BIBLE VERSE STUDY
Psalms 136:3 — The Lord of Lords
A call to thank the supreme Lord of lords, whose lovingkindness endures forever.
Scripture
3Oh give thanks unto the Lord of lords; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
What this passage means
Psalm 136:3 is the third line of the psalm's opening triad, where three distinct titles for God are stacked in parallel: "Jehovah" (v. 1), "the God of gods" (v. 2), and "the Lord of lords" (v. 3). Each title is paired with the identical refrain, "For his lovingkindness endureth for ever," building a cumulative picture of who this God is before the psalm turns to enumerate his deeds.
The title "Lord of lords" (Hebrew אֲדֹנֵי הָאֲדֹנִים, Adonai ha-adonim) is a superlative construction in Hebrew, the same pattern used in "God of gods" and "holy of holies." It does not merely mean God owns or rules other lords; the genitive form here marks the highest member of the class — the supreme Lord above every other lord. The verse therefore identifies God as the unrivaled sovereign over all lesser authorities, whether human rulers, angelic powers, or any being that claims lordship.
Because this verse stands in a psalm devoted to thanksgiving, the title functions as the basis for the command to give thanks. The logic is explicit: because God is the supreme Lord over every other lord, his lovingkindness — a covenant term for faithful, steadfast love — is not a temporary favor but an enduring reality. The repeated refrain ties God's supremacy to his covenant loyalty: the One who rules over all is the One whose hesed never fails.
Context
Verses 1–3 form the opening summons of Psalm 136, a psalm structured as an antiphonal call to thanksgiving. Each line pairs a divine title with the refrain "for his lovingkindness endureth for ever," and the three titles move from God's essential goodness ("for he is good") to his supremacy over all gods, then to his supremacy over all lords. The triad prepares the catalog that begins in verse 4, where the psalm grounds that abstract supremacy in concrete acts: creation (vv. 4–9), the exodus and conquest (vv. 10–22), and ongoing care for his people (vv. 23–26).
Verse 3 sits at the hinge of this opening. The phrase "the Lord of lords" is reinforced by the concluding doxology of verse 26, "Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven," which closes the psalm by returning to the opening act of worship. Between these bookends, the refrain appears twenty-six times, turning each remembered deed into evidence for the enduring lovingkindness of the supreme Lord confessed in verse 3.
Common questions
Why does Psalm 136 use three different titles for God in verses 1–3?
The psalm stacks the titles progressively: "Jehovah" names God's covenant name and essential goodness, "God of gods" asserts his supremacy over all deities, and "Lord of lords" extends that supremacy to every authority. Together they establish who the God is before the psalm lists what he has done.
What does "Lord of lords" mean in Hebrew?
It is a Hebrew superlative construction, Adonai ha-adonim, the same pattern as "God of gods" and "holy of holies." It designates the supreme Lord above every other lord, not merely the chief among many.
What is the significance of the repeated refrain in this psalm?
The refrain "for his lovingkindness endureth for ever" appears after every line, tying each divine title and every act of creation, redemption, and provision to God's enduring hesed — covenant faithfulness that never fails.