Psalms 22:31
in Psalms 22They will come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn— all that He has done.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They shall come and shall declare his righteousness Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it.
KJV
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
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This verse in Psalms 22
Commentary
16 notes on this verse"They shall come." Sovereign grace shall bring out from among men the bloodbought ones. Nothing shall thwart the divine purpose. The chosen shall come to life, to faith, to pardon, to heaven. In this the dying Saviour finds a sacred satisfaction. Toiling servant of God, be glad at the thought that the eternal purpose of God shall suffer neither let nor hindrance. "And shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born."
This site's exposition
All the ends of the earth
on Psalms 22:27-31
The psalm widens past Israel to every nation, the rich who feast and those who go down to the dust alike. Verses 30 and 31 carry it to a people yet unborn, who will hear of His righteousness. The psalm ends on one Hebrew word, He has done it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
"The generation to come shall be declared to the Lord" [Psalm 22:31]. The generation of the New Testament shall be declared to the honour of the Lord. "And the heavens shall declare His righteousness." And the Evangelists shall declare His righteousness. "To a people that shall be born, whom the Lord has made." To a people that shall be born to the Lord through faith.
We see none of this happening to David or to any of his successors. Only Christ the Lord, on the contrary, who is of David according to the flesh, God the Word who became man, who though of David's line took the form of a …
The Son of God is the righteousness of the Father. Therefore this righteousness is to be proclaimed to the people who would believe in God, who forsake the death caused by sins and come over to life, who by God's kindness experience such a new …
The Medieval Church2 voices
"It shall be proclaimed." Here he explains when this will happen: not in his own time, but in future times. And he sets forth three things. First, he foretells the preaching of the faith. Second, by whom it must be preached. Third, to whom it …
The saints who are aflame with desire for heavenly things are fittingly called "the heavens," as the psalmist says, "And the heavens will proclaim his justice to a people yet to be born," which is to say, "And the most illustrious teachers will proclaim, with …
9 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
They - The seed last mentioned. Come - From Judea and Jerusalem (from whence the gospel was first to go forth) to the Gentile world, to the several parts whereof the apostles went upon this errand. His - God's righteousness: his wonderful grace and mercy unto mankind, in giving them Christ and the gospel; for righteousness is often put for mercy or kindness.
(2.) That the work of our redemption by Christ is the Lord's own doing ( Ps. cxviii. 23 ) and no contrivance of ours. We must declare to our children that God has done this; it is his wisdom in a mystery; it is his arm revealed.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. Some think they find Christ in the title of this psalm, upon Aijeleth Shahar -- The hind of the morning. Christ is as the swift hind upon the mountains of spices ( Cant. viii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
They shall come,....
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
His case illustrates God's righteous government. Beyond the existing time and people, others shall be brought to acknowledge and worship God; the fat ones, or the rich as well as the poor, the helpless who cannot keep themselves alive, shall together unite in celebrating God's delivering power, and transmit to unborn people the records of His grace.
"They shall come." Sovereign grace shall bring out from among men the bloodbought ones. Nothing shall thwart the divine purpose. The chosen shall come to life, to faith, to pardon, to heaven. In this the dying Saviour finds a sacred satisfaction. Toiling servant of God, be glad at the thought that the eternal purpose of God shall suffer neither let nor hindrance. "And shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born." None of the people who shall be brought to God by the irresistible attractions of the cross shall be dumb, they shall be able to tell forth the righteousness of the Lord, so that future generations shall know the truth. Fathers shall teach their sons, who shall hand it down to their children; the burden of the story always being "that he hath done this, "or, that "It is finished." Salvation's glorious work is done, there is peace on earth, and glory in the highest. "It is finished, " these were the expiring words of the Lord Jesus, as they are the last words of this Psalm. May we by living faith be enabled to see our salvation finished by the death of Jesus!
The transition is very marked; from a horrible tempest all is changed into calm. The darkness of Calvary at length passed away from the face of nature, and from the soul of the Redeemer, and beholding the light of his triumph and its future results the Saviour smiled. We have followed him through the gloom, let us attend him in the returning light. It will be well still to regard the words as a part of our Lord's soliloquy upon the cross, uttered in his mind during the last few moments before his death.
Unto a people that shall be born - That is, one generation shall continue to announce unto another the true religion of the Lord Jesus; so that it shall be for ever propagated in the earth. Of his kingdom there shall be no end.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
They shall come - That is, there were those who would thus come. Who these would be is not specified. The obvious sense is, that some would rise up to do this; that the succession of such men would be kept up from age to age, making known these great facts and truths to succeeding generations. The language would be applicable to a class of men called, from age to age, to proclaim these truths, and set apart to this work. It is a fair application of the verse to refer it to those who have been actually designated for such an office - the ministers of religion appointed to keep up the memory of the great work of redemption in the world. Thus understood, the passage is a proper carrying out of the great truths stated in the psalm - that, in virtue of the sufferings of the Redeemer, God would be made known to men; that his worship would be kept up in the earth; that distant generations would serve him. And shall declare his righteousness - No language could better describe the actual office of the ministers of the Gospel as appointed to set forth the “righteousness” of God, to vindicate his government and laws, and to state the way in which men may be made righteous, or may be justified. Compare Rom 1:17; Rom 3:26. Unto a people that shall be born - To future generations. That he hath done this - That God has done or accomplished what is stated in this psalm; that is, on the supposition that it refers to the Messiah, that he has caused an atonement to be made for mankind, or that redemption has been provided through the sufferings of the Messiah. I have given what seems to me to be a fair exposition of this psalm, referring it wholly to the Messiah. […]
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יָ֭בֹאוּ | yavou | they will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| וְיַגִּ֣ידוּ | veyagidu | and they may declare | H5046 → | 370 times |
| צִדְקָת֑וֹ | tzidkato | righteousness his | H6666 → | 157 times |
| לְעַ֥ם | leam | to a people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| נ֝וֹלָ֗ד | nolad | about to be born | H3205 → | 496 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| עָשָֽׂה׃ | ʾasah | he has acted | H6213 → | 2628 times |
יָ֭בֹאוּthey will come
yavouH935 →2568 times
וְיַגִּ֣ידוּand they may declare
veyagiduH5046 →370 times
צִדְקָת֑וֹrighteousness his
tzidkatoH6666 →157 times
לְעַ֥םto a people
leamH5971 →1873 times
נ֝וֹלָ֗דabout to be born
noladH3205 →496 times
כִּ֣יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
עָשָֽׂה׃he has acted
ʾasahH6213 →2628 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
Romans 1:17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
it leads to
- Habakkuk 2:4
Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright—but the righteous will live by faith—
- Galatians 3:11
Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”
- Hebrews 10:38
But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”
- Philippians 3:9
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
- Hebrews 11:6–7
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
- Habakkuk 2:4
Through
Psalms 86:9All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
it leads to
- Revelation 15:4
Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Isaiah 66:23
From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come to worship before Me,” says the LORD.
- Revelation 15:4
Through
Psalms 102:18Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.
it leads to
- Psalms 22:30–31
Posterity will serve Him; they will declare the Lord to a new generation.
- Psalms 22:30–31
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies10
About Psalms
This page draws on 14 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, Expositions on the Psalms; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 22; Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 2:17; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 22:32; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; 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); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 22:18 and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.