Psalm 138 is a psalm of personal thanksgiving, in which David praises God for answering him in a time of trouble and promises that God will finish what he has begun in his life. People read it to understand how a believer can give thanks while still surrounded by danger, and to learn why God’s humility toward the lowly is worth trusting. It is short, eight verses long, and it moves from gratitude to confidence to a closing request.
Psalm 138 Summary
The psalm opens with a vow. The singer will thank the LORD with his whole heart, even in the presence of rival powers, and he will bow toward God’s holy temple. The reason for this gratitude is God’s loving kindness and truth, which the psalmist says have been magnified above everything, including God’s own name and word. The first half of the psalm is therefore a settled decision to praise, made before the outcome of his troubles is known.
The middle verses widen the view. The psalmist remembers a specific day when he cried out and God answered, strengthening his soul. He then imagines the rulers of the earth joining in the praise, because they too will hear what God has spoken and will sing about the LORD’s ways and glory. From there the psalm turns to God’s character: he is high and exalted, yet he sees the lowly, while the proud are known from a distance.
The final verses return to the singer’s own situation. Though he walks in the middle of trouble, he trusts that God will revive him, stretch out a hand against his enemies, and save him with his right hand. The closing line asks God to complete what concerns the psalmist and not to abandon the works of his own hands, resting the whole matter on God’s enduring love.
Background and Setting
Psalm 138 belongs to the Psalter, the collection of hymns and prayers in the Old Testament book of Psalms. Its heading attributes it to David, and that attribution is traditionally accepted, though scholars note that the psalm’s language and setting could fit several periods of Israel’s history. Most would place its composition in the monarchic period, roughly the first millennium BC, when a king or leader faced hostile nations.
The psalm was written for worship, likely to be sung or recited by an individual giving thanks in the temple or in a gathering of the faithful. Its position among the psalms of David, near the end of the Psalter’s Davidic group, places it among songs that show a king depending on the LORD in the midst of political and personal threats.
Psalm 138 Section by Section
Verses 1-3: A Vow of Thanks Made in Advance
1 I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all. 3 In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
Psalm 138:1-3 (WEB)
The psalm begins with a commitment rather than a report. The singer says he will give thanks with his whole heart and sing praise even before rival gods, a bold statement in a world full of competing religions. Bowing toward the holy temple shows that his worship is focused on the place where God’s presence was honored.
The reason he gives is specific: God’s loving kindness and truth. Verse 2 says God has exalted his name and his word above all, meaning God has proven himself faithful to what he promised. Verse 3 then points to a real experience, a day when the psalmist called and was answered, and his soul was strengthened. His thanks rests on something God has already done.
Verses 4-6: Kings and Humble Eyes
4 All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, the LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth. 5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of the LORD; for great is the LORD’s glory. 6 For though the LORD is high, yet he looks after the lowly; but the proud, he knows from afar.
Psalm 138:4-6 (WEB)
Here the psalm imagines the wider world responding to God. The kings of the earth are pictured giving thanks, because they have heard the words of God’s mouth. The psalmist expects that the LORD’s ways and glory will become a common subject of song, reaching beyond Israel’s borders.
Verse 6 gives a striking picture of God’s character. Though he is high above all things, he looks after the lowly, the people with no status or power to claim. The proud, by contrast, are known from a distance, meaning God sees them and will deal with them. This is a common Old Testament theme, and it encourages the reader that those who feel small are not overlooked.
Verses 7-8: Revival in the Middle of Trouble
7 Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me. 8 The LORD will fulfill that which concerns me; your loving kindness, the LORD, endures forever. Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.
Psalm 138:7-8 (WEB)
The final section returns to the singer’s present danger. He admits he walks in the middle of trouble, not above it. Yet his confidence is that God will revive him and stretch out his hand against the anger of his enemies. The image of a saving right hand appears throughout Scripture as a sign of God’s power to rescue.
The psalm ends with a double assurance. The LORD will complete what concerns the psalmist, and God’s loving kindness endures forever. The closing request, not to forsake the works of his own hands, asks God to finish what he has started in the psalmist’s life. The prayer does not presume an easy road, but it leaves the outcome in God’s faithful hands.
Key Themes in Psalm 138
- Thanksgiving before deliverance: The psalmist commits to praise before his trouble has ended, showing that gratitude can rest on God’s past faithfulness.
- God’s loving kindness and truth: The psalm rests its confidence on God’s steady love and reliable word, which are magnified above all else.
- God’s care for the lowly: Though God is exalted, he looks after the humble and holds the proud at a distance.
- Revival in trouble: The psalmist admits he is still in danger, yet trusts God to revive and save him.
- God completing his work: The closing prayer asks God to finish what concerns the psalmist and not abandon what he has made.
Lessons From Psalm 138 for Today
Many believers face a season when the bills are piling up, a diagnosis is still unclear, or a difficult conversation has not yet been resolved. Psalm 138 offers a way to begin giving thanks in that season, not because the trouble is gone but because God has answered before and his character has not changed. A person can open a prayer journal and write down one specific time God helped, then thank him for it before asking for the next step.
The psalm also speaks to anyone who feels overlooked at work, in a family, or in a congregation. Its promise that God looks after the lowly can steady someone who has been ignored or who has little influence. At the same time, the warning about the proud invites reflection on our own tendencies to look down on others or to rely on our own standing, and it encourages humility before God.
Questions for Reflection
- When have you seen God answer you in a moment of real need, and how did that experience shape your trust in him now?
- What does it look like for you to thank God with your whole heart before your situation has changed?
- In what areas of your life do you feel small or unseen, and how does God’s care for the lowly speak to those places?
- Where might pride be quietly shaping your relationships or decisions, and what would humility look like there?
- What work has God started in your life that you are asking him to finish, and how can you trust him with it?
A Prayer From Psalm 138
Lord, I thank you with my whole heart, for you have answered me before and you have shown me your loving kindness and your truth. When I walk in the middle of trouble, help me remember your faithfulness and let gratitude rise before my circumstances change. Look on me in my lowliness and keep me from the pride that pulls me away from you. Revive my soul, stretch out your hand against what threatens me, and complete the good work you have begun in my life. I trust your love, which endures forever. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Psalm 138?
The heading attributes Psalm 138 to David, and that attribution is traditionally accepted. Some scholars note that the language could fit other periods, but the psalm is consistently read as a personal song of thanksgiving.
Why does the psalm say God looks after the lowly?
Psalm 138:6 describes God as exalted yet attentive to humble people, while the proud are known from a distance. This shows that God’s greatness does not make him distant from those who have little status or power.
Is Psalm 138 only about David’s own experience?
The psalm speaks in David’s voice, but its themes of gratitude, God’s faithfulness, and confidence in trouble have been used by believers in every generation. Readers today often find their own situations reflected in its words.
