Psalm 145 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Psalm 145
The kingdom and goodness of God
Verse 145:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:1] A praise of David.
I will exalt You, my God, the King,
and bless Your name forever and ever.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:1] A praise of David.
I will exalt You, my God, my King,
and bless Your name for the age and for the age of the age.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek adds the possessive my to King and expresses perpetuity with repeated age language. The Hebrew acrostic begins here; letter labels are editorial rather than separately numbered source text.
Verse 145:2 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:2] Every day I will bless You
and praise Your name forever and ever.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:2] Every day I will bless You
and praise Your name for the age and for the age of the age.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The daily praise and enduring duration agree, with each source’s formula for perpetuity retained.
Verse 145:3 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:3] Great is YHWH and greatly to be praised;
His greatness is beyond searching out.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:3] Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
His greatness has no limit.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew denies the possibility of searching out His greatness; Greek denies a limit. Unfathomability and boundlessness are related but distinct claims.
Verse 145:4 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:4] Generation to generation will commend Your works,
and they will declare Your mighty deeds.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:4] Generation and generation will praise Your works,
and they will declare Your power.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Intergenerational praise agrees. Hebrew mighty deeds is plural; Greek power singular, and to becomes and.
Verse 145:5 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:5] The splendor of the glory of Your majesty,
and the accounts of Your wonders, I will ponder.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:5] They will speak of the magnificence of the glory of Your holiness,
and they will recount Your wonders.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew first-person meditation becomes third-person speech and narration; majesty becomes holiness. The subject shift is maintained rather than assimilated to the following line.
Verse 145:6 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:6] They will speak of the might of Your fearsome acts,
and I will recount Your greatness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:6] They will speak of the power of Your fearsome acts,
and they will recount Your greatness.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: The publisher’s Hebrew running display presents a plural-form great deeds; the directly read Chabad Hebrew page explicitly distinguishes the written plural from the read singular greatness. The Hebrew translation follows that documented reading here, not an unconsulted BHS apparatus. Greek also has singular greatness but third-person they where Hebrew has I. Rabbinic reception: Rashi takes the speaker as joining the generations in recounting divine greatness. [RASHI-PS145-ROOT]
Verse 145:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:7] They will pour forth remembrance of Your abundant goodness
and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:7] They will pour forth remembrance of the abundance of Your kindness
and rejoice in Your righteousness.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both exuberantly recall divine goodness and righteousness; singing joyfully and rejoicing differ slightly in expression.
Verse 145:8 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:8] Gracious and compassionate is YHWH,
slow to anger and great in steadfast love.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:8] Compassionate and merciful is the Lord,
patient and abundant in mercy.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both present divine compassion and patience; the order and lexical distinctions follow each language.
Verse 145:9 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:9] YHWH is good to all,
and His compassion is over all His works.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:9] The Lord is kind to all,
and His compassion is over all His works.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The comprehensive goodness and compassion agree; divine-name and goodness terms follow their sources.
Verse 145:10 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:10] All Your works will thank You, YHWH,
and Your faithful ones will bless You.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:10] Let all Your works give thanks to You, Lord,
and let Your holy ones bless You.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew future praise becomes Greek imperatives. Faithful ones and holy ones retain their respective covenantal and holiness vocabulary.
Verse 145:11 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:11] They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom
and tell of Your might,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:11] They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom
and tell of Your might,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both lead into the purpose statement in the next verse with the same kingdom and might.
Verse 145:12 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:12] to make known to humankind His mighty deeds
and the glory of the splendor of His kingdom.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:12] to make known to humankind Your might
and the glory of the magnificence of Your kingdom.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew shifts to His while Greek retains Your. Hebrew mighty deeds is plural and Greek might singular.
Verse 145:13 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:13] Your kingdom is a kingdom of all ages,
and Your dominion endures through every generation.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:13] Your kingdom is a kingdom of all ages,
and Your lordship endures through every generation.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The perpetual reign agrees. Hebrew has no separate nun line after this verse in the displayed base; the following Greek thirteen-a remains a separate row.
Verse 144:13a Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[No corresponding verse in the displayed Hebrew text.]
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:13a] Faithful is the Lord in His words,
and holy in all His works.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek thirteen-a is an additional complete couplet between thirteen and fourteen, corresponding to the place of the absent nun line in the Hebrew acrostic. No Hebrew reconstruction or manuscript apparatus is supplied; Greek in His words does not contain all before words in this displayed text. Rabbinic reception: The commentary displayed under Rashi at verse eleven, with an I-found marker, explains the missing nun through Israel’s fall and the following support for the falling. This received explanation is not evidence that a particular manuscript originally omitted or included the Greek couplet. [RASHI-PS145-ROOT]
Verse 145:14 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:14] YHWH supports all who are falling
and straightens all who are bowed down.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:14] The Lord supports all who are falling
and raises up all who have been broken down.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew bowed down and Greek broken down describe affliction differently, while divine support and restoration agree.
Verse 145:15 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:15] The eyes of all wait expectantly for You,
and You give them their food in its season.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:15] The eyes of all hope in You,
and You give their food at the right time.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both describe universal dependence and timely provision; waiting and hope, season and opportune time, retain source nuance.
Verse 145:16 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:16] You open Your hand
and satisfy every living thing with favor.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:16] You open Your hand
and fill every living creature with good pleasure.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew ratson can denote favor or desire; favor is chosen provisionally with Greek good pleasure kept distinct. Neither source is silently expanded to say every conceivable wish is granted. Rabbinic reception: Rashi connects the satisfaction with sufficient sustenance and divine goodness, favor and blessing. That gloss informs the lexical discussion without becoming an added promise in the translated line. [RASHI-PS145-ROOT]
Verse 145:17 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:17] YHWH is righteous in all His ways
and faithful in all His works.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:17] The Lord is righteous in all His ways
and holy in all His works.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew covenantal faithfulness and Greek holiness differ in the second predicate, while righteousness agrees.
Verse 145:18 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:18] YHWH is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call on Him in truth.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:18] The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call on Him in truth.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The universal invitation is qualified by in truth in both; divine-name forms differ conventionally.
Verse 145:19 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:19] He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will hear their cry and save them.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:19] He will fulfill the will of those who fear Him;
He will hear their plea and save them.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Desire or will and cry or plea retain minor lexical distinctions within the same promise of response.
Verse 145:20 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:20] YHWH guards all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:20] The Lord guards all who love Him,
and all sinners He will utterly destroy.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew wicked and Greek sinners differ in designation; the contrastive Hebrew rendering of and is contextual. Both preserve destruction rather than softening it.
Verse 145:21 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[145:21] My mouth will speak YHWH’s praise,
and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[144:21] My mouth will speak the Lord’s praise,
and let all flesh bless His holy name
for the age and for the age of the age.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both move from the speaker’s mouth to all flesh; the perpetual-duration formulas follow each source.