and in what setting is it carried out?
Answer: Thank the LORD wholeheartedly among the gathered upright
After the opening Hallelujah, the psalmist commits to wholehearted thanksgiving among the upright gathered in assembly (111:1), public, corporate praise rather than private devotion only. The ground of that praise is God's works, which are great and are searched out by all who take pleasure in them, full of splendor and majesty, with His righteousness enduring forever (111:2-3). The psalm is an acrostic, arranged by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The same vow of praise before a large gathering appears in Psalm 35:18, the same joy in God's works in Psalm 92:4-5, and the heavenly song of the redeemed celebrates His great and wonderful works (Revelation 15:3).
- Psalm 111:1-3 (BSB)“Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work; His righteousness endures forever.”The psalmist resolves to give thanks with his whole heart among God's people and celebrates the LORD's great works.
- Psalm 35:18 (BSB)“Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.”Another psalm vows to thank God in the great assembly, praising Him among many people.
- Psalm 92:4-5 (BSB)“For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!”The psalmist sings for joy at the works of God's hands and marvels at how great they are.
- Revelation 15:3 (BSB)“and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!”In heaven the redeemed sing of the Lord's great and wonderful works and His just and true ways.