Psalms 145:7 Meaning and Explanation
“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Memory can either shrink God's gifts into ordinary background details or keep them ready for grateful speech. David imagines a memory so full of God's goodness that praise pours out abundantly. He joins that goodness to God's righteousness, helping us praise both God's generous care and the dependable rightness of all his ways.
Psalms 145:7 foresees people overflowing with remembered praise for God's great goodness and singing of his righteousness. God's generous goodness and upright ways belong together in worship.
The Context of Psalms 145:7
Psalm 145 is a praise psalm that celebrates God as King and traces the reach of his works and rule. After David pledges daily praise, verses 4 through 6 describe generations speaking of God's works, majesty, wondrous deeds, and mighty acts. Verse 7 gathers that testimony into two responses: abundant utterance of God's great goodness and singing of his righteousness. Verses 8 and 9 immediately explain this goodness through the LORD's graciousness, compassion, patience, mercy, and tender care over all his works. Later verses continue with provision, righteousness, nearness, and salvation.
What Does Psalms 145:7 Mean?
"They shall abundantly utter" pictures praise flowing freely from a full remembrance. The subject continues the people described in the previous verses, who speak of God's majesty and mighty acts. Their speech centers on "the memory of thy great goodness." David does not treat God's goodness as an abstract idea; it is remembered through God's works. The phrase "great goodness" gives weight to the generosity, kindness, and bounty that the LORD has shown. The next clause adds song: "they shall sing of thy righteousness." God's righteousness is his faithful and upright way of acting. The verse therefore holds together joyful gratitude for God's goodness and confident honor for his righteous character.
Within the chapter, verse 7 forms a bridge between God's mighty acts and the description of his compassionate rule. Verses 4 through 6 emphasize what God has done and his greatness. Verse 7 responds with remembrance and song. Verses 8 and 9 show why that response is fitting: the LORD is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, rich in mercy, and good to all. Verse 17 later says that he is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works. Psalm 145 does not separate God's goodness from his righteousness. His gifts, judgments, kingdom, provision, and nearness all belong to the praise of the same righteous King.
Mary's song in Luke 1 provides a strong echo of this praise. She magnifies the Lord by remembering his mercy, strength, help, and faithfulness to Israel. Her words arise from the Scriptures' long memory of God's saving works, much as Psalm 145 calls God's people to utter remembered goodness. Jesus' ministry also displays the compassionate character Psalm 145 celebrates as he teaches, heals, feeds, and receives those who seek him. The verse does not reduce God's goodness to ease or comfort. It teaches us to remember his whole faithful character and to answer it with speech and song shaped by truth.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 145:7
“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”
- Exodus 15:11
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”
- Psalm 103:2
“The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.”
- Psalm 145:8
“For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.”
- Luke 1:49
Where Psalms 145:7 Echoes in Scripture
Luke 1:49 strongly echoes this verse because Mary praises God for his mighty action and holiness within a song that remembers his mercy and faithfulness. Her worship shows the kind of Scriptural memory Psalm 145 describes: God's saving deeds are received, pondered, and spoken aloud in praise. The connection is especially fitting because both passages join joyful proclamation with reverence for God's character.
How to Apply Psalms 145:7 Today
Gratitude deepens when we remember specifically. We may keep a simple list of mercies received, including daily provision, needed correction, help in trouble, people who have served us, and promises from Scripture that have sustained us. Psalm 145 also gives us words for days when our own memory feels thin: we can sing or pray of God's righteousness revealed in his ways. In gathered worship, singing can carry truths that are hard to articulate alone. In conversation, a truthful account of God's goodness can encourage another person without making our experience the measure of everyone else's path.
Reflection & Prayer
What goodness of God has been present in our life that deserves more careful remembrance and thanks? Name one gift or work of God, then consider how his righteousness gives it deeper meaning. Pray: "Gracious LORD, fill our memory with thy goodness and tune our speech and song to thy righteous ways."