Psalms — Chapter 113

Loading ESV text...

1Hallelujah! Give praise, O servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD.

2Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forevermore.

3From where the sun rises to where it sets, the name of the LORD is praised.

4The LORD is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens.

5Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?

6He humbles Himself to behold the heavens and the earth.

7He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump

8to seat them with nobles, with the princes of His people.

9He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!

1Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

2Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

3From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.

4The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

5Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,

6Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

7He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

8That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

9He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.

1Praise ye Jehovah. Praise, O ye servants of Jehovah, Praise the name of Jehovah.

2Blessed be the name of Jehovah From this time forth and for evermore.

3From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same Jehovah`s name is to be praised.

4Jehovah is high above all nations, And his glory above the heavens.

5Who is like unto Jehovah our God, That hath his seat on high,

6That humbleth himself to behold [The things that are] in heaven and in the earth?

7He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, And lifteth up the needy from the dunghill;

8That he may set him with princes, Even with the princes of his people.

9He maketh the barren woman to keep house, [And to be] a joyful mother of children. Praise ye Jehovah. Psalm 114

1Praise the Lord. Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.

2May the Lord’s name be praised now and forevermore.

3From east to west the Lord’s name is deserving of praise.

4The Lord is exalted over all the nations; his splendor reaches beyond the sky.

5Who can compare to the Lord our God, who sits on a high throne?

6He bends down to look at the sky and the earth.

7He raises the poor from the dirt and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile

8that he might seat him with princes, with the princes of his people.

9He makes the barren woman of the family a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.

1Praise Yah! Praise, you servants of Yahweh, praise Yahweh’s name.

2Blessed be Yahweh’s name, from this time forward and forever more.

3From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, Yahweh’s name is to be praised.

4Yahweh is high above all nations, his glory above the heavens.

5Who is like Yahweh, our God, who has his seat on high,

6Who stoops down to see in heaven and in the earth?

7He raises up the poor out of the dust. Lifts up the needy from the ash heap;

8that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

9He settles the barren woman in her home, as a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah!

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

This Hallel psalm of praise opens with a call for God's servants to praise his name continually, from sunrise to sunset and for all time (vv. 1-3). It celebrates the LORD's transcendence — exalted above every nation and even the heavens (v. 4) — paired with his condescension: no one else compares to a God who, though enthroned on high, stoops down to notice what happens in heaven and on earth (vv. 5-6). That humility is shown in concrete acts of reversal: he lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap to seat them among princes (vv. 7-8), and he gives the childless woman a home and children, turning her sorrow into joy (v. 9).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Hymn of Praise / Hallel Psalm
Attributed Author: Anonymous
Key Themes: God's transcendence and condescension, God's care for the lowly, praise from dawn to dusk, God's incomparability, lifting the poor from the dust, the reversal of fortune
Historical Context: Psalm 113 begins the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118), the collection of praise psalms sung at the great Jewish festivals, especially Passover. Psalms 113-114 were sung before the Passover meal; 115-118 after it. This means Jesus sang this psalm at the Last Supper (Matt 26:30 — "when they had sung a hymn"). The psalm celebrates God's unique combination of transcendence (high above all nations, v.4) and condescension (stooping to raise the poor, vv.6-9). Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) echoes this psalm extensively, especially the theme of God lifting the lowly.
From the Rising of the Sun unto the Going Down (vv.1-3): Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. This opens the Egyptian Hallel, Psalms 113 to 118, sung at Passover, which means these are among the psalms Jesus and the disciples would have sung at the last supper, since Matthew 26:30 records a hymn. The praise is unbounded in time twice over, from this time forth and for evermore, and then from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same.
Who Is Like unto the LORD Our God (vv.4-5): The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. The psalm builds height deliberately so that it has somewhere to fall from, and the question it asks at the top is the one Exodus 15:11 asks at the sea, who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high.
He Raiseth Up the Poor out of the Dust (vv.6-9): Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth. The turn is the psalm's whole point: stooping is listed among the marvels, and even heaven is something God has to look down at. Then the direction of the stoop, he raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill, that he may set him with princes. The last case is domestic and particular, he maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children, which is Hannah's situation in 1 Samuel 1 and the substance of her song in 1 Samuel 2, and Mary's in Luke 1. Praise ye the LORD.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 113 - Praise to the LORD Who Lifts the Lowly
David Guzik

Psalm 113 | The God Who Stoops Low | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Praise Without Interruption (v.3) — From the rising of the sun to its setting, the LORD's name is to be praised continually. Is there an hour of your day you've quietly excluded from praise?
  • The God Who Stoops to See (v.6) — The LORD must humble Himself just to look at the heavens and the earth. If God has to stoop that far to see creation, what does it mean that He stoops even further to notice you personally?
  • Lifted From the Dust (vv.7-8) — God raises the poor from the dust and seats them with princes. Does your current situation feel like it disqualifies you from God's favor, or can you trust Him for a reversal?