Psalm 138 — When Praise Returns: The God…

How does the God who sees the lowly restore our courage to praise and keep praying?

Overview

Wholehearted thanksgiving, courageous prayer, the witness of kings, and trust in the work God has begun

Key text — Psalm 138:6, 8 (explanatory study rendering): “Though the LORD is exalted, he attends to the lowly. ... The LORD will bring his purpose for me to completion. Your faithful love, LORD, endures forever; do not abandon the work of your hands.”

Psalm 137 ends with instruments hanging silent beside Babylon's rivers. Psalm 138 opens with a person who can sing: “I will give you thanks with my whole heart.” The contrast is striking, but it is not a neat story in which every wound has healed. The speaker of Psalm 138 knows enemies, danger, and the need to ask God not to let go. Thanksgiving is offered in a world that remains unfinished.

There is another surprise. The singer speaks before “gods,” imagines the kings of the earth responding to the LORD, and then declares that the God enthroned above all attends to the lowly. Divine greatness is displayed not simply in overwhelming strength but in the decision to notice the person who might be invisible to the powerful. God's answer to prayer may begin as renewed courage long before every threatening circumstance disappears.

How does praise return after suffering? How can believers speak confidently about God's faithfulness without promising easy lives? And why does a thanksgiving song end with a petition? Psalm 138 invites us to explore all three questions.

1.0 Introduction

Psalm 138 is a thanksgiving psalm associated with David in its heading. The speaker thanks the LORD for responding to a cry for help, invites the rulers of the world to acknowledge God's ways, and expresses confidence that divine care will continue through further trouble. Yet the closing line remains a prayer: “Do not abandon the work of your hands” (v. 8). The psalm's confidence is real, but it is not complacency.

The composition can be heard in three movements. Verses 1–3 offer wholehearted thanksgiving for God's steadfast love, truthfulness, and strengthening answer to prayer. Verses 4–6 broaden the field from an individual's testimony to all the kings of the earth, discovering that the LORD's incomparable glory includes regard for the lowly. Verses 7–8 return to the worshiper's continuing vulnerability and hope: the God who has answered before can be trusted to act again.

Derek Kidner titles his treatment “Goodness beyond measure” and emphasizes the blend of boldness and humility in the opening praise. John Goldingay describes the psalm's three remarkable audiences—gods, kings, and enemies—and highlights the way a personal testimony develops into an affirmation of God's character. They also attend to significant interpretive problems in verses 2 and 8; we should not hide these beneath a smooth translation.

Read after Psalm 137, this psalm does not tell exiles that their grief was exaggerated. Scripture has placed the painful silence of one song beside the renewed praise of another. Both belong in the life of faith. A community must be able to listen to those still weeping as well as to those who can testify that the LORD has sustained them. The neighboring psalms should not be mistaken for consecutive diary entries by one individual: their placement creates a meaningful literary conversation, not proof that the exile's grief ended before the thanksgiving began.

2.0 Historical and Literary Context

2.1 A Davidic heading, but no certain event

The heading identifies Psalm 138 as “of David,” one of several psalms in the collection that bear this association. Psalms 138–145 form a final group marked by Davidic headings before the concluding praise collection (Pss. 146–150). The heading invites a royal and Davidic hearing, yet it does not name the occasion, enemy, or date. David's experiences of prayer amid threats provide plausible resonances (1 Sam. 23–26; 2 Sam. 5), but we cannot identify a particular incident from the psalm itself.

Goldingay notes that the kings of the earth in verses 4–6 may suggest a king or governor as its initial speaker, though its words could also be used by the worshiping community or an individual believer. Some Septuagint manuscripts add Zechariah's name, pointing to a later interpretation in relation to postexilic Jerusalem; that addition does not settle the psalm's origin. The best reading holds together its royal possibilities and its deliberately transferable account of answered prayer.

2.2 Thanksgiving that does not forget danger

Many thanksgiving psalms tell how someone cried to God, received help, and returned to praise before the congregation (Pss. 30; 34; 40; 116). Psalm 138 says less about the precise rescue than some of these songs: “On the day I called, you answered me” (v. 3). Its brevity makes it broadly recognizable. A worshiper can pray these words without pretending that their experience duplicates David's or that every outcome was the same.

More unusually, the poem spends considerable space on how the kings of the earth should or will recognize the LORD. The theological significance of an answered prayer exceeds the private experience. If the God of heaven responds to the lowly, earthly leaders must reconsider what greatness and leadership mean (Ps. 72:1–4, 12–14).

2.3 “Before the gods”: an ancient worship setting

The word translated “gods” in verse 1 is Hebrew ʾĕlōhîm, a word whose meaning is determined by context. Here it may evoke divine beings in the heavenly court (compare Ps. 82), or rival objects of worship. The ancient Greek version reads “angels” in some textual traditions. Interpreters have also proposed earthly rulers or judges, though Goldingay regards that explanation as less likely. The poem does not require us to decide the full metaphysics of its heavenly audience. It insists that the LORD's name and faithfulness deserve praise before every competing claim to ultimate authority.

When the singer bows toward God's holy temple (v. 2), public worship and cosmic confession join. The worshiper belongs to a particular place and community, yet the glory of the God being praised cannot be confined there (1 Kgs. 8:27–30; Ps. 115:3).

2.4 A song that remembers other psalms

Psalm 138 resonates with the confession of wholehearted praise in Psalm 9:1; worship toward God's temple in Psalm 5:7; concern for the lowly in Psalm 113; answered prayer in Psalm 57:2–3; and the enduring love repeated twenty-six times in Psalm 136. Its repeated concern with divine “name,” “word,” “ways,” and “hand” binds speech, character, and action together.

The immediate sequence is also instructive. Psalm 136 sings, “his steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 137 asks how displaced people can sing at all. Psalm 138 takes up the language of faithful love again, from the perspective of a worshiper who has found help. The book refuses to silence either testimony or lament.

2.5 The psalm's literary movement

The poem moves from “I” to “the kings” and back to “I.” The first three verses are a grateful personal pledge. Verses 4–6 extend the truth of the testimony to rulers who hear God's words and learn his ways. Verses 7–8 return to the singer's future, including dangers not yet resolved. Praise becomes witness; witness becomes renewed trust; trust ends in prayer.

This last turn matters. An authentic thanksgiving does not require its singer to claim that everything is finished. The LORD's fidelity is precisely why the worshiper can continue asking for help.

3.0 Walking Through the Text

3.1 Psalm 138:1 — Wholehearted thanks before the gods

The first-person declaration is deliberate: “I give thanks to you with all my heart.” It is not merely a report of feeling grateful. It is a decision to confess publicly who God has been to the speaker. In biblical thanksgiving, gratitude is spoken and sung so that others may hear of God's faithfulness (Ps. 40:9–10; 116:12–19).

The phrase “with all my heart” refers to the person's inward life, will, understanding, and affection together. Worship is not performed with the lips while the deeper self remains indifferent. At the same time, no one should weaponize this phrase against worshipers who are exhausted, depressed, or grieving. Psalm 137 reminds us that sincere worship sometimes appears as tears and silence. Wholeheartedness is truthfulness before God, not the manufacture of cheerful emotion.

“Before the gods” conveys boldness. The singer refuses to reserve praise for a private space where no competing power can hear it. Whatever the referent of ʾĕlōhîm, this confession declares the LORD's superiority over rival sources of ultimate allegiance. Kidner observes the remarkable pairing: boldness to testify before the gods and humility to bow before the LORD.

3.2 Psalm 138:2 — Bowing toward the sanctuary; honoring God's love and truth

The speaker bows toward God's holy temple and gives thanks for his name, steadfast love, and faithfulness. The act of bowing expresses reverence, not the claim that the temple building contains or controls God. Solomon's dedication prayer already acknowledged that heaven itself cannot contain him (1 Kgs. 8:27). The sanctuary represented the covenant relationship in which God made his name known among his people.

Two Hebrew terms are especially important: ḥesed, God's enduring, committed love, and ʾĕmet, trustworthiness or faithfulness. Together they echo the revelation of God's character in Exodus 34:6 and other psalms (e.g., Ps. 57:3; 85:10; 89:14). The worshiper gives thanks not to an unpredictable force, but to the God whose promises are reliable.

The final clause is notoriously difficult: the traditional Hebrew wording can sound like “you have magnified your word above all your name.” The difficulty is textual as well as interpretive: a small conjunction proposed by some interpreters changes whether “name” and “word” are heard together, rather than as rivals. Other renderings take “your name and your word” as the paired objects of divine exaltation, or emphasize the greatness of God's promise. Kidner judges the apparent separation of God's word from his revealed name problematic and explores a possible textual omission; Goldingay construes the line as magnifying God's name and word above all. We should not base a doctrine that Scripture outranks God himself on this debated syntax. Its clear thrust is that God's promise is inseparable from his faithful character, and God's action has honored both.

3.3 Psalm 138:3 — An answer that creates courage

“On the day I called, you answered me.” The verse is intentionally economical. We are not told whether rescue came through a changed political situation, a removed threat, a timely helper, or a new capacity to endure. What is explicit is an answer that strengthens the worshiper's inner life.

The Hebrew describing the effect of God's answer is energetic. Kidner points to boldness and valiant-heartedness; Goldingay emphasizes the robust, even defiant quality of the strengthened spirit. The one who had prayed now possesses fresh courage. Sometimes God changes circumstances; sometimes the first observable gift is the capacity to face circumstances truthfully without being ruled by fear (2 Cor. 12:8–10; Acts 4:29–31).

It would be careless to promise that every prayer will be answered that very day in the same form. The psalm recounts one testimony. It invites prayer and trust, not a timetable imposed on God. A person who waits longer has not necessarily prayed with less faith.

3.4 Psalm 138:4 — Let the kings of the earth give thanks

The scene expands suddenly. What began as one person's confession reaches “all the kings of the earth.” Some translations sound predictive—“all the kings will give thanks”—while others rightly preserve the possibility of a wish or exhortation: “May all the kings give thanks.” Goldingay and Kidner both note this ambiguity. The psalm envisions an order of worship in which even those with extraordinary power acknowledge the God they cannot command.

The kings are said to have heard the words of God's mouth. Divine speech here concerns more than information; it is the trustworthy word that discloses God's character and purposes. Once earthly rulers have heard that word, they are answerable for their response. Wisdom for kings involves humble submission to God's ways (Ps. 2:10–12; 72:1–4; Isa. 2:2–4).

This verse does not say that contemporary political leaders always embody God's purposes, nor does it authorize religious leaders to treat the state as their possession. Rather, it calls every holder of power to accountability before the One whose authority exceeds theirs.

3.5 Psalm 138:5 — Singing about God's ways, not simply his might

The kings are summoned to sing about “the ways of the LORD,” for his glory is great. God's ways include his habitual manner of keeping promises, hearing pleas, defending the vulnerable, and confronting arrogant wrongdoing. Psalm 138 does not picture rulers being impressed only by irresistible force. They must learn what God is like.

That distinction changes worship. Songs may rightly celebrate majesty, but they become distorted if they admire power without goodness. A public official, pastor, elder, parent, or employer might welcome language about authority while resisting the question posed by this verse: does that authority reflect God's concern for those with less power?

3.6 Psalm 138:6 — The Most High sees the lowly

Here the psalm states its theological heart: though the LORD is exalted, he attends to the lowly. Divine transcendence does not mean indifference. God's height is not a barrier to his compassion. Psalm 113:5–9 poses the same paradox: no one is like the LORD seated on high, yet he stoops to raise the poor from the dust.

The second half speaks of the proud or lofty being known “from afar.” The Hebrew can be understood as contrasting God's intimate regard for the lowly with his distance from the arrogant; several translations hear that moral contrast strongly. Goldingay, however, observes that “from afar” may also describe the divine ability to recognize the lowly despite God's exalted position. The line's central claim remains stable: earthly status does not determine whom God notices or honors.

“Lowly” describes those brought down, dependent, or socially insignificant, not people who have earned rescue by cultivating a suitably modest personality. Equally, the contrasting description of the proud is not permission to dismiss people we dislike: the verse asks readers to examine how pride shapes the exercise of power. A humble leader may identify with the lowly; a leader who claims God's favor while humiliating others contradicts the pattern of divine greatness presented here. Those who care for widows, refugees, prisoners, the poor, or neglected children should recognize that concern as close to God's own ways (Deut. 10:17–19; Luke 1:46–55).

3.7 Psalm 138:7 — Life in the middle of trouble

The psalm has not forgotten enemies. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble,” the worshiper expects God to preserve life. The reference to hostile anger makes “trouble” concrete: the danger includes people whose hostility threatens the singer. The extended hand and saving right hand are images of effective divine intervention, continuing a familiar biblical picture of the LORD's rescuing power (Exod. 15:6, 12; Ps. 118:15–16).

The verse does not say that faith removes all risks. Goldingay stresses that one rescue does not make the future smooth; the testimony gives grounds for renewed confidence amid further trouble. Nor should a person in an abusive or dangerous setting be told simply to remain there until God acts. Trust may require seeking protection, appealing to lawful authority, leaving a harmful situation, and asking the community for practical help.

Notice that the line is voiced as hope before the final outcome of every danger is known. The worshiper is sustained by the memory of God who has answered and by confidence that God's power is not exhausted.

3.8 Psalm 138:8 — What God will complete, and the plea not to let go

The first clause is often rendered, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me,” or “The LORD will perfect what concerns me.” The precise sense of the Hebrew verb is debated. Goldingay argues that it points toward bringing the present trouble to an end; Kidner hears the promise of God completing the work he has undertaken for the servant. Both readings hold out confidence that the story of God's help has not run its course.

The middle line repeats the refrain familiar from Psalm 136: “Your steadfast love, LORD, endures forever.” The worshiper anchors present hope in God's enduring ḥesed, not in an ability to forecast each event. But the final words shift to an urgent appeal: “Do not abandon the work of your hands.” Goldingay interprets these “works” primarily as the saving actions God has begun; Kidner gives the expression a more personal force in the continuing formation and care of God's servant. The wording can sustain the broader insight that God's faithful work ought not be left unfinished, while the distinct readings deserve acknowledgment.

The wording of verse 8 looks both backward and forward: prior help has shown the LORD's faithfulness, but the unfinished danger still requires prayer. It is tempting to turn verse 8 into a slogan promising that God will fulfill every personal ambition. The verse says nothing of effortless career success, guaranteed wealth, or the preservation of every plan. It is a prayer made by someone still walking amid trouble. Confidence in God's love and continuing dependence on God's help stand together.

4.0 Theological Reflection

4.1 Faithful love gives worship its center

Psalm 138 praises God's name not because the singer has solved the mysteries of providence, but because the LORD has shown himself faithful. The combination of ḥesed and ʾĕmet matters: God's covenant commitment is not a warm mood that disappears under pressure; it is durable truthfulness expressed in action (Exod. 34:6; Ps. 136). Therefore, thanksgiving names what God has done, and also the character behind those actions.

4.2 God's greatness redefines human greatness

The God whose glory should be recognized by all kings attends to the lowly. A kingdom patterned on his ways cannot call itself great merely because its buildings are impressive, its armies powerful, or its leaders celebrated. In God's scale of value, how a community treats those without influence discloses something essential about its worship (Ps. 72:12–14; Isa. 57:15; Mic. 6:8).

A church can sing beautifully yet disregard people who are financially insecure, elderly, grieving, or otherwise excluded. Nor may a leader claim divine approval simply because a ministry is flourishing outwardly; the LORD's regard for the lowly challenges leaders to listen to the people most affected by their decisions. Psalm 138 insists that divine transcendence and compassion belong together. Worship that claims to honor the Most High must not despise those he sees.

4.3 God's answer may take the form of strength

The worshiper says that God answered and strengthened him (v. 3). This is not a consolation prize for a prayer that failed. Moral and spiritual courage may be central to God's provision. Such courage is not reckless self-confidence. It can look like giving an honest testimony, refusing a bribe, asking forgiveness, seeking protection from violence, or continuing an exhausting ministry with the help of others (2 Cor. 4:7–10; 12:9–10).

The psalm does not give us grounds to diagnose a person's suffering as weak faith. Nor does it prevent medical care, counseling, legal protection, or the ordinary support of friends. These may be among the means through which strength and preservation arrive.

4.4 Praise becomes public witness

The singer's personal gratitude opens into the possibility of kings listening and learning. Worship is not merely a private method of emotional regulation; it bears witness to a different ordering of the world. When believers give truthful accounts of God's mercy, they are invited to embody that mercy in a form others can test: fairness in their decisions, compassion in their communities, and courage without arrogance (Matt. 5:14–16; 1 Pet. 2:12).

Testimony must remain honest. Christians should not imply that God cared for someone who recovered but abandoned someone who died. The Bible permits both Psalm 137's weeping and Psalm 138's praise. A congregation faithful to Scripture makes room for both.

4.5 Hope and petition belong in one sentence

The last verse contains assurance and entreaty side by side. The worshiper trusts God's enduring love and nevertheless asks, “Do not abandon.” Prayer is not a test of whether the believer has achieved perfect certainty. It is the living relationship through which confidence and need can be spoken together. That is why thanksgiving does not end dependence; it deepens it.

5.0 Canonical and Christological Horizon

5.1 From Israel's answered prayer to its hope for the nations

Psalm 138 belongs first to Israel's testimony about the LORD who hears and rescues. The expectation that the kings of the earth acknowledge him echoes the wider biblical hope that the nations will learn God's justice and ways (Gen. 12:3; Ps. 67; Isa. 2:2–4). Christian interpretation should extend, not erase, the history and vocation of Israel in which this prayer took shape.

The Davidic heading invites readers to hear the song within the story of the promised kingdom. Psalm 72's ideal king cares for the needy; Psalm 138's God reveals glory by seeing the lowly. These are closely related visions of righteous rule, even though Psalm 138 is not itself a direct, detailed prediction of events in Jesus' life.

5.2 Jesus reveals greatness through solidarity with the lowly

Mary's song announces a God who brings down the proud and lifts up the humble (Luke 1:46–55). Jesus welcomes people whom respectable society neglects and identifies service, not domination, as the character of his kingdom (Mark 10:42–45; Luke 4:18–19; 14:12–14). The cross makes this reversal even more striking: the exalted Son does not avoid humiliation but enters it in obedience and love (Phil. 2:5–11).

These passages do not simply replace Psalm 138's original meaning. They show how the pattern celebrated in Israel's praise—God's regard for the lowly—comes into sharper Christian focus through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

5.3 The courageous heart and the Spirit's help

When the apostles face threats, they pray for boldness, and their testimony continues through the Spirit's enabling (Acts 4:23–31). Paul discovers divine strength amid weakness rather than receiving the removal of every difficulty (2 Cor. 12:7–10). Neither narrative guarantees that disciples will avoid violence, imprisonment, or death. Both illuminate the kind of answer Psalm 138:3 describes: courage to remain faithful when the situation is still demanding.

5.4 Christ's reign calls rulers to humble accountability

The hope that all kings will acknowledge God's ways is not an excuse for Christian triumphalism or coercion. The New Testament confesses Jesus as Lord over every earthly authority and presents his exaltation through the path of self-giving (Phil. 2:9–11; Rev. 5:9–13). Following such a Lord requires Christians to question power that exploits, rather than merely to desire power for themselves.

God's promised future is not defined by one people imposing its culture or interests on everyone else. The vision of renewed creation includes nations bringing their glory into a healed order and the removal of what defiles or destroys (Rev. 21:22–27; 22:1–5).

5.5 The work of God's hands and resurrection hope

Readers may hear Psalm 138:8 alongside Paul's confidence that God will continue his good work in believers (Phil. 1:6) and the description of people made for good works in Christ (Eph. 2:10). These are canonical connections, not proof that the psalmist meant those later texts or that every individual project will succeed. The gospel's deepest ground for hope is God's faithfulness demonstrated through Jesus' resurrection and the promised renewal of creation (1 Cor. 15:20–28, 50–58; Rev. 21:1–5).

The psalm's final appeal continues to have meaning this side of the resurrection: God, do not release what your faithful love has taken up. Christian hope therefore sustains humble action in the present without pretending that history is already complete.

6.0 Life Application

Give thanks with specificity. Name an occasion when help came, a burden was shared, or courage returned. Tell the truth without exaggeration or comparison with those whose prayers have had different outcomes.
Let worship involve the whole person. Bring thought, voice, posture, choices, and daily conduct into your confession. There is room for heartfelt praise, quiet reverence, and honest lament.
Examine your competing loyalties. Ask what receives the allegiance that belongs to God: reputation, money, political identity, social approval, fear, or your own need for control. Let praise before the “gods” become a quiet refusal to worship these powers.
Remember that a strengthened heart is an answer worth recognizing. When circumstances remain difficult, notice the courage, patience, wisdom, and human support that may help you take the next faithful step.
Measure leadership by concern for the lowly. In church, workplace, school, or local government, ask whose voice is absent from decisions and whose suffering is being overlooked.
Refuse to use gratitude as a weapon. Do not tell a grieving person to stop mourning because someone else has received deliverance. Make room for Psalm 137 and Psalm 138 in the same community.
Practice accountable public witness. If you teach, preach, lead, or publish, let your claims about God's faithfulness be accompanied by honest finances, fair treatment, and respect for vulnerable people.
Seek practical protection amid hostility. Trusting God's right hand is compatible with reporting violence, finding safe housing, asking for professional help, and building systems of accountability.
Pray verse 8 without turning it into a prosperity formula. Ask God to continue his faithful work in you and your community, while remaining open to outcomes different from the plans you first imagined.
Build communities where hope can grow. Support those whose service is unfinished: caregivers, teachers, students, people in recovery, and leaders laboring through uncertainty.
Let personal testimony widen into public concern. Pray that leaders, including those whose policies affect you, will learn the ways of God's righteousness rather than merely seek prestige.
Close the day with both memory and request. Thank God for one sign of faithfulness, confess a need that remains, and ask him not to abandon the work of his hands.

7.0 Reflection Questions

What changes when Psalm 138 is read directly after the unrelieved pain of Psalm 137?
What might “with all my heart” mean when a believer feels exhausted rather than joyful?
How do the interpretations of “before the gods” differ, and what common affirmation unites them?
Why should Psalm 138:2 not be used to claim that God's written word outranks God's own character?
Have you experienced an answer to prayer primarily as courage or wisdom before circumstances changed?
What is the difference between hoping that kings will praise the LORD and giving rulers religious immunity from criticism?
Why does the exalted LORD's attention to the lowly challenge common ideas of power and success?
How can a church practice truthful public thanksgiving without marginalizing those still in grief?
What dangers arise when Psalm 138:7 is treated as a guarantee against violence or suffering?
How do Goldingay's and Kidner's readings of verse 8 differ, and where do they converge?
In what ways does Jesus' treatment of the lowly deepen a Christian reading of this psalm?
What unfinished work, concern, or relationship do you need to entrust to God's faithful love today?

8.0 Response Prayer

LORD, I thank you for your steadfast love and the truthfulness of your promises. You are exalted beyond every power, yet you see those whom the world overlooks. Forgive me when I confuse greatness with status or when my praise is louder than my compassion. Remember those whose songs are still silent with grief. Strengthen our hearts to speak the truth, resist injustice, and serve with humility. When enemies or difficulties surround us, guide us toward wise protection and faithful action. Continue your good work among us, and do not abandon the work of your hands. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

9.0 Window into What Comes Next

Psalm 138 has moved from a whole-hearted song before heavenly and earthly powers to a prayer that the LORD will finish his work. The speaker has received an answer but has not graduated from dependence. He can praise and still plead: “Do not abandon the work of your hands.”

Psalm 139 brings that relationship into extraordinary focus. The God who sees the lowly in Psalm 138 also sees and knows the worshiper completely: thoughts, words, journeys, and hidden places. The one who prays not to be abandoned discovers that there is nowhere beyond the reach of God's presence (Ps. 139:1–12). Yet such knowledge provokes another searching prayer: “Search me, O God ... lead me in the everlasting way” (139:23–24, study rendering). We move from confidence in God's faithful work to wonder at the God who knows the worker and the work more deeply than we do.

10.0 Bibliography

Biblical texts: Genesis 12; Exodus 15, 34; Deuteronomy 10; 1 Samuel 23–26; 1 Kings 8; Psalms 2, 5, 9, 22, 30, 34, 40, 57, 67, 72, 82, 85, 89, 113, 115–116, 136–139; Isaiah 2, 57; Micah 6; Matthew 5; Mark 10; Luke 1, 4, 14; Acts 4; 2 Corinthians 4, 12; Ephesians 2; Philippians 1–2; 1 Peter 2; Revelation 5, 21–22.
Goldingay, John. 2008. Psalms, Volume 3: Psalms 90–150. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. See “Psalm 138: Before Gods, Kings, Enemies,” especially the three-part shape of thanksgiving, the possible royal perspective, and the interpretations of verses 2 and 8.
Kidner, Derek. Psalms 73–150. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. See “Psalm 138: Goodness beyond measure,” especially the Davidic sequence, the debated “name and word” wording, inner strength, and the continuing work of God.
BibleProject. Book of Psalms: overview of Israel's prayers, the relation of lament and praise, and the Psalter's hope for God's reign. https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/psalms/ Study note: Scripture in the key text is presented as an explanatory study rendering, not as a verbatim quotation from a named Bible translation. Literary observations, historical uncertainties, and later Christian interpretations are distinguished where appropriate; specific exegetical differences are attributed to Goldingay and Kidner.

Psalm 138 — When Praise Returns: The God Who Sees the Lowly