What Does Psalm 135:6 Mean in the King James?
Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse joins desire to action and names no realm, visible or hidden, as outside its scope.
THE MEANING
What the LORD desires takes effect across every domain named here: heaven, earth, seas, and even the depths. The verse holds the visible and the hidden within the reach of that action now.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that the depths lie beyond the LORD’s reach: the verse explicitly includes “all deep places.”
THE ROOT
חָפֵץ
chafets
GROWS FROM
ח־פ־ץ
ḥ-p-ṣ
To desire, delight in, or take pleasure in.
The word behind “pleased” carries the sense of desire and delight. Here it is joined to עָשָׂה (asah, “did”), so what is desired is also done; the verse then carries that action across heaven, earth, seas, and the depths.
ALSO GROWS
chephets: Desire, delight, pleasure; also a matter or thing desired.
חֵפֶץ
The related noun shows that the root can name both the act of desiring and what is desired.
chephtsi: My desire or pleasure.
חֶפְצִי
Isaiah 46:10 uses this form in “I will do all my pleasure,” joining the same root to action.
עָשָׂה
asah
GROWS FROM
ע־שׂ־ה
ʿ-ś-h
To do, make, or bring about.
“did” in this verse is asah. This verb makes the line concrete: desire is paired with something done. Beside the verse’s sweep of places, it presents action extending through every domain named.
ALSO GROWS
maʿaseh: A deed, work, or act.
מַעֲשֶׂה
The noun makes the root’s action visible as something accomplished.
ʿoseh: One who does or makes.
עֹשֶׂה
This form names the agent of the action, echoing the verse’s “that did he.”
THE PATTERN
The LORD’s desire takes effect across the full span of creation, from heaven to the depths.
But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:THE THREAD
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:Isaiah uses חֶפְצִי (chephtsi, “my pleasure”), from the same ח־פ־ץ root rendered “pleased” here, and links it to doing: “I will do all my pleasure.” That shared root presents desire as enacted purpose, beside the Psalm’s sweep from heaven to the depths.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us