The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 66
In brief
Psalm 66 is a song of praise whose text does not name its author. It opens with a call to the whole earth to celebrate God's awesome works, including the sea he opened before his people. The psalmist then admits that God also brought his people through the crucible, through fire and water, before leading them into abundance. The psalm ends with the personal testimony of someone who comes to keep his vows and tell how God heard his prayer.
The chapter in 5 parts
1Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2Sing to the glory of his name! Offer glory and praise!
3Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.
4All the earth will worship you, and will sing to you; they will sing to your name.”
5Come, and see God’s deeds— awesome work on behalf of the children of men.
6He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There, we rejoiced in him.
7He rules by his might forever. His eyes watch the nations. Don’t let the rebellious rise up against him.
8Praise our God, you peoples! Make the sound of his praise heard,
9who preserves our life among the living, and doesn’t allow our feet to be moved.
10For you, God, have tested us. You have refined us, as silver is refined.
11You brought us into prison. You laid a burden on our backs.
12You allowed men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us to the place of abundance.
13I will come into your temple with burnt offerings. I will pay my vows to you,
14which my lips promised, and my mouth spoke, when I was in distress.
15I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals, with the offering of rams, I will offer bulls with goats.
16Come and hear, all you who fear God. I will declare what he has done for my soul.
17I cried to him with my mouth. He was extolled with my tongue.
18If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened.
19But most certainly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer.
20Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his loving kindness from me.
Key verses
Come, and see God’s deeds— awesome work on behalf of the children of men.
The psalmist invites us to look at what God has done. Faith rests here on deeds the people actually saw, beginning with the crossing of the sea.
For you, God, have tested us. You have refined us, as silver is refined. You brought us into prison. You laid a burden on our backs. You allowed men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us to the place of abundance.
God is not absent from the testing: it is compared to the crucible where silver is refined. The psalmist does not deny it, he looks back on it from the other shore, after God brought his people out.
Come and hear, all you who fear God. I will declare what he has done for my soul.
The psalm shifts from we to I: after the shared praise, one believer invites those who fear God to hear what God has done for him.
If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened. But most certainly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer.
These verses link prayer and a sincere heart. Holding on to wrongdoing while knowing it is wrong hinders being heard by God, yet the psalmist affirms that God did hear him.
Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his loving kindness from me.
The psalm closes with a blessing: God has not turned away the prayer and has not withdrawn his steadfast love from him. It is the conclusion of every answered prayer.
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Frequently asked questions about Psalm 66
What does Psalm 66 mean?
It is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving. It recalls that God saved his people, for example by bringing them through the sea, that he also tested them as silver is refined, and then delivered them. The last third is the testimony of a believer: God listened to his prayer and did not withdraw his steadfast love.
How can I pray with Psalm 66?
Start with verses 1 to 4 by praising God aloud for who he is. Then, with verses 5 to 12, remind him of what he has done for you and the trials he brought you out of. Finish with verses 16 to 20 by telling what he has done for you, and by asking him for a sincere heart.
What does going through the crucible mean in verse 10?
A crucible is the vessel in which silver is melted to remove its impurities. The psalmist says God tested his people in this way. The image does not say God causes every suffering, but that trial can become a place where God purifies and trust grows.
Articles quoting Psalm 66
World English Bible translation — public domain.