Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Psalms 145:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 145:4: Within “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king,” the line “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare…” supplies one distinct parallel claim, image, address, or response.
An alphabet of kingship praises a God whose greatness is unsearchable and whose goodness is public
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 145:1–21. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 145:1–21
Read Psalms 145:4 with 145:1–21. Read alone, “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy…” could lose the individual voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 145:1–21, the individual voice carries the movement “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king” as part of “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king.” Its acrostic-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 145:1–21 opens Psalm 145 with “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever” and establishes the individual voice and “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 145:4 adds the distinct poetic line “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts” within “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.
Follow the Context
- Identify the individual voice, address, and parallel lines in Psalms 145:1–21; do not make every “I”, “we,” king, enemy, or worshiper interchangeable.
- Within Psalms 145:1–21, the individual voice carries the movement “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king” as part of “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king.” Its acrostic-hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
- This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The missing nun line in the Masoretic form and its presence in other traditions are a real textual issue; universal provision remains praise, not denial of hunger.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Psalms 145:4 does not allow “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy…” to become an independent promise, command, accusation, doctrine, or authorization. This verse adds the distinct poetic line “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts” within “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. The complete movement is “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king.” This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The missing nun line in the Masoretic form and its presence in other traditions are a real textual issue; universal provision remains praise, not denial of hunger.
What Remains True
The lasting force of “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy…” comes through Psalms 145:1–21 and Book V, not isolation. Human rule is answerable to the LORD and is measured by justice, especially protection of poor and vulnerable people, rather than by power or sacred slogans. The local movement is “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king.” The unit's reviewed limit is: The missing nun line in the Masoretic form and its presence in other traditions are a real textual issue; universal provision remains praise, not denial of hunger.
Teach It Back
Explain why Psalm 145:4 cannot stand alone. Quote “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy…,” use the full 145:1–21, describe the individual voice and “An alphabetic praise of the compassionate king,” distinguish first horizon from later reception, and state why This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The missing nun line in the Masoretic form and its presence in other traditions are a real textual issue; universal provision remains praise, not denial of hunger.
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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 145:1–21 — An alphabetic praise of the compassionate kingSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The missing nun line in the Masoretic form and its presence in other traditions are a real textual issue; universal provision remains praise, not denial of hunger.
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 145:1–21, 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 145:1–21
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 145:1–21.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 145 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 145:1–21
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, Introductory Issues: genres and psalm pairs; Theological Themes: kingship, Zion, and covenant; applied to Psalms 145:1–21
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 145 for Psalms 145:1–21
Open NETS Psalms ↗