Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Psalms 135:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 135:4: The reason or consequence in “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for…” supports the surrounding claim in “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings.”
Praise is aimed at a choosing God who does what he pleases, in temple and in weather
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 135:1–21. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 135:1–21
Read Psalms 135:4 with 135:1–21. Read alone, “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his…” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 135:1–21, the communal voice carries the movement “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings” as part of “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings.” Its hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 135:1–21 opens Psalm 135 with “Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the…” and establishes the communal voice and “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 135:4 supplies a reason or consequence through “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure” and must be read with the claim it supports.
Follow the Context
- Identify the communal voice, address, and parallel lines in Psalms 135:1–21; do not make every “I”, “we,” king, enemy, or worshiper interchangeable.
- Within Psalms 135:1–21, the communal voice carries the movement “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings” as part of “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings.” Its hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
- Exodus and conquest memories must not become antisemitic caricature, religious contempt, or modern conquest ideology.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Psalms 135:4 does not allow “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his…” to become an independent promise, command, accusation, doctrine, or authorization. This verse supplies a reason or consequence through “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure” and must be read with the claim it supports. The complete movement is “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings.” Exodus and conquest memories must not become antisemitic caricature, religious contempt, or modern conquest ideology.
What Remains True
Psalm 135:4 carries “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his…” inside the hymn movement “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings.” Its durable contribution is this: Praise remembers concrete divine character and action, gathers many voices, and remains honest about grief rather than demanding one emotional performance. The local movement is “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings.” The unit's reviewed limit is: Exodus and conquest memories must not become antisemitic caricature, religious contempt, or modern conquest ideology.
How It Can Shape Life
- Because Psalm 135:4 belongs to “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings,” its role must lead the practice: Psalm 135:4 supplies a reason or consequence through “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure” and must be read with the claim it supports. Join the praise around “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his…” in a form your community can receive, while leaving honest space for silence, lament, and disability.
Teach It Back
In your own words, place “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his…” inside “Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kings.” Identify its hymn role, the neighboring poetic movement, one uncertainty, one enduring truth, one proportionate action, and this boundary: Exodus and conquest memories must not become antisemitic caricature, religious contempt, or modern conquest ideology.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Psalms 135:1–21 — Praise the sovereign LORD above idols and kingsSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 135:1–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 135:1–21
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 135:1–21.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 135 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 135:1–21
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗modern scholarly book course
Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Summary, Outline, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to Psalms 135:1–21
Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗ancient greek text translation and introduction
A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms
Albert Pietersma
International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 135 for Psalms 135:1–21
Open NETS Psalms ↗