Psalms 136:10–16, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Psalms 136:10–16
Creation and exodus answered by one enduring refrain: Exodus and wilderness deliverance
The refrain now follows blows and a path through water
To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever: and brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever: with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Hesed is sung over the death of Egyptian firstborn and over Israel's exit. The psalm will not let the congregation thank for deliverance while pretending the blow was not part of the story they tell. Strong hand and stretched arm are the old exodus pair.
Sea split, Israel walked, Pharaoh shaken off, wilderness led
To him which divided the Red sea into parts: and made Israel to pass through the midst of it: but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea. To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Each clause still receives the refrain. Mercy here is loyal love to Israel on the road, including the overthrow of the pursuing army. The unit is liturgy of a particular rescue, not a pattern you may apply to any drowning of enemies, and not a denial that Egyptian children died in the story Israel tells.
How this should shape us
Sing enduring mercy over the exodus without deleting the cost the story names. Remember who was brought out, who was overthrown, and who was led through a wilderness. Do not use the refrain to bless a new army's drowning as if you were singing the Red Sea.
Teach it back
Explain Psalms 136:10–16 in your own words. Name the poetic voice and movement, trace its place in Psalm 136 and Book V, identify one exact source control or uncertainty, and reject one use the passage does not authorize.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Psalms 136:10–16, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 136:10–16
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 136:10–16.
Official NET Bible Psalm 136 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 136:10–16
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Enter the Bible Psalms course, Summary, Outline, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to Psalms 136:10–16
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 136 for Psalms 136:10–16
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
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 136:10–16, 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 136:10–16
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 136:10–16.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 136 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 136:10–16
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 136:10–16
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 136 for Psalms 136:10–16
Open NETS Psalms ↗