Pentecost Season · Proper 20 · Year A
Psalm 145:1-8
I Will Extol You, My God and King
September 20, 2026
Overview & Insights
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (Psalm 145:8)
The praise of this psalm is hymnic in that it praises God’s attributes and deeds in general, but the speaker is “I” throughout (“we/us” does not appear), and the opening verses are characteristic of individual thanksgiving. It begins, not with an imperative summons addressed to a congregation, but with a proclamation of praise: “I will exalt you.” The verses form an acrostic (i.e., each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hb. alphabet), but this feature need not imply the psalm is a literary composition not intended for liturgical performance. For example, Psalm 111 is also an acrostic and was probably intended for liturgical performance. Like Psalm 145, its praise consists of general nouns and adjectives that are drawn from Exodus 34:6.
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Commentary
Working Preacher: Psalm 145:1-8 Working Preacher
Luther Seminary exegesis of the acrostic hymn and God's gracious character.
Enduring Word: Psalm 145 Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik's verse-by-verse evangelical notes on the psalm.
BibleHub: Psalm 145:1 Commentaries BibleHub
Aggregated classic commentaries on this song of praise to the King.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What is Psalm 145?
An acrostic hymn of praise, the only psalm titled “a psalm of praise,” extolling God’s greatness and goodness to all he has made. Its refrain of grace and mercy pairs with Jonah’s reluctant discovery of the same God.
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