The Meaning of Psalms 135:3 Explained

Psalms 135:3

KJV: Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

YLT: Praise ye Jah! for Jehovah is good, Sing praise to His name, for it is pleasant.

Darby: Praise ye Jah; for Jehovah is good: sing psalms unto his name; for it is pleasant.

ASV: Praise ye Jehovah; for Jehovah is good: Sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Praise  the LORD;  for the LORD  [is] good:  sing praises  unto his name;  for [it is] pleasant. 

What does Psalms 135:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 135:1-12 - God's Wonderful Power
This psalm begins and ends with Hallelujah. It contains choice extracts from various psalms, which have been culled as the flowers of a garden are gathered for one bouquet. The arguments for praise are threefold: God's glory in nature, Psalms 135:5-7; His dealings with Israel, Psalms 135:8-14; the contrast of His glorious nature with idols, Psalms 135:15-21.
Notice the arguments adduced to stimulate our praise: that God is good; that praise-giving is pleasant; that He has chosen His people to be His peculiar treasure; that He is as great as He is good; that He will take our part against our foes, etc. The moral of it all is that if we would praise God aright and with zest, we must carefully gather our materials and meditate on all His dealings with us. These are fuel for the flame. But how many more reasons than the psalmist had are there for us to praise Him, who have been adopted into His family and made joint-heirs with Christ! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 135

1  An exhortation to praise God for his mercy
5  For his power
8  For his judgments
15  The vanity of idols
19  An exhortation to bless God

What do the individual words in Psalms 135:3 mean?

Praise YAH for good Yahweh [is] Sing praises to His name for [it is] pleasant
הַֽ֭לְלוּ־ יָהּ כִּי־ ט֣וֹב יְהוָ֑ה זַמְּר֥וּ לִ֝שְׁמ֗וֹ כִּ֣י נָעִֽים

הַֽ֭לְלוּ־  Praise 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַל 
Sense: to shine.
יָהּ  YAH 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָהּ  
Sense: Jah (Jehovah in the shortened form).
ט֣וֹב  good 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
יְהוָ֑ה  Yahweh  [is] 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
זַמְּר֥וּ  Sing  praises 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: זָמַר  
Sense: to sing, sing praise, make music.
לִ֝שְׁמ֗וֹ  to  His  name 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
נָעִֽים  [it  is]  pleasant 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: נָעִים 
Sense: pleasant, delightful, sweet, lovely, agreeable.