Introduction to Psalm 135
Psalm 135 text: hallel, the election of Israel and the sovereignty of YHWH
Psalm 135 is a liturgical hymn of extraordinary theological density that structures the transition between the songs of ascents (Ps 120-134) and the Great Hallel of the final Psalter (Ps 136-150). Verse 1 of the Masoretic Text opens with the triple invocation: halleluYah halelu et shem YHWH halelu ovdei YHWH — "Praise the Lord, praise the name of YHWH, praise, servants of YHWH" (Ps 135:1). This halleluYah is not a simple devotional exclamation: in the Jewish liturgical tradition, verses 1-3 of the psalm are the hook that connects the end of the temple pilgrimage (Ps 134) to the beginning of the great creational and historical doxology.
The foundation of the praise is stated in verse 4 with the theologically pregnant term segullah: ki Ya'aqov bachar lo Yah Israel lisgullato — "For YHWH has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his special possession" (Ps 135:4). The word segullah (סְגֻלָּה) takes up the terminology of the Sinaitic covenant — "you shall be for me a special possession among all peoples" (Exod 19:5) — and the Deuteronomic language of gratuitous election (Deut 7:6: am qadosh le-YHWH eloheicha, "a holy people to YHWH your God"). Israel is segullah not by its own merits but by the sovereign and unconditional initiative of YHWH.
| Verse | MT text | Transliteration | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ps 135:1 | הַלְלוּיָהּ הַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם יְהוָה | halleluYah halelu et shem YHWH | Opening: triple liturgical praise |
| Ps 135:4 | כִּי יַעֲקֹב בָּחַר לוֹ יָהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִסְגֻלָּתוֹ | ki Ya'aqov bachar lo Yah Israel lisgullato | Election of Israel as segullah |
| Ps 135:6 | כֹּל אֲשֶׁר חָפֵץ יְהוָה עָשָׂה | kol asher chafetz YHWH asah | Absolute sovereignty of YHWH |
| Ps 135:15 | עֲצַבֵּי הַגּוֹיִם כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב | atzabbei hagoyim kesef ve-zahav | Anti-idolatrous critique |
| Ps 135:21 | בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה מִצִּיּוֹן | baruch YHWH mi-Tziyon | Concluding blessing from Zion |
Psalm 135 commentary: historical theology, anti-idolatrous polemic and blessing from Zion
The theological heart of Psalm 135 is the demonstration of YHWH's sovereignty through the history of Israel. Verse 6 states the general principle: kol asher chafetz YHWH asah ba-shamayim u-va-aretz — "All that YHWH has willed he has accomplished in heaven and on earth" (Ps 135:6). This principle is not an abstract philosophical statement: verses 8-12 ground it in the concrete history of the Exodus and the conquest of the land. YHWH struck the firstborn of Egypt (v.8), performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh (v.9), defeated Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan (vv.10-12), giving their land as an inheritance to Israel. The historical theology of Psalm 135 is inseparable from the theology of election: the YHWH who chooses Israel as segullah is the same YHWH who acts in history to liberate it.
The anti-idolatrous section (vv.15-18) offers the negative reverse of this theology: atzabbei hagoyim kesef ve-zahav ma'aseh yadei adam — "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands" (Ps 135:15). The text echoes almost verbatim Ps 115:4-8 (in the Egyptian Great Hallel): idols have mouths but do not speak, eyes but do not see, ears but do not hear. Those who make them become like them (v.18). The critique is not aesthetic or philosophical: it is a radical contrast between YHWH, the God who speaks, sees, hears and acts in history, and idols, inanimate objects devoid of relationship with their worshippers. The prophet Jeremiah develops the same polemic in Jer 10:2-16; Isaiah 46:1-7 applies it specifically to the Babylonian idols.
Mishnah Berakhot 9:5 provides the hermeneutical key for understanding the unconditional praise of the psalm: chayav adam levarekh al hara'ah keshem shehu mevarekh al hatovah — "A man is obligated to bless for evil just as he blesses for good". This mishnaic rule roots the praise of Ps 135 in the deepest level of the covenantal principle: Israel praises YHWH not because the circumstances are favorable or because history is going well, but because YHWH is faithful to his berit (covenant). The psalm closes with the liturgical formula baruch YHWH mi-Tziyon shokhen Yerushalayim — "Blessed be YHWH from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem" (Ps 135:21) — identical in structure to Ps 128:5 and Ps 134:3, binding the Great Hallel to the theology of Zion as the place of the divine presence and the blessing that radiates toward all Israel.