the sun to rule the day, His loving devotion endures forever.
Parallel translations
- WEB The sun to rule by day; for his loving kindness endures forever;
- KJV The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
- NKJV The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever;
- NASB The sun to rule by day, For His faithfulness is everlasting,
- NLT the sun to rule the day, His faithful love endures forever.
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
God appointed the sun to rule the day, and His love endures forever.
Overview
The psalmist singles out the sun as God's appointment to govern the daytime. Its steady rising testifies daily to the Creator's faithfulness and order. This dependable light points to Christ, called the sun of righteousness, who rises with healing for His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Ps 148:3Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars.
- Jer 31:35Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:
- Gen 1:16God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well.
- Matt 5:45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
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 136:8 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.