For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also 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.
- BSB For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He 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 sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
- Jer 10:6–10Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
- Ps 66:3–5Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
- Ps 89:7God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
- Ps 76:7Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
- Ps 144:3–6LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
- Exod 15:11Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
- Isa 40:12–17Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
- Jer 5:22Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over 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.