Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
Parallel translations
- WEB Praise Yah, for Yahweh is good. Sing praises to his name, for that is pleasant.
- KJV Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
- BSB Hallelujah, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
- NKJV Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.
- NLT Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his lovely name with music.
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
Praise Yahweh, for He is good, and sing to His name, for it is pleasant. It grounds worship in God's goodness and the delight of praising Him.
Overview
The psalm gives the reason for praise: the Lord is good, and singing to His name is pleasant and fitting. Worship flows from God's character and is itself a joy. This goodness is supremely displayed in Christ, in whom God's kindness toward sinners is revealed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 147:1Praise Yah, for it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and fitting to praise him.
- Ps 119:68You are good, and do good. Teach me your statutes.
- Ps 106:1Praise Yahweh! Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
- Ps 33:1Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.
- Ps 118:1Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
- Ps 145:7–8They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.
- Matt 19:17He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
- Ps 100:5For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.
- Ps 63:5My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
- Ps 107:1Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
- Ps 136:1Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good; for his loving kindness endures forever.
- Ps 92:1–2A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, Most High;
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 Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 135:3 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.