For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
Parallel translations
- WEB For great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised. He also is to be feared above all gods.
- KJV For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.
- NKJV For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.
- NASB For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods.
- NLT Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Lord is great and greatly to be praised, to be feared above all gods. God alone is supremely worthy of worship and reverence.
Overview
This declaration exalts the Lord above every rival, calling for both praise and reverent fear. His greatness sets Him infinitely apart from all so-called gods. Such exclusive worship of the one true God is the heartbeat of biblical faith, fully revealed in the worship due to God in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Rev 15:3–4and 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!
- Jer 10:6–10There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.
- Ps 66:3–5Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.
- Ps 89:7In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.
- Ps 76:7You alone are to be feared. When You are angry, who can stand before You?
- Ps 144:3–6O LORD, what is man, that You regard him, the son of man that You think of him?
- Exod 15:11Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
- Isa 40:12–17Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?
- Jer 5:22Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The genealogies and the everlasting covenant with David trace the single thread of promise running through the generations straight to the Christ in whom the line reaches its goal.
How 1 Chronicles 16:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.