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For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods.
Psalms 135:5 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB For I know that Yahweh is great, that our Lord is above all gods.
  • KJV For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
  • NKJV For I know that the Lord is great, And our Lord is above all gods.
  • NASB ¶For I know that the Lord is great And that our Lord is above all gods.
  • NLT I know the greatness of the Lord— that our Lord is greater than any other god.

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 psalmist confesses that Yahweh is great and above all gods. It affirms the Lord's supremacy over every rival power.

Overview

The psalmist personally declares his knowledge that Yahweh is great and exalted above all so-called gods. The idols of the nations are nothing before the living God. This supremacy is upheld in Christ, exalted above every name and Lord over all.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Ps 95:3For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods.
  • Ps 48:1A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, His holy mountain.
  • Deut 10:17For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.
  • Ps 97:9For You, O LORD, are Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
  • Dan 6:26–27I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.
  • Ps 86:8–10O Lord, there is none like You among the gods, nor any works like Yours.
  • Dan 3:29Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces and their houses reduced to rubble. For there is no other god who can deliver in this way.”
  • Isa 40:25“To whom will you liken Me, or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.
  • Ps 96:4–5For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
  • Isa 40:22He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
  • Ps 89:6For who in the skies can compare with the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD?
  • Jer 10:10–11But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 135:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 135:5 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.