Text: Psalm 136
OT Text Referred to: Ezra 3:10-11
Subject: Great Hallel refrain at temple foundation
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: The Levitical praise at the temple foundation laying (Ezra 3:10-11) uses the refrain "for His steadfast love endures forever" (כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ, ki le'olam chasdo), which is the signature refrain of Psalm 136, repeated 26 times throughout the Great Hallel. This psalm recounts God's mighty acts from creation through the Exodus and conquest. By singing this refrain at the second temple's foundation, the post-exilic community places their restoration within the same canonical story of YHWH's saving acts that Psalm 136 celebrates, claiming their return from exile as the latest expression of the same covenant faithfulness (חֶסֶד) that parted the Red Sea and gave Israel its land.