Psa 136:4 | KD | STEP | Like the preceding Psalm, this Psalm allies itself to the Book of Deuteronomy. and ( God of gods and Lord of lords ) are taken from ; ( with a strong hand and stretched-out arm ) from ; , and frequently (cf. ); like (cf. ). With reference to the Deuteronomic colouring of , vid., on ; also the expression “Israel His servant” recalls (cf. ; ), and still more , where the comprehension of Israel under the unity of this notion has its own proper place. In other respects, too, the Psalm is an echo of earlier model passages. Who alone doeth great wonders sounds like ( ); and the adjective “great” that is added to “wonders” shows that the poet found the formula already in existence. In connection with he has or in his mind; תּבוּנה, like חכמה, is the demiurgic wisdom. calls to mind ; ; the expression is “above the waters,” as in “upon the seas,” because the water is partly visible and partly invisible מתּחת לארץ ( ). The plural אורים, luces , instead of מארות, lumina (cf. , מאורי אור), is without precedent. It is a controverted point whether אורת in signifies lights (cf. אורה, ) or herbs (2Ki 4:39). The plural ממשׁלות is also rare (occurring only besides in ): it here denotes the dominion of the moon on the one hand, and (going beyond ) of the stars on the other. בּלּילה, like בּיּום, is the second member of the stat. construct.

‏ Psalms 136:4

Like the preceding Psalm, this Psalm allies itself to the Book of Deuteronomy. Psa 136:2 and Psa 136:3 (God of gods and Lord of lords) are taken from Deu 10:17; Psa 136:12 (with a strong hand and stretched-out arm) from Deu 4:34; Deu 5:15, and frequently (cf. Jer 32:21); Psa 136:16 like Deu 8:15 (cf. Jer 2:6). With reference to the Deuteronomic colouring of Psa 136:19-22, vid., on Psa 135:10-12; also the expression “Israel His servant” recalls Deu 32:36 (cf. Psa 135:14; Psa 90:13), and still more Isa 40:1, where the comprehension of Israel under the unity of this notion has its own proper place. In other respects, too, the Psalm is an echo of earlier model passages. Who alone doeth great wonders sounds like Psa 72:18 (Psa 86:10); and the adjective “great” that is added to “wonders” shows that the poet found the formula already in existence. In connection with Psa 136:5 he has Pro 3:19 or Jer 10:12 in his mind; תּבוּנה, like חכמה, is the demiurgic wisdom. Psa 136:6 calls to mind Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24; the expression is “above the waters,” as in Psa 34:2 “upon the seas,” because the water is partly visible and partly invisible מתּחת לארץ (Exo 20:4). The plural אורים, luces, instead of מארות, lumina (cf. Eze 32:8, מאורי אור), is without precedent. It is a controverted point whether אורת in Isa 26:19 signifies lights (cf. אורה, Psa 139:12) or herbs (2Ki 4:39). The plural ממשׁלות is also rare (occurring only besides in Psa 114:2): it here denotes the dominion of the moon on the one hand, and (going beyond Gen 1:16) of the stars on the other. בּלּילה, like בּיּום, is the second member of the stat. construct.