Psalms 113:1
in Psalms 113Hallelujah! Give praise, O servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Praise ye Jehovah. Praise, O ye servants of Jehovah, Praise the name of Jehovah.
KJV
Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
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This verse in Psalms 113
Commentary
10 notes on this versePraise ye the Lord, or Hallelujah, praise to Jah Jehovah. Praise is an essential offering at all the solemn feasts of the people of God. Prayer is the myrrh, and praise is the frankincense, and both of these must be presented unto the Lord. How can we pray for mercy for the future if we do not bless God for his love in the past? The Lord hath wrought all good things for us, let us therefore adore him. All other praise is to be excluded, the entire devotion of the soul must be poured out unto Jehovah only.
This site's exposition
O servants of the LORD
on Psalms 113:1-3
The servants of the LORD are told to praise His name, and blessed be that name both now and forevermore. Psalms 113 to 118 are the Hallel, sung at Passover, and Matthew 26:30 has Jesus and the disciples singing a hymn on that night. The name is praised before any act is named.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
...When ye hear sung in the Psalms, "Praise the Lord, ye children" (ver. 1); imagine not that that exhortation pertaineth not unto you, because having already passed the youth of the body, ye are either blooming in the prime of manhood, or growing gray with the honours of old age: for unto all of you the Apostle saith, "Brethren, be not children in understanding; howbeit, in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." What malice in particular, save pride? For it is pride that, presuming in false greatness, suffereth not man to walk along the narrow path, and to enter by the narrow gate; but the child easily entereth through the narrow entrance; and thus no man, save as a child, entereth into the kingdom of heaven.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And it is their business to praise him; that is the work required of them as his servants: it is easy pleasant work to speak well of their Master, and do him what honour they can; if they do not, who should? Some understand it of the Levites; but, if so, all Christians are a royal priesthood, to show forth the praises of him that has called them, 1 Pet. ii.
Praise ye the Lord,.... Or, "hallelujah". This is the title of the psalm, as in the two preceding, and directs to the principal matter of it.
We are here furnished with matter for praise, and words are put into our mouths, in singing which we must with holy fear and love give to God the glory of, 1. The elevations of his glory and greatness,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Earnestness and zeal are denoted by the emphatic repetitions. servants of the Lord--or, all the people of God. name of the Lord--perfections (Ps 5:11;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Praise ye the Lord, or Hallelujah, praise to Jah Jehovah. Praise is an essential offering at all the solemn feasts of the people of God. Prayer is the myrrh, and praise is the frankincense, and both of these must be presented unto the Lord. How can we pray for mercy for the future if we do not bless God for his love in the past? The Lord hath wrought all good things for us, let us therefore adore him. All other praise is to be excluded, the entire devotion of the soul must be poured out unto Jehovah only. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord. Ye above all men, for ye are bound to do so by your calling and profession. If God's own servants do not praise him, who will? Ye are a people near unto him, and should be heartiest in your loving gratitude. While they were slaves of Pharaoh, the Israelites uttered groans and sighs by reason of their hard bondage; but now that they had become servants of the Lord, they were to express themselves in songs of joy. His service is perfect freedom, and those who fully enter into it discover in that service a thousand reasons for adoration. They are sure to praise God best who serve him best; indeed, service is praise. Praise the name of the Lord: extol his revealed character, magnify every sacred attribute, exult in all his doings, and reverence the very name by which he is called. The name of Jehovah is thrice used in this verse, and may by us who understand the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity be regarded as a thinly veiled allusion to that holy mystery. Let Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all be praised as the one, only, living, and true God. The close following of the words, "Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, "must have had a fine effect in the public services. Dr.
Praise, O ye servants - Probably an address to the Levites. The Anglo-Saxon has praise the Lord, ye knaves. Knapa or knave signified among our ancestors a servant; sometimes a male, a young man.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Praise ye the Lord - Margin, as in Hebrew, “Hallelujah.” See the notes at Psa 106:1. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord - You who profess to serve and obey him; who acknowledge him as your God. In the original this is also the word “Hallelu,” הללוּ halelû. Praise the name of the Lord - Still the same word “Hallelu.” The name of the Lord is put here, as it is often, for the Lord himself.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
May the name of the LORD be praised from now and until forever!
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 7 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַ֥לְלוּ | halu | praise | H1984 → | 165 times |
| יָ֨הּ׀ | yah | Yahweh | H3050 → | 50 times |
| הַ֭לְלוּ | halu | praise | H1984 → | 165 times |
| עַבְדֵ֣י | ʾavdei | O servants of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הַֽ֝לְלוּ | halu | praise | H1984 → | 165 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שֵׁ֥ם | shem | [the] name of | H8034 → | 864 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
הַ֥לְלוּpraise
haluH1984 →165 times
יָ֨הּ׀Yahweh
yahH3050 →50 times
הַ֭לְלוּpraise
haluH1984 →165 times
עַבְדֵ֣יO servants of
ʾavdeiH5650 →799 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הַֽ֝לְלוּpraise
haluH1984 →165 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
שֵׁ֥ם[the] name of
shemH8034 →864 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 34:22The LORD redeems His servants, and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
it leads to
- Psalms 103:4
who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,
- 1 Peter 1:18–19
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
- Psalms 31:5
Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.
- Psalms 71:23
When I sing praise to You my lips will shout for joy, along with my soul, which You have redeemed.
- 2 Samuel 4:9
But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,
- Psalms 103:4
Through
Revelation 19:5Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!”
it leads to
- Psalms 134:1
Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who serve by night in the house of the LORD!
- Psalms 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!
- Psalms 148:11–13
kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth,
- Psalms 134:1
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 113; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.