Translation: ESV
I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
Personally confessing God as 'my king' and praising him forever is the heart of faith.
▸This is David's sole acrostic praise psalm.
This is David's sole acrostic praise psalm. 'My God and King (malki ve'elohai)'—a personal confession of God as king. 'Forever and ever'—a vow of praise transcending time. This psalm is the overture to the Hallelujah praises of Psalms 145-150.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
God's greatness cannot be measured, and this infinite greatness is the basis of eternal praise.
▸God's greatness cannot be measured.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
God's essential character—grace, mercy, patience, abounding steadfast love—is the basis of all worship and trust.
▸This echoes God's self-revelation in Exodus 34:6.
The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
God's goodness and mercy extend universally to all creatures, beyond any particular group.
▸God's goodness extends not only to Israel but to 'all.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
All earthly powers and kingdoms are finite, but God's kingdom endures forever.
▸This is the declaration of the eternity of God's kingdom.
The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
God's kingdom is a kingdom of compassion that upholds those who fall and raises those who are bowed down.
▸This is a practical expression of God's reign.
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
God draws near to those who call on him in sincerity—the sincerity of prayer is essential.
▸'All who call on him in truth (be'emet)'—those who call sincerely, genuinely.