הוֹדוּ לַה' כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

The leader exclaims: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! And the chorus or congregation responds: For His kindness is forever. The pattern continues throughout the psalm.

הוֹדוּ לֵאלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

Give thanks to the God of heavenly powers, for His kindness is forever.

הוֹדוּ לַאֲדֹנֵי הָאֲדֹנִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

Give thanks to the Master of masters, for His kindness is forever.

לְעֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת גְּדֹלוֹת לְבַדּוֹ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

To Him who alone does great wonders, for His kindness is forever. Only God is capable of performing great miracles.

לְעֹשֵׂה הַשָּׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

A description of some of these miracles follows: To Him who made the heavens with wisdom, for His kindness is forever.

לְרֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

To Him who spreads out the earth above the waters, for His kindness is forever. The earth is depicted here as covering all the subterranean waters of the world.

לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

He who made the great lights, for His kindness is forever:

אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת בַּיּוֹם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

The sun to rule by day, for His kindness is forever,

אֶת הַיָּרֵחַ וְכוֹכָבִים לְמֶמְשְׁלוֹת בַּלָּיְלָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

the moon and stars to rule by night, for His kindness is forever.

לְמַכֵּה מִצְרַיִם בּבְכוֹרֵיהֶם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

As in the preceding psalm, the psalmist proceeds from a general description of God’s greatness in the world to examples of His greatness as manifested in historical events: It is He who smote Egypt through their firstborn, for His kindness is forever,

וַיּוֹצֵא יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתּוֹכָם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

and who brought Israel out from their midst, from the midst of the Egyptians, for His kindness is forever,

בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for His kindness is forever.

לְגֹזֵר יַם סוּף לִגְזָרִיםכִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

It is He who split the Red Sea asunder, for His kindness is forever. The splitting of the Red Sea was a three-part miracle; this is the first part.

וְהֶעֱבִיר יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּתוֹכוֹ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

And He led Israel through its midst, the midst of the sea, the second part of the miracle, for His kindness is forever,

וְנִעֵר פַּרְעֹה וְחֵילוֹ בְיַם סוּף כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

while He hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, the third part of the miracle, for His kindness is forever.

לְמוֹלִיךְ עַמּוֹ בַּמִּדְבָּר כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

It is He who led His people through the wilderness, for His kindness is forever. Throughout their wanderings, God supplied the people with all their needs.

לְמַכֵּה מְלָכִים גְּדֹלִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

It is He who smote great kings in the course of the conquest of the Canaanites, for His kindness is forever,

וַיַּהֲרֹג מְלָכִים אַדִּירִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

and slew mighty kings, for His kindness is forever.

לְסִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

Two of those kings are now mentioned: Sihon king of the Emorites, for His kindness is forever,

ולְעוֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

and Og king of Bashan, for His kindness is forever.

וְנָתַן אַרְצָם לְנַחֲלָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

He gave their land as a portion, for His kindness is forever,

נַחֲלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַבְדּוֹ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

a portion to Israel His servant, for His kindness is forever.

שֶׁבְּשִׁפְלֵנוּ זָכַר לָנוּ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

Here the psalmist offers two general examples of God’s kindness that do not pertain to any specific historical event: It is God who in our lowliness remembered us and rescued us at times of decline and degradation, for His kindness is forever,

וַיִּפְרְקֵנוּ מִצָּרֵינוּ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

and He freed us from our foes, for His kindness is forever.

נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לְכָל בָּשָׂר כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

Finally, each and every day: He gives food to all flesh. God sustains all the creatures of the world, for His kindness is forever.

הוֹדוּ לְאֵל הַשָּׁמָיִם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

The psalmist concludes on a joyous note: Give thanks to the Almighty of heaven, for His kindness is forever.