“To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:”
The great lights—sun and moon—represent creation's most visible and essential features, regulating time and providing illumination. The attribution of their creation to God establishes that even celestial bodies, which pagans often worshipped, are God's creation, not autonomous deities. The reference to great lights (הגדלים) emphasizes their prominence and importance, yet even these magnificent creations express God's covenant faithfulness. This verse connects cosmological knowledge to theological affirmation.
Church Fathers on Psalms 136:7
1. “Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures for ever” Psalm 135:1. This Psalm contains the praise of God, and all its verses finish in the same way. Wherefore although many things are related here in praise of God, yet His mercy is most commended; for without this plain commendation, he, whom the Holy Spirit used to utter this Psalm, would have no verse be ended. Although after the judgment, by which at the end of the world the quick and the dead must…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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