Psalm 111
The fear of the LORD is wisdom
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What does it say?
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Psalm 111 is an alphabet acrostic: each line begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, from A to Z. It praises God's works — glorious and majestic, sought by all who delight in them. He is gracious and compassionate. He feeds those who fear Him and remembers His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name. The last line is one of the most quoted in wisdom literature: the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding.
Where it is in the Bible: Psalm 111
Before You Read
Who wrote it. Anonymous.
What it is. An acrostic psalm of praise — each of the 22 lines begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
What it's about. Praise the LORD. Everything He does reflects His character: glorious, majestic, righteous, gracious, compassionate, faithful, just. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
When the church sings it. On Sundays in Ordinary Time and All Saints Day.
Map of the Psalm
| Section | Verses | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 1. His Works Are Great | 111:1–4 | Praise the LORD — His works are studied by those who delight in them |
| 2. Faithful and Just | 111:5–9 | He provides food, remembers His covenant, redeems His people |
| 3. The Beginning of Wisdom | 111:10 | The fear of the LORD — the foundation of everything |
Section by Section
Section 1 of 3His Works Are Great
"Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly." (111:1).
Praise is not private here. It is communal — in council, in assembly.
"Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them" (111:2).
The works are great enough to study and delight in. Praise is not mindless repetition — it includes attention.
"Splendid and majestic is His work; His righteousness endures forever." (111:3).
"He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate." (111:4).
He has arranged for His works to be remembered. The Passover, the Exodus, the covenant — He set them up as memorial acts.
Section 2 of 3Faithful and Just
"He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever" (111:5).
Food and covenant. The physical provision and the relational promise — both from the same hand.
"He has shown His people the power of His works by giving them the inheritance of the nations." (111:6).
"The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are trustworthy." (111:7).
"They are upheld forever and ever, enacted in truth and uprightness." (111:8).
"He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name." (111:9).
Three attributes landed together at the end of the section: redemption, covenant, holy and awesome.
Section 3 of 3The Beginning of Wisdom
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!" (111:10).
The final verse is the hinge of all wisdom literature. Not the end of wisdom — the beginning. Awe before God is where knowledge begins.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them" (111:2) | Praise includes careful attention to what God has done. |
| "He has caused His wonders to be remembered" (111:4) | God designed memorial practices so His people would not forget. |
| "He remembers His covenant forever" (111:5) | God's memory is His faithfulness. He does not forget what He promised. |
| "The works of His hands are truth and justice" (111:7) | God's character is written into what He does. His works are like Him. |
| "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (111:10) | Wisdom starts with awe, not with intelligence. |
Back Then
Psalm 111 and Psalm 112 form a pair — both acrostics, both 22 lines, both in the same style. Psalm 111 describes God; Psalm 112 describes the person who fears God. Read together, they show the connection: the one who truly sees who God is (Psalm 111) becomes the person Psalm 112 describes.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (111:10) — the same line opens the book of Proverbs (1:7). It is the foundation of Israel's wisdom tradition. "Beginning" in Hebrew (reshit) can mean both the starting point and the chief part — the fear of God is where you start and also the most important thing.
"He has caused His wonders to be remembered" (111:4) — the Passover Seder, the Sabbath, the feasts were all designed as memory acts. God built the forgetting tendency into His accounting and structured regular remembrance into the calendar.
Literal Reader Alert
"The fear of the LORD" (111:10) — Fear of God is not terror of an unpredictable tyrant. It is the reverent awe of someone who has seen who God actually is — all the works described in this psalm — and knows they are standing before something infinitely greater than themselves. This awe does not push you away from God; it pulls you toward wisdom.
"He has shown His people the power of His works by giving them the inheritance of the nations" (111:6) — This refers to the conquest of Canaan. The psalmist presents it as a gift of God's power, not a human achievement. The theology here is that Israel's history is entirely God's doing, not Israel's own success.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The congregation | Grateful | His works are great, splendid, majestic, worth studying (111:2–3) |
| The psalmist | Awed | Holy and awesome is His name — this is not casual praise (111:9) |
| The reader | Oriented | Wisdom starts here — with the fear of the LORD (111:10) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
What does this psalm speak into? Tap one.
I want to praise but feel like I don't know enough
His works are pondered by those who delight in them — start there. Look at what He has done.
I wonder if God remembers His promises
He remembers His covenant forever.
I want to be wise
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. That is where it starts.
I want to worship well
In the council of the upright, in the assembly — bring it into community.
You Might Have Heard
"You have to be smart to understand God."
What's true: Psalm 111 praises the greatness of God's works and says they are pondered.
What the passage is mainly about: The beginning of wisdom is not intelligence — it is awe. The fear of the LORD comes before understanding, not after. Pondering His works leads to wisdom, but only when it starts with reverence. All the knowledge in the world that begins without awe of God is not actually wisdom.
Where Jesus is: He is the wisdom of God made flesh (1 Corinthians 1:30) — the one in whom the "fear of the LORD" reaches its fullest meaning. In Him, all the attributes this psalm describes become personal: faithful, just, gracious, compassionate, redeemer, covenant-keeper. The holy and awesome name is the name of Jesus.
Good News
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!" (111:10).
Wisdom is available. It starts where most people do not look — in awe before God. His praise endures forever: the ending point of wisdom is also praise.
Psalm 111: great are the works of the LORD — splendid, majestic, righteous. He feeds, remembers His covenant, redeems. Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
Big Idea
Psalm 111: praise the LORD — His works are great and worth pondering. Faithful, just, gracious, compassionate — holy and awesome is His name. He redeems and remembers His covenant. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
If this passage brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It appoints Psalm 111 on the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany in Year B and on other Sundays in Ordinary Time.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding.
How did that feel?
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Year BPsalm, Psalm 111
- Lectionary 20 Year BPsalm, Psalm 111
- Lectionary 28 Year CPsalm, Psalm 111
For a newsletter or sermon notes
Psalm 111, explained in plain words. An alphabet acrostic of praise: God's works are great, His righteousness endures, His covenant stands. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. About 10 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/psalm-111/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church