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.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
The first of six psalms known as the 'Egyptian Hallel' (113-118), traditionally sung at the Jewish Passover, praising God who, though dwelling on high, stoops down to raise the poor from the dust and give joy to the barren woman.
Explanation
These six psalms (113-118) form what is called the 'Hallel' (praise), traditionally sung during the Jewish Passover (Pesach) — likely the very hymns Jesus and his disciples sang after the Last Supper, before going out to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30). The central image of this psalm is the contrast between God's transcendent greatness ('who dwelleth on high') and his intimate closeness ('who humbleth himself' to care for the poor and for childless families). The application today is that God's true greatness is revealed precisely in his care for the weakest and most forgotten in society.