In the original Hebrew, every line of this psalm begins with a successive letter of the alphabet, start to finish — a deliberately complete structure for a psalm about a deliberately complete God, whose works and character the writer wants to praise from A to Z, so to speak, leaving nothing out.
A study in Psalm 111 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 10 min read
I Will Praise The LORD With My Whole Heart
“Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
Psalm 111:1
“With my whole heart” is stated deliberately at the very start — not a portion of genuine devotion mixed with divided attention elsewhere, but the entire thing, offered specifically in the public gathering of other worshipers.
Sought Out Of All Them That Have Pleasure Therein
“The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.”
Psalm 111:2-3
“Sought out” suggests genuine study, not passive admiration — God’s works are described as rewarding exactly the kind of deliberate, curious attention that actually goes looking for them, rather than waiting to be noticed by accident.
“He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.”
Psalm 111:6-7
“Verity and judgment” pairs two qualities not always found together — truthfulness and fairness, God’s works described as reliably accurate and reliably just at the same time, neither quality compromising the other.
Holy And Reverend Is His Name
“He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”
Psalm 111:9
This is the only place in the entire Bible the word “reverend” actually appears, and it is applied to exactly one name — not any human title, however honored, but God’s own name alone.
“Jesus impressed upon the people that they were to give no man a title of honor indicating his control of their conscience or their faith. If Christ were on earth today, surrounded by those who bear the title of ‘Reverend’ or ‘Right Reverend,’ would He not repeat His saying, ‘Neither be ye called masters: for One is your Master, even Christ’? The Scripture declares of God, ‘Holy and reverend is His name.’”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 613
White makes this point during the very same temple-week confrontation already covered in The LORD Said Unto My Lord — a human title borrowed from this exact verse, she argues, was never actually meant for any human being to wear.
The Fear Of The LORD Is The Beginning Of Wisdom
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”
Psalm 111:10
This exact line reappears word for word as Proverbs 9:10, quoted often throughout Scripture and repeated constantly across the counsel of God’s messengers to His people — not simply a memorable saying, but apparently a foundational truth considered too important to state only once.
