Midnight Praises
Morning Praises
The Second Hoos
Psalm 136 - the Great Hallel. Every verse ends with the refrain 'His mercy endures forever,' creating a litany of God's mighty acts from creation through the Exodus to daily provision. It is the second canticle of the Midnight Praises.
Amen Alleluia, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison.
The same Trinitarian opening as the First Hoos - Hebrew and Greek woven together. "Amen" (so be it), "Alleluia" (praise the Lord), and the triple "Kyrie eleison" (Lord have mercy) set the tone: we come to praise, but we come as those who need mercy.
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:1. The psalm opens with the foundational truth: God is good. Not merely powerful or wise - good. His goodness is the reason for thanksgiving. The refrain "His mercy endures forever" will repeat after every single verse - 26 times in total. This relentless repetition is intentional: no matter what God does, the constant underlying reality is His enduring mercy.
O give thanks to the God of gods.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:2. "God of gods" does not affirm the existence of other gods but declares that anything anyone has ever called a god is nothing compared to the true God. He is supreme above all powers, authorities, and spiritual forces - real or imagined.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:3. "Lord of lords" - every earthly ruler, every authority, every power structure answers to Him. This title appears again in Revelation 19:16 applied to Christ. The Coptic Church has survived under Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman, and modern rulers because she answers to the Lord of lords above all earthly lords.
To Him who alone does great wonders.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:4. "Alone" is the key word. No saint, no angel, no power shares in God's unique ability to work wonders. Everything miraculous flows from Him alone. The saints are channels of His grace, never independent sources of power.
To Him who by wisdom made the heavens.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:5. Creation was not random or accidental - it was made "by wisdom." The heavens reflect intelligent design, purpose, and beauty. In Coptic theology, this Wisdom (Sophia) is identified with Christ Himself - "through whom all things were made" (John 1:3).
To Him who laid out the earth above the waters.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:6. Reflecting the ancient cosmology of Genesis 1, where God separated the waters and caused dry land to appear. The psalm is walking through the creation narrative, reminding us that the same God who structured the cosmos from chaos is the one whose mercy endures forever.
To Him who made great lights.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:7. The sun, moon, and stars - created on the fourth day. In the ancient world, many cultures worshipped celestial bodies. This psalm quietly declares: they are not gods. They are creations. The One who made them is the One deserving praise.
The sun to rule by day.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:8. The sun "rules" by day - it governs the rhythm of life, growth, and activity. Yet it rules only because God assigned it this role. Even the sun is a servant, not a sovereign. Christ is called the "Sun of Righteousness" (Malachi 4:2) - the true light that rules not just the day but all of existence.
The moon and stars to rule by night.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:9. God did not leave the night without governance. Even in darkness, He provides light. This is deeply comforting - in the darkest seasons of life, God has placed lights to guide us. The saints who shine in the darkness of this world are like these stars, reflecting the light of Christ.
To Him who struck Egypt in their first-born.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:10. The psalm now transitions from creation to the Exodus. The tenth plague - the death of the firstborn - is remembered as an act of God's mercy toward Israel, not cruelty toward Egypt. Pharaoh had been given nine previous warnings. The Coptic tradition does not celebrate Egypt's suffering but acknowledges that God's justice and mercy work together.
And brought out Israel from among them.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:11. "Brought out" - God is the active agent. Israel did not escape or rebel - they were extracted by God's power. In the same way, our salvation is God's initiative, not our achievement. He brings us out of bondage to sin.
With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:12. "Strong hand" and "outstretched arm" - anthropomorphic language showing God's personal, active involvement. He did not delegate the Exodus to angels. He reached in Himself. The outstretched arm of God finds its ultimate expression in the outstretched arms of Christ on the Cross.
To Him who divided the Red Sea in two.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:13. "In two" - the sea was split completely, creating walls of water on both sides. A total, decisive act. God does not half-deliver. When He opens a way, it is unmistakable and complete.
And made Israel pass through the midst of it.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:14. "Through the midst" - not around, not over, but through. God's path often leads through difficulty, not around it. The Coptic saints walked through persecution, not away from it, and found God's mercy enduring on the other side.
But overthrew pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:15. "Overthrew" - literally shook them off, like shaking insects from a garment. The mightiest army in the world was nothing but a nuisance to be shaken off. Even Pharaoh's overthrow is followed by "His mercy endures forever" - God's mercy extends even to His enemies, giving them every chance to repent before judgment falls.
To Him who led His people through the wilderness.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:16. Forty years of daily provision - manna, water, protection, guidance by cloud and fire. The wilderness was not punishment but formation. God leads His people through difficulty to shape them. The Coptic Church's centuries of persecution are understood as a wilderness journey that produced countless saints.
To Him who retrieved water from a rock.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
Not in the standard Psalm 136 but added in the Coptic version, recalling Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:11. St. Paul identified this rock as Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). From the hardest, driest, most unlikely source, God brings forth life-giving water. No situation is too barren for God to bring refreshment.
To Him who struck down great kings.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:17. As Israel approached the Promised Land, great kings opposed them. God struck them down - not because He delights in violence but because they stood between His people and His promises. Every obstacle between us and God's purpose will ultimately be removed.
And slew famous kings.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:18. "Famous" kings - their fame did not protect them. The world's fame is no shield against God's purposes. Many famous persecutors of the Coptic Church are now forgotten, while the saints they martyred are celebrated forever.
Sihon the king of the Amorites.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:19. Sihon refused Israel passage through his territory (Numbers 21:21-23). His refusal led to his defeat. When we refuse God's people, we position ourselves against God. Sihon is named specifically so that we remember: opposition to God's plan has a name, a face, and a consequence.
And Og the king of Bashan.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:20. Og was a giant - literally described as having a bed nine cubits long (Deuteronomy 3:11). His physical might was legendary. Yet even giants fall before God. No enemy is too large for the One whose mercy endures forever.
And gave their land as a heritage.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:21. What belonged to the enemy became an inheritance for God's people. God does not merely defeat our enemies - He transforms their territory into our blessing. The very ground of our struggles becomes the ground of our inheritance.
A heritage to Israel His servant.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:22. Israel is called God's "servant" - the inheritance is given not to the powerful or deserving but to the one who serves. In Coptic spirituality, service and inheritance are linked. We inherit the kingdom not through entitlement but through humble service.
The Lord who remembered us in our lowly state.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:23. "Remembered us in our lowly state" - one of the most tender verses in all the Psalms. When everyone else forgets us, when we are at our lowest and most forgotten, God remembers. The Virgin Mary echoed this in her Magnificat: "He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant" (Luke 1:48).
And rescued us from our enemies.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:24. "Rescued" - not merely helped or assisted but rescued. This implies we were in danger we could not escape on our own. Every rescue in our lives - from sin, from despair, from spiritual attack - is an act of the same God whose mercy endures forever.
Who gives food to all flesh.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:25. After recounting mighty acts of deliverance and conquest, the psalm turns to the most ordinary gift: daily food. God who parts seas and defeats kings also feeds every creature. His mercy is not only in the spectacular but in the daily bread on your table. Nothing is too small for His attention.
O give thanks to the God of heaven.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136:26. The psalm ends where it began - with thanksgiving. Having journeyed from creation through the Exodus to daily provision, the only response is gratitude. "God of heaven" reminds us that this merciful God is not earthbound - He reigns from heaven over all.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords for He is good.
Alleluia His mercy endures forever.
The Coptic version adds this final verse, combining the opening ("He is good") with the title "Lord of lords," creating a complete circle. The entire psalm has been one sustained argument: because God is good and His mercy endures forever, the only fitting response is perpetual thanksgiving. We who sing this in the Midnight Praises join 3,000 years of voices declaring this same truth.
Reflection
The Second Canticle (Hoos) of the Midnight Praises, comprising Psalm 136 - known as the Great Hallel. Every one of its 26 verses concludes with the refrain 'His mercy endures forever,' creating a sustained litany that traces God's mighty acts from creation through the Exodus to daily provision.
Biblical Origin
Psalm 136 (Septuagint 135), the Great Hallel, was sung at the Passover meal and at Temple worship during the great feasts. The Septuagint renders the refrain as 'hoti eis ton aiona to eleos autou' - because His mercy endures unto eternity. The Coptic version includes an additional verse about water from the rock (Exodus 17:6), expanding the canonical text with a distinctly Egyptian liturgical addition preserved in the Alexandrian tradition.
Theological Meaning
- The relentless repetition of 'His mercy endures forever' 26 times is not redundancy but pedagogy. It trains the soul to see every act of God - creation, judgment, deliverance, daily bread - through the single lens of mercy. St. John Chrysostom, whose homilies are read in Coptic monasteries, taught that repetition in prayer inscribes truth on the heart the way a chisel inscribes letters on stone.
- The psalm moves from cosmology (creation of heavens, sun, moon) through soteriology (the Exodus, defeat of kings) to daily providence (food for all flesh), demonstrating that God's mercy operates at every scale - from the ordering of galaxies to the bread on the table. No act is too great or too small to be an expression of the same enduring mercy.
- The inclusion of water from the rock (absent in the Hebrew Psalm 136 but present in the Coptic liturgical version) points to Christ. St. Paul identified this rock as Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), and its inclusion by the Coptic Fathers reveals their Christological reading of the entire psalm - every act of mercy in Israel's history was ultimately the work of the pre-incarnate Logos.
Liturgical Significance
As the second canticle, the Great Hallel shifts the Tasbeha from the specific event of the Red Sea crossing to a panoramic survey of all God's works. Its litanic structure makes it uniquely participatory - the congregation's repeated refrain transforms passive listeners into active confessors of God's mercy. The Coptic Church's placement of this psalm in the midnight office means that the believer confesses God's mercy in the darkness, precisely when mercy feels least visible.
Spiritual Application
This canticle reshapes the believer's perception of all life experiences. By confessing 'His mercy endures forever' after every divine act - including judgment, wilderness wandering, and the overthrow of enemies - the faithful learn to recognize mercy not only in blessing but also in trial, correction, and waiting. It is the Church's remedy for despair.
The Great Hallel trains the soul through 26-fold repetition to perceive the single, unbreakable thread of divine mercy running through every act of God from creation to daily bread.