The interpretation timeline
Psalm 144:17 Douay-Rheims

The Lord is just in all his ways: and holy in all his works.

A.D. 430 – 1871 5 witnesses

Patristic

before A.D. 750
430
A.D.
Augustine of Hippo Patristic
A.D. 354–430
“"Righteous is the Lord in all His ways, and holy in all His works" (ver. 17). Both when He smiteth and when He healeth, He is righteous, and in Him unrighteousness is not. Finally, all His saints, when set in the midst of tribulation, have first praised His righteousness, and so sought His blessings. They first have said, "What Thou doest is righteous." So did Daniel ask, and other holy men: "Righteous are Thy judgments: rightly have we suffered: deservedly have we suffered." They laid not unrighteousness to God, they laid not to Him injustice and folly. First they praised Him scourging, and so they felt Him feeding.”
Source

Scholastic

c. 1100 – 1500
1235
A.D.
Radak Jewish
c. 1160–1235
“Righteous (צדיק): For with righteousness and fairness, He provides food for everyone. Even though He created living creatures to prey upon each other—like the cat for the mouse, the lion, bear, leopard, and other animals that prey on others, and likewise the birds that swoop down on other birds—everything is just from Him. For He also provides food for the predators during their lives. However, when their time comes to die, He has decreed in advance that some will die from being hunted by other animals, and others will die from natural causes. And gracious in all his works (וחסיד בכל מעשיו): He provides for them beyond what He is obligated to give, and they are not deserving of receiving it. Rather, His grace prevails over them.”
Source

Post-Reformation

c. 1650 – 1900
1771
A.D.
John Gill Reformed
1697–1771
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways,.... Christ is righteous in all the ways of providence, in which he is jointly concerned with his Father: there are some of the ways of providence, which are now intricate and perplexed, are unsearchable and past finding out, and cannot be easily reconciled to the justice and faithfulness of God, respecting the prosperity of the wicked and the afflictions of the righteous; but these will before long be made manifest, and they will appear to be just and true. And so in all his ways of grace, in all his decrees; in the choice of some to everlasting life, and the leaving of others; with respect to either of these, there is no unrighteousness in him: nor in the redemption of men, for which an adequate price is given; and in which mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, meet together; nor in the justification of a sinner, which is not done without a righteousness, but in such manner that God is just while he is the justifier of him that believes in Jesus; nor in the pardon of sin, which is upon the foot of a satisfaction made to the justice of God, by the blood and sacrifice of Christ; nor in eternal life, the gift of God through Christ, which none inherit but righteous ones. Christ is righteous in all his suretyship engagements, which he has punctually performed, and in the execution of all his offices; in doing which, righteousness and faithfulness are the girdle of his loins and reins: and so likewise he is and will appear righteous in his judgments on his and his people's enemies, in the destruction of antichrist and his followers. And, moreover, he is righteous in all the ways he prescribes for his people to walk in, in all his commandments and ordinances; which are all holy, just, and good; and holy in all his works; in all his works of providence; doing no evil, though he suffers it for wise ends, and overrules it for good: and in all his works of grace; in election, which is through holiness and to it; in the redemption of his people, which is from a vain conversation, and that they might be a peculiar people, zealous of good works; in the calling of them with an holy calling, and to holiness; in bringing them to glory, which is through regeneration and sanctification. It may be rendered, is "merciful" or "bountiful in all his works" (k); all he does flowing from his grace, mercy, and goodness. (k) "misericors", Pagninus, Montanus, so Ainsworth; "benignus", Tigurine version, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus.”
Source
1849
A.D.
1871
A.D.
1871
“holy . . . works--literally, "merciful" or "kind, goodness" (Psa 144:2) is the corresponding noun. righteous--in a similar relation of meaning to "righteousness" (Psa 145:7).”
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.