PastorEnduring mercy

Psalm 136 — Hebrew and Greek compared

Saints Translation: Psalms 107–150 [V1] — Volume V with Greek Psalm 151 Supplement

Same 0 Similar 16 Different 5 Divergent 5 Disparate 0

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 136

The enduring steadfast love of God

Verse 136:1 Divergent

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:1] Give thanks to YHWH, for He is good;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:1] Hallelujah!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is kind;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Divergent. Text: Greek adds an initial Hallelujah, without a Hebrew counterpart here. The repeated Hebrew steadfast love and Greek mercy refrain is retained in full at every occurrence, not represented by a repeat sign.

Verse 136:2 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:2] Give thanks to the God of gods;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:2] Give thanks to the God of gods;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The supreme divine title corresponds; steadfast love/mercy follows the respective refrain terms.

Verse 136:3 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:3] Give thanks to the Lord of lords;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:3] Give thanks to the Lord of lords;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The Lord-of-lords title and thanksgiving correspond, with the column-specific refrain.

Verse 136:4 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:4] To Him who alone does great wonders;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:4] To Him who alone does great wonders;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The initial to Him continues the thanksgiving construction; no additional imperative is inserted into either source line.

Verse 136:5 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:5] To Him who made the heavens with understanding;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:5] To Him who made the heavens with understanding;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The making of the heavens through understanding corresponds; the recurring mercy vocabulary differs slightly.

Verse 136:6 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:6] To Him who spread the earth upon the waters;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:6] To Him who made the earth firm upon the waters;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Different. Text: Hebrew spreading or hammering out differs from Greek making firm; the ancient earth-and-water imagery remains in both.

Verse 136:7 Divergent

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:7] To Him who made great lights;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:7] To Him who alone made great lights;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Divergent. Text: Greek alone is additional here; it is not imported from verse four into Hebrew verse seven.

Verse 136:8 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:8] the sun for rule by day;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:8] the sun for authority over the day;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: Both continue the lights as the preceding verb’s object and assign the sun daytime rule.

Verse 136:9 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:9] the moon and stars for rule by night;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:9] the moon and stars for authority over the night;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The moon-and-stars night rule corresponds; Hebrew plural expressions of rule are rendered collectively.

Verse 136:10 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:10] To Him who struck Egypt in its firstborn;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:10] To Him who struck Egypt with their firstborn;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Different. Text: Greek with their firstborn differs from Hebrew in its firstborn, potentially broadening the stated objects of the blow. Greek plural their is retained, not corrected to singular.

Verse 136:11 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:11] And He brought Israel out from their midst;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:11] And to Him who brought Israel out from their midst;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: Hebrew resumes a finite narrative verb, while Greek continues the dative participial thanksgiving construction.

Verse 136:12 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:12] with a strong hand and an outstretched arm;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:12] with a mighty hand and a raised arm;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Different. Text: Hebrew outstretched arm differs from Greek high or raised arm, both images of effective power.

Verse 136:13 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:13] To Him who cut the Sea of Reeds into parts;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:13] To Him who divided the Red Sea into divisions;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Different. Text: Hebrew Sea of Reeds and Greek Red Sea retain their actual names; both preserve the emphatic division language without specifying an unprinted number of paths.

Verse 136:14 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:14] And He brought Israel through its midst;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:14] And to Him who led Israel through its midst;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The safe passage through the sea corresponds, with finite Hebrew and participial Greek forms.

Verse 136:15 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:15] And He shook Pharaoh and his army into the Sea of Reeds;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:15] And to Him who shook Pharaoh and his force into the Red Sea;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The violent shaking or casting of Pharaoh’s force is retained in both; sea-name conventions remain distinct.

Verse 136:16 Divergent

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:16] To Him who led His people through the wilderness;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:16] To Him who led His people through the wilderness;

for His mercy is forever.

To Him who brought water out of a sheer rock;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Divergent. Text: The Greek display adds the water-from-rock couplet and another refrain after the wilderness couplet, before numbered verse seventeen. It is retained in the verse-sixteen group, not given an invented source number or copied into Hebrew.

Verse 136:17 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:17] To Him who struck great kings;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:17] To Him who struck great kings;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The striking of kings corresponds, with the refrain’s differing mercy vocabulary.

Verse 136:18 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:18] And He killed mighty kings;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:18] And to Him who killed mighty kings;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The killing remains explicit; Greek continues the thanksgiving participial construction where Hebrew narrates with a finite verb.

Verse 136:19 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:19] Sihon king of the Amorites;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:19] Sihon king of the Amorites;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The named object of the preceding royal judgment corresponds.

Verse 136:20 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:20] and Og king of Bashan;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:20] and Og king of Bashan;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The second named king corresponds; familiar English names preserve the agreed identity.

Verse 136:21 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:21] And He gave their land as an inheritance;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:21] And to Him who gave their land as an inheritance;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: Both describe the land grant, with finite Hebrew narration and participial Greek thanksgiving.

Verse 136:22 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:22] an inheritance to Israel His servant;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:22] an inheritance to Israel His slave;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: The collective servant designation corresponds; Greek doulos is retained as slave.

Verse 136:23 Divergent

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:23] Who remembered us in our low estate;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:23] For in our humiliation the Lord remembered us;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Divergent. Text: Greek explicitly names the Lord and uses for, where Hebrew continues who. Low estate/humiliation are closely related.

Verse 136:24 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:24] And He tore us free from our adversaries;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:24] And He redeemed us from our enemies;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Different. Text: Hebrew forceful deliverance or tearing free differs from Greek redemption language; both retain rescue from enemies.

Verse 136:25 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:25] He gives bread to all flesh;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:25] He gives food to all flesh;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Similar. Text: Hebrew bread and Greek general food are close in the context of universal sustenance.

Verse 136:26 Divergent

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)

[136:26] Give thanks to the God of heaven;

for His steadfast love is forever.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)

[135:26] Give thanks to the God of heaven;

for His mercy is forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords;

for His mercy is forever.

Classification & Notes

Divergent. Text: Greek adds a final Lord-of-lords thanksgiving and refrain after the God-of-heaven couplet. It stays in the final printed verse group. This psalm has twenty-six Hebrew refrain occurrences and twenty-eight Greek occurrences, while each display has twenty-six numbered labels.

Sources

Psalm 136 — Hebrew and Greek compared

Psalm 136

The enduring steadfast love of God

Hebrew source · Psalm 136 · BHS

Greek source · Psalm 135 · LXX