Why read Psalm 134?
Psalm 134 invites praise and renewed gratitude. Remembering God's works and contrasting Him with idols calls the whole community to bless His name.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
In the Nineteenth Kathisma of the Psalter, Psalm 134 awaits its reader with 21 verses of prayer rising out of a real experience. It begins with "Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise, ye servants..." — and from there on, everything is dialogue between man and God. The Orthodox Septuagint numbering is preserved: this Psalm 134 corresponds to Psalm 135 in Hebrew numbering.
The text of Psalm 134
1. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise, ye servants, the Lord,
2. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God.
3. Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing unto His name, for it is good.
4. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, Israel for His own possession.
5. For I know that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods.
6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
7. Who bringeth up clouds from the uttermost parts of the earth; He hath made lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the winds out of His treasuries.
8. He smote the firstborn of Egypt, from man unto beast.
9. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his servants.
10. He smote many nations and slew mighty kings:
11. Seon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
12. And gave their land for an inheritance, an inheritance unto Israel His people.
13. Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever, and Thy memorial from generation to generation.
14. For the Lord shall judge His people, and He shall have mercy on His servants.
15. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men's hands.
16. They have mouths, but they speak not; they have eyes, but they see not.
17. They have ears, but they hear not, for there is no breath in their mouth.
18. Like unto them let all be that make them, and all that put their trust in them.
19. House of Israel, bless ye the Lord; house of Aaron, bless ye the Lord;
20. House of Levi, bless ye the Lord; ye that fear the Lord, bless ye the Lord.
21. Blessed be the Lord out of Sion, Who dwelleth in Jerusalem.
When Psalm 134 is read
- It belongs to the Nineteenth Kathisma — the psalms are read in full in the cycle of the kathismata, at Matins and Vespers.
- At the end of each psalm, the tradition adds: "Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
Neighbouring psalms
Read also
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
